Bringing Nature Home

How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens

With the accelerating pace of development and subsequent habitat disruption, the pressures on wildlife populations are greater than they have ever been in our nation's history. As Doug Tallamy has confirmed through extensive research, there is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife. When native plant species disappear, or are replaced by alien exotics, the insects disappear, thus impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. Fortunately, there is still time to reverse this alarming trend, and gardeners have the power to make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity. By favoring native plants, gardeners can provide a welcoming environment for wildlife of all kinds.

Media reviews of this book:

"Provides the rationale behind the use of native plants, a concept that has rapidly been gaining momentum. The impact on our environment is huge. The text makes a case for native plants and animals in a compelling and complete fashion."

—Joel M. Lerner, Washington Post, June 28, 2008

"If you cut down the goldenrod, the wild black cherry, the milkweed and other natives, you eliminate the larvae, and starve the birds. This simple revelation about the food web — and it is an intricate web, not a chain — is the driving force in Bringing Nature Home."

—Anne Raver, New York Times, March 6, 2008

"A fascinating study of the trees, shrubs, and vines that feed the insects, birds, and other animals in the suburban garden."

—Anne Raver, New York Times, December 6, 2007

"This book not only shows how important native plants are but also how easy they can be to incorporate into a landscape plan."

—Marianne Binetti, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 6, 2007

"We all know where resistance to natives, reliance on pesticides, and the cult of the lawn still reign supreme: suburban America. And suburban America is where Doug Tallamy aims the passionate arguments for natives and their accompanying wildlife contained in his wonderful book."

—Elizabeth Licata, Garden Rant, December 2, 2007

Customer reviews of this book:

"Put this on upfront display in bookstores with the following caption: Stop wasting time, money, and effort on lobbying, research, and indiscriminate fanaticism and go out back and change the world at home."

—Anonymous, June 24, 2008

"The book is the key to the native species' habitat restoration and survival! It is the most important and urgently needed book I've ever found!"

—G. H. S. from MacHesney Park, Illinois, June 24, 2008

"Excellent and inspiring! Suggests very feasible ways to help the planet."

—Phyllis R. from White Plains, New York, April 5, 2008

"One of the best books I've ever read. It literally changed my life — personally and professionally."

—Rebecca K. from Newton, Massachusetts, April 3, 2008

"Best gardening book I've read in years. Wish I'd had this book 50 years ago."

—Suzanne S. from Caledonia, New York, March 25, 2008

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An excerpt from this book:

When I was a boy, driving at night during the summer would invariably produce a blizzard of nocturnal insects in the car's headlights. Today I see only the occasional moth flutter by. This apparent decline in insect populations is being noticed all over the temperate zone and has been scientifically confirmed in Great Britain (Conrad et al. 2006). In the past I have attributed the loss of insects to habitat loss, and surely the loss of natural areas has played an important role in the reduction of insect populations. Then I noticed that insects seemed to prefer native plants over alien species, and another reason for their decline in our gardens and backyards was suddenly obvious ...

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