Watch "Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard"
|
Noted entomologist and wildlife ecologist
Douglas W. Tallamy recently did a fascinating
presentation explaining why protecting the natural interactions between insects, birds and plants in our own yards is essential to preserving the planet for ourselves
and for future generations. His eye-opening, 80-minute talk (including Q&A) provides surprisingly simple steps you can take to turn your landscape into a "conservation corridor" — one that's beautiful, easy to care for, and provides habitats for creatures that are vital to human existence.
This presentation, which is based on
Tallamy's new book
of the same name, was hosted by the Caldwell and West Caldwell Environmental Commissions, the Kiwanis Club of Caldwell-West Essex, and Morgan Farm of the Cedar Grove Historical Society. Morris County Library cardholders: You can
borrow the book
from the library closest to you.
|
|
Wednesday, July 29 at 7:00 pm
Is Solar Right for Your Home?
Live Zoom webinar
|
|
Join Madison resident Frank Curran of
Green House Solar for the inside scoop on solar power and battery backup systems. Get your questions answered during this free community forum, hosted by the Madison Environmental Commission, and learn about:
- Costs and pay-back periods
- Federal and NJ tax credits
- Battery backup for energy independence — and how it compares to a traditional generator
Frank will talk about why solar power makes financial and environmental sense right now. He'll also show how it can work on houses with shade, tricky roofs and more. Plus, several local homeowners will offer their first-hand points of view on what it's like to live with solar, battery backups, and electric vehicle (EV) charging systems.
|
|
We 💚 Native Plants!
Some Favorite Resources
|
- Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center's searchable Native Plants Database — You can look up a plant by its common or scientific name, or find plants that will work in your garden by specifying criteria such as type of plant, bloom color, height, growing conditions, flowering season, and/or state
- Jersey-Friendly Plant Database lets you search for a specific plant, or use their search filters to identify plants
- The Native Plant Society of New Jersey offers a wealth of information
- Our Sustain Wildlife With Native Plants fact sheet explains easy ways to increase natural biodiversity, highlights some plants that benefit birds and butterflies, and gives locally native alternatives to invasive plants
- For more on invasive plants, look to Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve as well as Jersey-Friendly Yards and New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team's "2020 Do Not Plant List"
These are just a few. More to come in the next issue!
|
|
Doug Tallamy points out that if insects disappeared:
- Most flowering plants would go extinct.
- That would drastically change the physical structure and energy flow of most terrestrial environments;
- Which would cause the rapid collapse of food webs that support birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.
- The living portion of the earth — the biosphere — would rot, due to the loss of insect decomposers to return nutrients.
- And humans would not survive those drastic changes.
We tend to view bugs as pests to be eradicated, but
life as we know it depends on insects. Fortunately, as Tallamy explains in his
presentation, we can all help by practicing simple conservation methods in our own yards — which are ecologically significant places, too!
More about insects and pollinators in our next issue...
|
|
|
|
If you have a friend or neighbor who'd be interested in receiving Madison Environmental Commission's newsletter, please forward this email and let them know they can
sign up here to receive future issues.
|
|
Follow us on social media for environmentally-friendly tips, events & more!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
