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Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

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Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#91

Post by pamelafox »

jmspring wrote: post #81
bmitc wrote: post #3

After getting a house with a decent sized yard and trees, I have been having a lot of fun with planting native plants. While my neighbors are cutting down trees, which is honestly hard to watch, and paying landscapers to plant non-native plants, I'm spending a lot of time researching and planting native plants. It is honestly one of the more fulfilling things to walk outside and see all sorts of bees, butterflies, mo…

I did this when I bought a house in Santa Cruz. Planted a bunch of natives, in particular bushes that flowered at different times of the year - ceanothus, manzanita, etc. I happily had bees and other insects around the yard almost all the time. It's worth doing. Funny thing, monarch butterflies (and the caterpillars) seem to prefer the non-native Milkweed to the native variety.

Which milkweed did you plant? I find that our Monarchs love narrow-leaf milkweed but HATE showy milkweed. They have to be absolutely desperate to nibble on it. Both are technically native, but clearly one of them is tastier.

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#92

Post by v8xi »

Living in the Bay Area, I adore the tall grasses growing on the eastern foothills - you get a nice close-up taking e.g. I-680 to Livermore - and would love to replace much of my yard with the native grasses, but I don't even know where to begin in identifying what species they are, and where to get seed.

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#93

Post by autokad »

city gardens things make no sense (when it comes to eating said items). Soil in cities can become contaminated by various pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and automobile exhaust. These contaminants can have harmful effects on human health and the environment.

I'm in favor of gardens, but eating the food? gosh that's a bad idea

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#94

Post by HEmanZ »

onos wrote: post #64
bmitc wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you not understand about it? Just trying to address any specific questions you might have. Here's some bullet points I've collected in my head. I'm not an expert and am still learning. See the links below. Planting native plants: - reduces watering and fertilization needs, if not removing them, because native plants are built for the area they're planted in - attracts native insects, which further attracts na…

Thanks for your response. I’ll think on your points. FWIW, In my area of the world I hear about non natives being bad but they often seem to grow very well, eg in the wild. So it seems to me that they are often well suited to the local environment. The concern then seems to me to be an implicit preference for what was already here over new comers. To me, seems a bit “anti immigrant” and I just can’t relate. I definit…

One point on top of the poster that I think also matters, especially if you want more people to get involved: aesthetics.

Any regions of the world people actually live have really beautiful natural plants that are often excluded from peoples yards just because it’s not what the builder has massive stockpile of. You can use local plants to make your property look distinctly and beautifully “of a place” and not some e.g generic American burb or “trying to imitate” some other place (palm trees in Seattle, im looking at you)

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#95

Post by Scarblac »

onos wrote: post #42
bmitc wrote: post #3

After getting a house with a decent sized yard and trees, I have been having a lot of fun with planting native plants. While my neighbors are cutting down trees, which is honestly hard to watch, and paying landscapers to plant non-native plants, I'm spending a lot of time researching and planting native plants. It is honestly one of the more fulfilling things to walk outside and see all sorts of bees, butterflies, mo…

I don’t really understand the logic behind native only, beyond the desire not to introduce a plant or creature that would monopolize their environment.

I want to make the local ecosystems stronger.

Native plants should grow well, but there are also many organisms around to fertilize them, prey on them, symbiose with them, eat their fallen leaves, and so on.

Everything else in the ecosystem from the microbes, fungi and insects up is native, so it seems obvious to me that the plants should be as well.

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#97

Post by farmerrishi »

Funny that these ideas are still making "news". I feel like I'm surrounded with people who figured out a long while ago that human's are and have always been necessary to the health of our ecosystems. Our current sad state of affairs is caused not by human intervention, but by human neglect of our relatives on this planet.

99% of human cultures have been gardeners, cultivating land to increase diversity, energy, and abundance. Colonization fucked that up on a worldwide scale, and created this new narrative of humans in opposition to Earth.

I've been working with a partner to change that by connecting people to urban gardens where they can see "human care of Earth" in action. Its called healinggardens.co . Check it out.

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#98

Post by justajot »

bmitc wrote: post #59
taeric wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Native plants may be easy; but by that measure, invasives are where its at. :D That said, bringing down trees is always odd to me. Definitely bring down any that pose a risk to your house. But otherwise, seems more effort than it is worth. I should probably be a lot better at pruning, as that is a ton of work. And, while intellectually I know the answer is that you are unlikely to kill the tree, I am always worried a…

I'm still not totally certain how to "manage" the trees in our yard. We are in a quite woody area with huge trees. I contacted an arborist place last year and plan on paying them to come out and teach me about the trees on my property. The previous owners cutdown some huge trees, but luckily mainly concentrated on the trees that were super close to the house. It's possible remaining trees could hit the house, and the…

Thank you for leaving the dead … super important habitat!

Also wanted to mention the importance of diversity. Everybody thinks trees trees trees but, at least where I live, native prairie plants are just as, if not more important, and are unfortunately largely ignored.

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#99

Post by Joel_Mckay »

"biodiversity hotspot" a.k.a. Rodent + Insect farm for the rest of the neighborhood to complain about.

Maybe move out of urban centers if you want agriculture. Most rodents are nocturnal, and will damage/infest surrounding structures. Gross, but true.

Have a great day =)

Re: Turn your backyard into a biodiversity hotspot

#100

Post by hammock »

bmitc wrote: post #3

After getting a house with a decent sized yard and trees, I have been having a lot of fun with planting native plants. While my neighbors are cutting down trees, which is honestly hard to watch, and paying landscapers to plant non-native plants, I'm spending a lot of time researching and planting native plants. It is honestly one of the more fulfilling things to walk outside and see all sorts of bees, butterflies, mo…

What’s the size of your lot?
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