Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Wildlife comes to town
Garden Media Group contends that, with the era of covid and cities around the world having been essentially “shut-down”, plants and animals started reclaiming human space, from coyotes on the streets of San Francisco to a resurgence of bees and rare wildflowers in the UK.
Gardens are not only human spaces but richly woven ecologically functional spaces. Claudia West, co-author of “Planting in a Post Wild World” explains that, “Nature doesn’t live ‘out there’ anymore, because ‘out there’ is gone. Nature lives in our backyards, in our developments and parking lots or rooftop gardens – or it doesn’t live.
While I don’t know many folks who want coyotes roaming their streets, there is a huge benefit to bringing in those other critters. In one study, cutting back on all the light pollution can save insects. They’re drawn to the lights left on throughout the night and become exhausted making them easy prey for bats and birds. While we like bats and birds, we also need the insects.
Finding balance is a good goal. Motion lights for safety is one way to help. They only come on when necessary. That’ll save you energy, and they’re the least attractive to insects. You can’t reverse insect declines by yourself. If we each do our small part, we can not only restore insect populations but also create the largest collective conservation effort in history.
As we’ve all slowed down our pace, whether we wanted to or not, wildlife has found a resurgence.
(Note: This article is excerpted and reprinted from Garden Media’s 2021 report)