Book Invites Children to Turn Native Gardens into National Park

Book Invites Children to Turn Native Gardens into National Park

A wildlife and insect expert who urges people to create gardens with native plants is now bringing children into the effort.

Doug Tallamy has become a leading supporter for returning native plants and trees to places, so they can support birds, bees and other wildlife. He is urging people to push for parks, playgrounds, schools and colleges, hospitals and office buildings, golf courses and even airports to join in spreading native plants.

Tallamy's new book is called Nature's Best Hope: How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard. It is aimed at middle schoolers and was released earlier this month in time for Earth Day. The book follows Tallamy's influential² book from 1999 for all readers: Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard.

He hopes the new book will carry its message into classrooms around the country.

"The idea is that kids are the future stewards⁴ of our planet," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I get contacted by kids all the time, and this is stuff you can do and actually see results, " he said.

Little things can make a big difference.

"You don't have to worry about the entire planet. Just do something about the little piece of the planet that you can do something about. That's really motivating for parents as well as kids," he said.

The book for young people lists easy changes that children can make at home to create better habitats for insects and birds.

The book includes easy projects like building a "bee hotel" out of an empty metal can and pieces of paper. Or you might want to cover window wells so little creatures do not get trapped in them.

"Or just plant an acorn⁵. It's free and easy and you can watch it grow, and it makes a big difference," Tallamy says.

He imagines a future of many little pollinator-friendly spaces — a growth of gardens and public spaces — all loosely linked to form a "Homegrown National Park."

Tai Montanarella helps lead school and out-of-school programs for The New York Botanical Garden. She teaches kindergarten through high school kids about native plants. She said spreading the word that Americans can do things at home to improve the environment is important.

"At the heart of Tallamy's book is the observation of plants, and the interaction between plants and birds and insects. It underscores the connectivity of our food web and of society," she said.

"Kids sometimes feel a greater sense of urgency and call to action than adults," she continued. "Many of these ideas seem sensible and practical for kids, while they can be a heavier lift for adults sometimes."

Tallamy is a professor at the University of Delaware. He starts his new book by asking readers to take a few minutes to look closely at their yards.

Did you see "a single animal — a bird, a bug⁶, a snake, a mammal of any size — hop¹, fly, flutter⁷, slither, crawl, or creep past?" he asks, "You're right. You don't. But you should."

"Nature is everywhere. That's a good thing because human beings like you and me wouldn't last a day without it," Tallamy writes. "That's what this book is about — how to create a yard that is a real part of the natural world.

"The kind of yard where, if you look closely," Tallamy writes, "something is moving."

Words in This Story

steward³ –n. a man whose job it is to take care or protect property, such as land

interview –n. a discussion in which someone asks questions and another person answers them

stuff –n. a general term for things

entire –adj. all of something

motivate –v. to cause someone or a group of people to want to do something

habitat –n. a place where plants and animals naturally grow and live

pollinator –n. an animal such as a bee that spreads pollen⁸ which fertilizes⁹ plants

underscore –v. to draw attention to something

mammal –n. a kind of animal that feeds milk to it's you, has hair and certain ear bones

1 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

2 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

3 steward   

n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员

参考例句：

• He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
• He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员，到过世界各地。

4 stewards   

（轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家

参考例句：

• The stewards all wore armbands. 乘务员都戴了臂章。
• The stewards will inspect the course to see if racing is possible. 那些干事将检视赛马场看是否适宜比赛。

5 acorn   

n.橡实，橡子

参考例句：

• The oak is implicit in the acorn.橡树孕育于橡子之中。
• The tree grew from a small acorn.橡树从一粒小橡子生长而来。

6 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

7 flutter   

vi.振翼，飘动，快速跳动；n.紧张，激动不安

参考例句：

• Our surprise attack put the enemy into a flutter.我们的奇袭使敌人张皇失措。
• They unfurled the flag and let it flutter in the wind.他们将旗展开让其迎风招展。

8 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

9 fertilizes   

n.施肥( fertilize的名词复数 )v.施肥( fertilize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The male sperm fertilizes the female egg. 雄性的精子使雌性的卵子受精。 来自辞典例句
• When the male reproductive cell fertilizes the female reproductive cell a zygote is formed. 当男性生殖细胞与女性生殖细胞发生受精时，就形成了一个合子。 来自辞典例句