United States
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As development and subsequent habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. But there is an important and simple step toward reversing this alarming trend: Everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity. There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife - native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. In many parts of the world, habitat destruction has been so extensive that local wildlife is in crisis and may be headed toward extinction.
Bringing Nature Home has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being, and the new paperback edition - with an expanded resource section and updated photos - will help broaden the movement. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical recommendations, everyone can make a difference.
As a child, Douglas W. Tallamy spent his summer days exploring the wild places that surrounded him, discovering a small pond filled with pollywogs, and taking great delight in watching their growth. One day, a bulldozer buried the young toads and all the other living treasures within the pond, an act that forever influenced Doug's way of thinking about nature. Tallamy is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has written more than 65 research articles and has taught insect taxonomy, behavioral ecology, and other subjects. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. Doug won the Silver Medal from the Garden Writer's Association for his book, Bringing Nature Home. In his free time, Doug enjoys photography, hiking in remote places with his wife, swimming, canoeing, and teaching young people about the importance of the life forms around them.
An informative and engaging account of the ecological interactions between plants and wildlife, this fascinating handbook explains why exotic plants can hinder and confuse native creatures, from birds and bees to larger fauna. Ann Lovejoy, "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer"
