President’s Letter: Transforming Yards to Support Birds and Bugs

Lori Danielson, president of Eastside Audubon Society.

President’s Letter: Transforming Yards to Support Birds and Bugs  

By Lori Danielson

Perhaps like me, you’ve been frightened by reports of the huge decline in the numbers of birds in your lifetime, with scientific research showing that we’ve lost 29% of North American birds since 1970. It’s not just a number to me because my early memories of large flocks of birds around my childhood home, compared to many fewer seen now, make it a personal reality. Thankfully, science also points to things that each of us can do to help fight further losses. I feel it’s my responsibility to be part of the solution to bring birds back. I can’t just leave this up to the government or “somebody else.” 

I’m learning more about the actions I can take and changing my own habits. I’ve reduced my lawn area and replaced it with native plants. I’ve stopped using any pesticides and started leaving dead leaves and sticks in the less visible parts of my yard. I’ve learned to get comfortable with seeing “bug-eaten” leaves and stems, because I want my plants to serve their purpose of feeding the insects that are food for birds.

I recently watched a presentation by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, an entomology and wildlife ecology professor at the University of Delaware. He emphasized that native plants in our yards are a critical part of the effort to save the insects and caterpillars that birds need to survive. I highly recommend taking a look at his articles and videos available at Homegrown National Park. 

Fall is a great time for adding new plants to your garden so they can grow strong roots over the winter. To learn more about what is native to this area, there are native plant finders at National Audubon and National Wildlife Federation. I encourage you to ask your nursery for natives or look for native plant sales in the area. One such sale is coming on September 12, at which Washington Native Plant Society will sell natives at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. There are additional native plant resource links below.

Also, take advantage of upcoming Eastside Audubon events to learn more about native plants. The first is our online program night on September 23 at 7 p.m., in which Julie O’Donald will talk about the best native plants for birds and garden design features that create and sustain bird habitat. Register for this Zoom event here.

We are also planning an October bird walk with a pair of leaders who will point out local birds and also the native plants that support them. More details will be posted on our website calendar and in next month’s Corvid Crier.

I hope you’ll join me in working to bring birds and bugs back by transforming your yard. Enjoy the cooler and shorter days that September brings!

More native plant resources: