Review: "Bringing Nature Home"

If someone were to ask me what book has influenced my life more than any other in the last few years I would say, “Bringing Nature Home” by Douglas Tallamy.  There are so many terrible things happening to nature these days.  I sometimes feel that it’s a lost cause to fight big oil, or any big industry.  They have too much money, too much power, too many lawyers and too much influence in government.   If you love nature, it’s easy to get depressed about it.  But, I always believe there is hope.  When I was in college I had a Greenpeace bumper sticker that read “Think Globally, Act Locally”.  You don’t see that slogan too much these days, but it’s still valid.  Tallamy’s book is a modern-day version of it.  Anyway, the book is about what YOU can do.  We all have the power to change things.  With a little bit of knowledge and some healthy exercise in your own yard you can make a difference.  Tallamy teaches us the importance of planting native plants and trees.  He provides lists of native plants and trees with reasons attached to them.  You wont find Tallamy’s reasons in those large corporate owned nurseries.  What they are selling helps them make money.  They’re not always interested in doing what’s right in terms of the environment.  This book may not be for you if you don’t believe that we need to coexist with all of God’s creatures.  Spiders and other insects can be downright creepy to some people.  But, they are essential in creating a diverse ecosystem that supports butterflies, birds and other creatures. 

I sincerely believe that we are all responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.  That’s why I support BP in their efforts to clean up the spill.  And, I also believe that sometimes good things come out of bad situations.  I hope that Newton’s Law (every action creates an equal but opposite reaction) will spur people to do something.  The problem is that most people feel hopeless.  I assure you that there is always hope.  Read Tallamy’s book and use it as a guide to help offset the damage done in the Gulf.  Hope is in this book.