The perfectly manicured lawn. Sociobiologists suggest that this suburban staple may be traced to our evolutionary past and our ancestors’ preference for the safety of open grasslands where danger could be spotted from a distance. Today, an immaculate, rolling lawn framed with exotic ornamental plants does double duty, providing beauty and tranquility while inspiring envy in the neighbours. Yet, despite appearances, they are, effectively, ecological dead zones; devoid of native biodiversity and requiring excessive inputs of water, pesticides and emission-heavy mowing.
Now, consider an alternative. A dynamic and bustling garden teeming with life: the hum of bees and hummingbirds, songbirds and butterflies, the occasional glimpse of an iguana or maybe even an agouti. Luckily for us in the tropics, such an oasis is achievable with minimal effort. Here, we’ll be talking about the crucial role of this kind of gardening for biodiversity conservation and how you can make your own space into a refuge for wildlife, whether you have a large backyard or simply a balcony or rooftop space:
The role of your backyard in saving our native species
Due to human land-use, only about a quarter of the world’s land habitats are considered truly “wild”. Further, the habitat that remains isn’t composed of continuous swathes of wilderness, but rather is highly fragmented by human activities including everything from roads and walls to cities, suburbs and agricultural lands. This is a big problem for our planet’s wild species, which are forced to brave dangerous human areas to move between suitable habitats or become limited to small patches of habitat where resources such as food, shelter and mates are scarce.
The large-scale loss and fragmentation of native habitats mean that the best hope for saving many species is to make human-impacted areas more hospitable to them. This not only expands their usable habitats but also creates ecological corridors which allow them to disperse between wild spaces, expanding their ranges and population sizes.
Our urban and suburban green spaces can play a crucial role in this process but are often designed purely for conventional aesthetics. Yet, our gardens can be so much more rewarding for ourselves and the environment. Here are some practical tips and general principles for creating your very own backyard refuge for native species.
Plant native plants that pollinators love
As a rule, using native plants is a great first step in rewilding your space. Not only do they grow well without the need for excessive attention or chemical inputs that are harmful to other plant and animal species, but importantly, also have ecological relationships with native animal species, which can help welcome these into your garden. In particular, plants which attract pollinators such as hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, will not only attract these beauties to your space but will provide a valuable service to other flowering plants, helping them to spread and thrive. Some fast-growing, hardy and readily available flowering plants for pollinators are:
For butterflies and bees: zinnias, marigolds, ixoras, milkweed and lantana;
For hummingbirds: heliconias, vervain and Antiguan heath.
See here for a much more comprehensive list.
If you have a little more time and space to work with, try some flowering trees, particularly, pride of Barbados, powderpuff, bottlebrush and toothbrush plants.
Utilize feeders and fruit trees
Fruit trees like pommerac, mango, guava, cashew provide both food and habitats for a range of birds, insects, mammals and reptiles. However, if you have a small space or just want a quick way to bring these animals to your yard, feeders can be a rewarding solution. Hummingbird feeders filled with sugar solution and fruit tables with high sugar fruits like bananas and pawpaw are great ways to bring a range of vertebrate species to your home, even in urban environments. Set these up near your kitchen window or wherever you have breakfast and enjoy the show. Less common, but equally rewarding feeding stations are butterfly feeders (see a DIY here) and water feeders for animals in the dry season.
Create diverse microhabitats
Creating different kinds of environments in your garden creates microhabitats which can each support a diversity of plant and animal species. Make use of natural differences in the topography, humidity, light and vegetation within your garden to foster different mini-ecosystems. For instance, if you have an area that is shaded and wet, try planting ferns, mosses, bromeliads and selaginella. If another area is very exposed and dry, try planting succulents, orchids, frangipani and more bromeliads (they survive at both extremes). Each of these will form beautiful, low-maintenance habitats each attracting a unique set of species. You can also use physical structures to create new types of habitats. For instance, creating even a modest garden pond can support a range of aquatic plants as well as amphibians and insects like dragonflies. Make sure that your pond also contains fish, such as one or two river guppies to get rid of any mosquito larvae that develop in the water. Finally, a fun way to attract lizards is to create a loosely packed rock wall or pile where they can sun themselves, hide out and interact with other lizards.
Pay attention to what works well in your area and what doesn’t
A recurring theme in keeping your garden biodiverse and sustainable is utilizing species which are adapted to the local environment: plants which grow well without the need for excessive chemicals and manual labour. Sometimes, we might identify a native plant that seems like a good fit but for some reason constantly gets overtaken by weeds, eaten or just doesn’t grow well. While some weeding and inputs are often necessary to balance naturalism and aesthetics, if a plant is consistently struggling in an area it may not be suitable for your natural garden. For a useful indicator of plants that thrive in your local environment, pay attention to plants which grow well in natural areas or in surrounding properties, and attract the kinds of animals you want in your space.
Take a hands-off approach
After you have selected plants that work well in their local environments and support other species, take the opportunity to sit back and watch your oasis grow. Your new ecosystem with its locally adapted species, inter-species relationships and built-in diversity, should gradually mature, with different species playing important roles in nutrient cycling, pest control, and in providing habitats and food for each other, ensuring no one species comes to dominate the system. Allowing these systems to develop without heavy-handed external controls will ensure they become more self-sustaining over time, while also increasing biodiversity as new niches open up in the increasingly varied and complex system.
A home project that illustrates this concept well is transitioning from our aforementioned manicured lawn to its re-wilded counterpart, a wildflower meadow. By taking away the frequent mowing, watering, fertilizer and pesticides which allow grass to dominate, other plant species are able to compete. These bring with them a diversity of pollinators such as butterflies and bees. Below ground, the removal of pesticides allows the recovery of invertebrate communities including earthworms and beetles, then attracting birds and other predators. See this for yourself by setting aside a patch of lawn unmowed and watch the transformation unfold.
Sit back and enjoy
After all this hard work, remember to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Take note of the new species you find in your garden over time, connect with your environment and know that you’re doing your bit to save our local species.
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