It’s no secret that suburban development is a real and constantly growing threat to wildlife. But did you know there are things you can do in your own backyard to help?

In his book, “Bringing Nature Home,” author and professor Dr. Doug Tallamy explains that, “It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to make a difference. In this case the ‘difference’ will be to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”

We can each help by planting native plants that are both beautiful and environmentally useful. All we need is a patch of land, be it one-eighth of an acre or much more. In addition to Dr. Tallamy’s book, another good resource is Lynn M. Steiner’s “Prairie-Style Gardens”.

Plants are not optional for us; they are essential to our planet. Animals depend on plants for survival both directly and indirectly. We should all do our part to restore native plants to our own yards and not rely solely on parks, forests and other natural areas to provide food and shelter for biodiversity.

Thank you to all the Shaker Trace Nursery volunteers — who this year alone have grown and planted more than 5,000 native plants — for helping us sustain local wildlife with native plants!

Tim Osborne, Nursery Manager