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04/19/2023 07:32 AMHow much do you think global warming will harm plant and animal species?
When a representative sample of Americans responded to that question in 2022, a whopping 70% said “a great deal” (52%) or “moderately” (18%). Only 11% responded that global warming will not harm plants and animals at all.
Seventy percent represents a lot of concern. More intriguing, respondents ranked this concern higher than seven other categories, including considerations for oneself, one’s family, community, developing countries, the world’s poor, and future generations.
This data is part of a December 2022 report, “Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes,” by the Yale Center for Climate Change Communications. (See climatecommunication.yale.edu/.)
As we acknowledge this 53rd Earth Day, it would be easy for that concern to become gnawing anxiety. Indeed, the study cited above also shows a small but increasing number who feel pronounced anxiety about climate change and its effects.
But Earth Day was always intended to inspire positive action, not paralyze it. So why not focus instead on seven small but high-impact activities? These can all be done at home and in the neighborhood without an act of government, a big checkbook, or an army of helpers.
Plants for butterflies
When it comes to butterflies, there is none more iconic than the troubled monarch butterfly. Unfortunately, the news is not good. According to the National Wildlife Federation’s Dr. Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, chief monarch recovery strategist, “Although monarch populations fluctuate year to year, often in response to weather conditions, the butterfly’s long-term trend has been on a downward trajectory. These continuing low population numbers are a warning sign that cannot be overstated.”
What can we do to help monarchs in our small New England state?
According to Shubber Ali, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife, April and May are the prime times to plant milkweed and other nectar-rich flowers, as monarchs reach Connecticut on their northward flight by June. As they travel, they lay eggs on milkweeds such as common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), butterfly weed (A. tuberosa), and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata). Monarch caterpillars are feeding specialists; after emerging, they eat only the leaves of the milkweed species.
“It doesn’t take many plants to get started and to make an amazing impact,” says Ali. He points out that monarchs’ preferred nectar plants are important in September. “During the first two weeks of September, monarchs’ southward migration peaks in Connecticut. Nectar sources help fuel their 3000-mile migration back to Mexico.”
On a local note, Richard Chyinski of Salem tags about 100 monarchs a year as a part of Monarch Watch’s annual tagging event, mainly along the shoreline from Lyme to Madison. “I have had tagged Monarchs recovered in Mexico where they overwinter,” says Chyinski. He is a lifetime member of the Connecticut Butterfly Association and sponsors a tagging day at Hammonasset every fall. (See ctbutterfly.org.)
Adult monarchs have a broader range of food sources than their caterpillar “babies.” Nectar plants needn’t be milkweeds. Sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora), Calico Aster (Symphotrichum lateriflorum), Lance-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), and Blazing Star Liatris (Liatris spicata) are essential examples of plants that sustain monarch adults. (See gardenforwildlife.com.)
Note that the monarch-friendly plants mentioned above are also valuable to other butterflies and pollinators.
Bees
More than 300 bee species are native to our state, according to the “Pollinators in Connecticut” page at CT.gov. A few of them sally forth on warm days in March, and some species fly as late as November. As a result, our landscapes must provide pollen every growing month of the year—not only the picturesque summer months.
Willows and silver maples are particularly early bloomers supporting the earliest bees and butterflies.
Blueberries are important in April when they offer forage to more than 200 species of moths and butterflies and 14 species of bees, according to research by Dr. Douglas Tallamy and graduate students at the University of Delaware. To take advantage of this research as you plan your gardens, see nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/plants. Also, use the garden plant finder at Native Plant Trust: plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/Plant-Search
Tallamy’s research suggests that white oaks provide more sustenance to insects than almost any other tree species. His book, the Nature of Oaks (Timber Press 2021), eloquently tells the tale. Willows, cherries, birches, and maples are also of great wildlife value.
And please don’t forget our oh-so-local Witch Hazels (Hamamelis virginiana), as well as late-blooming asters and goldenrods. They support late-flying pollinators in autumn.
Pollen sources should be located near one another. While a few insect species can fly several miles to forage, many are born and die within 100 square feet. They can’t search for food across the highway, the parking lot, or the shopping mall. Unfortunately, when populations are confined, they become isolated from others of their kind. Isolation is a source of population decline.
Indeed, the problem of insect isolation was one of the inspirations for the popular Pollinator-pathway.org, an organization started in Wilton, CT, in 2017.
Birds
According to Mary Phillips, who directs NWF’s Garden for Wildlife and Certified Wildlife Habitat programs, over 400 species of birds either breed, are resident, migrate through, or winter in Southern New England. Breeding birds and their hatchlings subsist mainly on insect larvae.
“Trees such as White Oaks (Quercus alba) and Eastern Red Cedars (Juniperus virginiana) are beneficial nesting sites as well as food sources,” says Phillips. She also points out some relatively common native shrubs and flowers that make a difference to birds, especially in winter. “Shrubs such as Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum), Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), and Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) are excellent food sources,” she says. Other valuable bird shrubs in our region include deer-resistant serviceberries and arrowwood viburnums. Perennials such as Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), Black-eye Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Grey Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis), Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odora), Cardinal-Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), boneset (Eupatorium species), and Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium species) all provide valuable bird food. (See gardenforwildlife.com.) Warm-season bunching grasses are essential for many bird species as well. Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, and Indiangrass provide essential cover for birds. To learn which plants support the birds in your area, visit Audubon’s plant-finder database: audubon.org/native-plants.
Birds need to be protected from domestic cats. Learn about “catio” structures for your pet kitties by searching the Internet for “Catios Connecticut.”
Raptor birds must also be protected from the secondary effects of rodent poisons. Ironically, hawks, kites, falcons, owls, and merlins are proficient rodent hunters. Read about the problem and alternatives to the use of rodent poison at a Place Called Hope in Killingworth. (aplacecalledhoperaptors.com/alternatives-to-rodenticides/)
Learn about An Act Concerning the Use of Certain Rodenticides, Connecticut Senate Bill 962: legiscan.com/CT/text/SB00962/2023.
Remove State-Listed Invasive Plants
Even if they are pretty, some non-native plants are “space hogs” that take over landscapes and provide little for bees, pollinators, and other wildlife. Though some of them provide seeds for birds, their invasive seeds are then spread through the digestive tracts of birds to new landscapes. Furthermore, some of these are spread by roots and escape into neighboring spaces. They take over habitats unchecked in parks and woodlands. Remove them.
Common invasive ornamentals include burning bush, barberry, Chinese wisteria, dames’ rocket, multiflora rose, porcelainberry, privet, rugosa rose, and yellow flag Iris.
Visit CIPWG.uconn.edu for help with invasive plants.
Turn Down The Night Lights
Most of us think that pollination occurs exclusively during the day. Still, it is possible that as much as two-thirds of pollination happens at night, according to Emily May, pollinator conservation specialist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Moths, she says, are the primary nighttime pollinators, but other creatures also work the night shift. There are 11,000 moth species in the US; the vast majority are nocturnal, though a few fly at different times of the day.
“Yet nocturnal pollinators are understudied,” says May. She points out that almost all images of pollinators are taken during the day, which helps explain the bias.
“When moths run into artificial lights and pause there, it’s a case of disrupted navigation. They were on the way to finding mates or food.” The moths often die of exhaustion from distraction by artificial light.
Birds, too, are victims of artificial light at night. Almost all migratory birds complete their seasonal journeys during the dark hours, probably because there is less predation.
Lights Out Connecticut is a non-profit project of the Connecticut Ornithological Association that aims to save migratory birds from deadly window collisions and other threats caused by light pollution. (See lightsoutct.org) The website states, “Because our state is located along the Atlantic Flyway, many birds use our shorelines and green spaces to rest and refuel during their trip.”
Long-time birder, John Ogren of Old Saybrook, shares a bit of local knowledge that illustrates the point. “In spring, when wind conditions are just right, hundreds and even thousands of songbirds, especially warbler species, settle in at Bluff Point State Park in Groton. They land in an important narrow flyway, a dark spot local birders informally call the Hot Corner.”
Once sunrise hits, Ogren says the birds start moving inland to forage and settle down to wait for the following evening's move. To witness a satellite view of the regional bird migration, see Birdcast (dashboard.birdcast.info), an online bird-migration project from March 1 to June 15. Enter your state or county to see nightly bird migration data in your area.
Lights Out CT recommends taking steps to turn off unnecessary lights, particularly from April 1 to May 31 and September 1 to November 15. Specially, the organization recommends:
In addition to night-flying moths and birds, don’t forget that 100 percent of bats are nocturnal—and they are hungry consumers of biting insects such as mosquitoes.
Avoid Pesticides And Herbicides
Unsurprisingly, small creatures such as bees, butterflies, and birds are generally no match for herbicide sprays from high-powered nozzles. Nor are they a match for the toxic contents of hand-held sprays.
What is safe to spray, if chemicals are required, and when?
Xerces Society advises against any form of routine pesticide application. Use these products only when non-chemical measures have failed to manage pests. If treatment is required, use spot treatments. Select organic or least-toxic products. Avoid systemic insecticides that are highly toxic and persistent, such as neonicotinoids. Avoid insecticide applications before and during plant bloom and when bees are active during the day. (See xerces.org/publications/fact-sheets/buying-bee-safe-plants)
As for herbicides, a few invasive plants are exceptionally difficult to remove without chemical treatments. Tree of Heaven, Swallow-wort, and Porcelainberry are among them. Even for these, however, we have conservative approaches to their application, such as cut-and-paint, bark-stripping, and injection systems.
Other unwanted plants can often be treated with mechanical methods, though it may take longer.
Mow Less, Leave Some Leaves
When we mow less frequently, the benefits are many—less labor, less noise, and fewer emissions. And unmown lawns quickly sprout forage for bees, especially clover. Several studies have shown that bee populations increase quickly when lawns are mowed every other week or every three weeks.
Other small creatures benefit as well. Toads, frogs, and turtles often frequent the edges of lawns, where mowers, blowers, and sprayers can threaten them.
Finally, all these animals and insects benefit from leaf piles, stick piles, and the stalks of last year’s plants. When you leave even a tiny patch, say 4’ x 4’, it makes a difference to creatures the size of, let’s say, firefly larvae.
Simple Steps
Here are seven simple steps that make Earth Day every day:
1. Plant for birds, butterflies, bees, and other insects.
2. Turn down outdoor lights at night.
3. Remove invasive plants, even if they are pretty.
4. Build outdoor enclosures for pet cats.
5. Avoid rodenticides, insecticides, and herbicides.
6. Mow less.
7. Leave some leaves, sticks, and stalks. Even a tiny patch of yard debris makes a difference.
To Help Neighborhood Wildlife
The National Wildlife Federation has long promoted four simple ideas for neighborhood wildlife: landscapes should provide food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Based on these principles, the organization started its instructional Certified Wildlife Habitat program 50 years ago. Today, the NWF website claims certified habitats at more than 250,000 US homes, farms, schools, places of worship, businesses, and community spaces.
However, one of the unspoken details behind the “food” part of the habitat program was that participants should use native plants. As a direct result, the NWF staff learned how difficult it was for participants to obtain regional native plants. It was even more difficult to get plants grown from regional ecotypic seeds and those grown without systemic insecticides such as neonicotinoids.
In 2020, NWF launched its Garden for Wildlife program to overcome this supply chain problem and set ambitious goals to fundamentally change the breadth and quality of the country’s native plant supply. (See gardenforwildlife.com.)
Today, the program is building and shipping regional “keystone” native plants to homes in 38 states across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest.
Enjoy the nice weather, and enjoy our beautiful region. And make some small changes. They mean big things to small creatures.
Kathy Connolly writes about landscapes and horticulture from Old Saybrook. Her website is www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com.