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“If Americans replanted half of their lawns with native plants, shrubs, and trees, we would have more wildlife habitat than all the national parks combined.” - Doug Tallamy
“If Americans replanted half of their lawns with native plants, shrubs, and trees, we would have more wildlife habitat than all the national parks combined.” - Doug Tallamy
Nature's Best Hope
Nature's Best Hope
This simple illustration of a food chain shows how organisms depend on each other for survival. A lack of caterpillar food (such as oak leaves) has consequences for larger animals.
Arkansas Wild Spaces is based on the research of ecologist Doug Tallamy and others. Tallamy explains that wildlife populations are declining because native habitat is being destroyed. Also, invasive and ornamental species are increasing. A plant is considered native if it has grown naturally in a region, ecosystem, or habitat for thousands of years without being brought there by people.
On this page, we offer a brief introduction to this research and the concept of the Homegrown National Park. For more detailed information, consider reading Tallamy's book Nature's Best Hope. You can also visit his resource hub to find articles, videos, podcasts, and more.
What Can We Do to Counteract Habitat Loss?
What Can We Do to Counteract Habitat Loss?
A variegated fritillary caterpillar snacks on yellow passionflower vine leaves.
We can enjoy and sustain wildlife in our own yards by choosing better plants for our yards — native trees, shrubs, vines, flowering plants, grasses, sedges, and ferns.
In North America, a native plant is one that was here before Europeans arrived. Native plants have grown in central Arkansas for thousands of years alongside local animals. Keystone species of trees and shrubs can feed over 100 kinds of caterpillars. Some examples of keystones are oak, plum, birch, hickory, maple, willow, and blueberry.
Native plants provide:
Native plants provide:
Leaves that feed caterpillars, which baby birds eat
Seeds and fruit that feed birds and mammals in fall and winter
Nectar and pollen that feed pollinators, especially native bees
Nesting sites that shelter wildlife
A cloudless sulphur caterpillar rests on the leaves of a partridge pea plant, one of its favorite host plants.
Butterflies, and many other insects, are specialists. This means they depend on specific food sources. They lay their eggs only on the plants that their babies (caterpillars) will be able to eat. The plants that caterpillars can eat are called host plants. Caterpillars that don't hatch on their host plants will die.
The cloudless sulphur caterpillar eats plants in the pea family. Monarch caterpillars eat plants in the milkweed family.
Non-native plants provide very little food for caterpillars.
Native Plants vs. Non-Native Invasive Plants
Native Plants vs. Non-Native Invasive Plants
Bradford (Callery) pear
English ivy
Chinese privet
Japanese honeysuckle
Sacred bamboo (nandina)
Native plants grow naturally in a place without being introduced by people.
Non-native plants are those introduced from other ecosystems.
Non-native non-invasive plants are plants that are introduced from other ecosystems but are not invasive. Another term for these is ornamental plants. Examples include roses, gardenias, hydrangeas, and Japanese maples.
Non-native invasive plants are those that reproduce and grow aggressively and crowd out native plants. Their aggressive growth can alter ecosystems and reduce habitat. All non-native plants host few or no wildlife-sustaining caterpillars.
Arkansas's worst and most common invasive plants:
Are all non-native plants bad?
Tallamy’s research has shown chickadee populations can survive in an area if about 70% of the plants are native. This shows that you can still enjoy your favorite non-native ornamental plants, as long as they aren’t invasive.
Can We Make a Difference?
Can We Make a Difference?
Serviceberry Tree
Serviceberry Tree
The servicebery tree provides food and nesting sites to wildlife. It also hosts many caterpillar species.
Milkweed Plants
Milkweed Plants
Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed plants.
Planting natives gives you the opportunity to have what Tallamy calls a "homegrown national park” in your yard. By creating more of these yards, we can create wildlife corridors and conservation areas.
It all comes down to choices. A Bradford pear feeds only one or two caterpillar species. You can plant a native serviceberry instead to support over 120 caterpillar species, plus birds and other wildlife. Adding milkweed to a sunny spot helps monarch butterflies. Even small spaces or containers can support pollinators and wildlife.
You can also support the wildlife in your yard by using sustainable practices. For example, you can mow less, leave the leaves, and avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Arkansas Wild Spaces habitat advisors can help you get started.
Why Should We Care about Caterpillars?
Why Should We Care about Caterpillars?
Caterpillars like this Eastern tiger swallowtail are an important food source for other animals.
If you care about wildlife and nature, you should care about caterpillars! They’re a crucial food source for birds, frogs, spiders, and small mammals. Without caterpillars, the food web would suffer. Losing even one part of the food web can cause a ripple effect through ecosystems.
Caterpillars turn plant energy into food that animals can use, passing energy from the sun through ecosystems. Most baby birds rely on them—one clutch of chickadees needs up to 9,000 caterpillars!
You can help by planting trees and plants that support many caterpillars.
Mission
Mission
Arkansas Wild Spaces aims to bring back nature and restore ecosystems by introducing native plant species and good ecological practices to home landscapes.
Our program is based on the work of Douglas Tallamy. Tallamy is an ecologist who created the idea of the Homegrown National Park. We use Tallamy's research and recommendations to bring natural habitat back to our home landscapes.
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