For years, bumper stickers have been telling us to “Think Global, Act Local.” But for this biology major, that messaging should be updated so that people now think and act local. His is an environmental cause that everyone can embrace because no matter where you are, it’s right in your backyard.
by Nicholas Boatwright
When was the last time you went outside and just listened? Just sat there and heard what nature was offering? If you are anything like me, it has been a while. With work, school, family and friends, who really has time to just sit outside and relax?
As a society, we have, I believe, forgotten about nature. And in the process, we have replaced our native landscapes with sites and subdivisions that are changing our ecosystems. Whether intentional or not, we have created new communities dominated by non-native plants and are thus driving away most of our native plants and animals. Over the years, native plant species have been pushed out of our living spaces in favor of our expansive, green monocultures.
Last May, I took a field botany class with biology professor Jean Everett. In the intensive month-long course, we traveled across South Carolina looking at vegetation that grows in different plant communities. It wasn’t until this trip that I decided that something needed to be done about the lack of native plants and animals in our urban landscapes.
In May, at the 12th annual symposium of the South Carolina Native Plant Society, Professor Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware spoke on the importance of “bringing nature home,” which is also the title of his book. This idea sparked many conversations among my classmates on our long rides across the state, and with Professor Everett’s guidance, we decided that we would take on the project – to bring nature back to Charleston.
Spending time out in the field and taking time to talk with professors revealed a great need to bring native species back into our urban and residential landscapes. In both of my courses with Professor Everett – Plant Taxonomy and Field Botany – I found myself amazed by the wide variety of ecosystems that are within just a 30-minute drive of my downtown apartment, ecosystems which I had no idea existed.
With each trip, my interest grew in trying to understand our native landscapes and the plants and animals that inhabit them. “How do we live so close,” I found myself constantly asking, “yet I’ve never seen half of these plants and animals in my life?”
My first trip to the Francis Marion National Forest, located just north of Charleston, was a transformative experience. If you’ve never been to a longleaf pine ecosystem like those found in the Francis Marion, you must visit one at some point in your life. These ecosystems are formed by frequent fires and thus create a severe dichotomy, dominated by grasses and wild flowers and the gigantic and ephemeral longleaf pine trees. The entire forest has a cathedral-like feel, with light streaming down in bands between the pine trees’ slender needles. We are so close to these beautiful landscapes, but because of urbanization, we could not be further separated.
When native plants are removed from an area, so too are the insects that have co-evolved to feed on them. When the insects disappear, the birds that eat the insects and the larger mammals that eat the birds also disappear. In his speech, Professor Tallamy noted that nearly 96 percent of the bird species in North America depend on insects to feed their young. So by planting non-native plants in our communities, we are creating environments that are nearly untouchable by our native insects, and thus starving our bird populations. Although you might be thinking that ridding our gardens of insects sounds delightful, we’re simply decreasing the number of native bugs and increasing the amount of alien species of insects, such as the destructive Japanese beetle.
In our highly developed country, we have relegated our native ecosystems to national parks, national forests and preserves. Most of the remaining land has been “disturbed,” meaning that these spaces are typically landscaped with non-native plant species. Our westward move across the continent has seen us clearing and slicing up land and creating isolated patches, or islands. The spaces between these islands, like bodies of water, act as both physical and reproductive barriers for plant and animals species. More recently, we have erected cities and neighborhoods that form islands the same way farmlands of the past did.
Our modern landscapes are composed mostly of lawns and asphalt, and we reserve only a small amount of space for our parks. Yet, wrongly, we expect these few parks and preserves to keep our overall ecosystem balanced. Looking at a land disturbance map of the United States reveals a highly developed nation with small, isolated pieces of undisturbed landscape – mainly national parks. These small islands also have high rates of local extinction, which means that a particular species is likely to leave the area when it’s confined to a small isolated space. If we create more of these small islands, we’re going to see the loss of many more of our native species.
However, there is hope. We’re in control of the plants used around our homes and in our towns and cities. There are many ways that you as an individual can help bring nature back to our communities and recreate the native environments that we have driven out of our urban landscapes. The first and best way is simple: Spread the word. The more people that know about the close relationship between native plants, the insects that feed on them and our songbirds, the easier it is to save our native ecosystems. Second, ask your local garden center which plants are native to the area, and suggest that they promote those native plants to others in the community. Third, plant your own yard with native species. You can find lists that are native to your area from your local garden store, local native plant societies and even online (but make sure that your source is reliable).
This issue is not irreversible. It’s up to us to change. By doing your part, you’re helping bring nature back to the sterile zones we have been and are creating. So next time you find yourself free, go outside and listen. Relax and remind yourself of the wonderful sights, smells and sounds that we must protect. It’s only natural – if we work together to fix it.
– Nicholas Boatwright is a senior biology major with minors in health and African studies.
Illustration by Timothy Banks
