Double Feature: Tallamy Walk & Talk

By Katy Flammia

Dr. Doug Tallamy, acclaimed author and native plant advocate, gave a lecture at the Columbia Greene Community College and led a couple of field walks at Arthur’s Point Farm in Ghent in September. (Arthur’s Point Farm was a sponsor of the event and wonderful local resources for plants and trees.  New Leaf Tree Service was another sponsor and great source for ecologically minded tree care and tree and meadow planting.)

On the walks, Tallamy spoke about many of the native plant species found on the property and the benefits each species provides to insects, birds, and other wildlife. 

The lecture was introduced by Margaret Roach, garden columnist for the NY Times and podcaster at A Way to Garden.  In the lecture Dr. Tallamy talks about how he was able to lure many wonderful species of butterflies and moths to his property by planting the specific host plants they need.  How building a garden focused on producing more habitat for insects creates more habitat for birds and other species, restoring the cycles of water, nutrients and feeding which has been so negatively impacted by modern development and suburban lawns.  

The Homegrown National Park movement was born out of his idea that most of the land in this country is privately owned, and if landowners were to reduce lawn, protect their forests and plant native plants instead of ornamental exotic plants, more could be done to stop the extinction of bird and other wildlife populations than in all the publicly owned parks and sanctuaries combined.  

To watch the video of Tallamy’s talk at Columbia Greene go to: https://youtu.be/QiPcWvywfJg