Saving Nature With Your Yard: A Community Brainstorm Event on May 19

“What can one person do to help nature?” is a question bestselling author Doug Tallamy gets asked a lot. Ever since the publication of his 2019 book, Nature’s Best Hope, he’s been on a perpetual speaking tour, advocating for less lawn, more native plants, zero pesticides, and a moratorium on moth-killing bright white lights at night.

At every talk, his legion of fans has questions—really good questions. So Tallamy, a wildlife ecologist, entomologist (insect expert), and professor at the University of Delaware, decided to write a book that answers 499 of them.

His newest book, published in April—How Can I Help? Saving Nature With Your Yard—is the topic of a community brainstorm event hosted by Madison Environmental Commission (MEC) and The Nature of Reading Bookshop. It will be held on Monday, May 19 at 7 pm at the Madison Community Arts Center (10 Kings Rd, Madison). Admission is free, but registration is required. Register at the events page on The Nature of Reading Bookshop’s site.

 “Tallamy grew up in Berkeley Heights, my hometown,” says Claire Whitcomb, Madison Environmental Commission Chair. “But he got the nature bug early in life—and I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t have a clue about why native plants were important until I started reading his books and meeting gardeners who were shrinking their lawns and planting pollinator habitats. Luckily, those very gardeners are some of the hosts of our community brainstorm.”

The event hosts include MEC members Bridget Daley and Joan Maccari, experienced native plant aficionados, as well as Deb Ellis, founder and leader of Native Plant Society of New Jersey’s Essex County chapter; Jessica Miller, a native plants educator, activist and community leader; and Bianca Wright, an ecological landscape designer and owner of Habitats & Gardens. Daley, Maccari, and Miller are certified Rutgers Environmental Stewards.

“'How Can I Help' is a great book even for beginners because it’s really accessible,” says Hailey Brock, owner of The Nature of Reading Bookshop. “You can flip from a section on trees to a question on how to avoid ticks in the garden. Tallamy’s writing is full of wonder. He explains that spider web silk in a bird’s nest lets it stretch as the nestling grows, and he calls butterflies ‘bad-tasting, day-flying moths’ in answering a question on why they don’t get eaten.”

Whitcomb and Brock welcome people to the Tallamy event, whether or not they’ve read the book. 

“The discussion will focus on the presenters’ ah-ha moments, so it will be about sharing insights from the book and answering community questions,” Whitcomb says.