Doug Tallamy to Address Club on April 13

Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, will show D.C. gardeners how they can be better stewards of our fragile urban ecosystem in an address to the Capitol Hill Garden Club on April 13, 2010.

Dr. Tallamy is the author of Bringing Nature Home--How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Timber Press 2009.

" Everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity. There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife — native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. In many parts of the world, habitat destruction has been so extensive that local wildlife is in crisis and may be headed toward extinction. Bringing Nature Home has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being, and the new paperback edition — with an expanded resource section and updated photos — will help broaden the movement. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical recommendations, everyone can make a difference."

In his address, Tallamy will explain how seemingly innocent and widely popular gardening practices threaten chains of interdependent insects, plants, birds and animals. The future of North American biodiversity is at risk according to Tallamy’s lifetime of research. Because animals, birds and insects depend on plants for their food, the diversity of animals, birds and insects is closely linked to the diversity of plants. When many species of plants die out, so do many species of wild life.

After a dramatic presentation of the vulnerabilities of our living environment, he will suggest better ways to garden.

Admission is FREE to the public. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Church of the Brethren, corner of North Carolina Avenue, SE at 4^th Street, SE. Enter basement meeting room from 4^th Street door. Blue or orange line to Eastern Market Metro.