Native landscapes are essential infrastructures for our ecosystems. Few people have advanced this idea more clearly than Doug Tallamy. As a Wild Ones Lifetime Honorary Director, Tallamy’s research, writing, and advocacy have shaped much of what Wild Ones believes and shares: that ordinary yards and gardens can become powerful sites of ecological restoration.
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
Introduces the foundational idea that many insects and wildlife depend entirely on the native plants with which they evolved. Non-native & ornamental plants often fail to support the same web of life (insects → birds → etc.). It blends science, field observations, and practical gardening advice.
You’ll take away a clearer understanding of why native plants are ecologically essential; tools for identifying & planting natives; inspiration for small-scale changes (even in suburban yards) that have outsized effects.
Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
Builds on Bringing Nature Home, scaling up. Tallamy argues that because so much land is privately owned (lawns, home gardens, etc.), homeowners collectively have the power to become conservation actors. He proposes the idea of a “Homegrown National Park”: a network of native‐plant habitat patches across private lands. Topics include connectivity, non-native plant issues, yard-scale habitat, and cultural shifts in how we understand landscaping.
You’ll take away motivation to think beyond individual plants and toward networks, policy, and culture; practical tips on what makes habitat patches effective; examples of transformations that ordinary people have made.
Nature’s Best Hope (Young Readers’ Edition): How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard
Introduces the foundational idea that many insects and wildlife depend entirely on the native plants with which they evolved. Non-native & ornamental plants often fail to support the same web of life (insects → birds → etc.). It blends science, field observations, and practical gardening advice.
You’ll take away encouragement that everyone, at any age, can contribute to ecological restoration!
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Focuses in depth on oak trees, their ecology, importance to insects (especially caterpillars), birds, mammals, etc. Tallamy shows how a single oak can support hundreds of species and explores why supporting keystone trees like oaks can multiply the benefits across your property and beyond
You’ll take away A deeper appreciation for native keystone trees; helps inform planting/design decisions (which trees to favor, how to support them); encourages long-term thinking: trees are slow, but their payoff is enormous.
The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden (with Rick Darke)
This collaborative book pairs Rick Darke’s expertise in landscape design with Doug Tallamy’s ecological science. A design-focused book that blends ecology with aesthetics. Shows how to create landscapes that are not only ecologically functional but also beautiful and enjoyable for people.
You’ll take away practical frameworks for integrating native plants into designs that appeal to both people and wildlife; inspiration for balancing ecological goals with artistry.
How Can I Help?: Saving Nature with Your Yard
Tallamy’s most recent work. It’s a question-and-answer style book addressing many of the concrete, common concerns people have: what to plant, what to remove, how to manage invasives, how to reduce lawn without sacrificing beauty, etc. It serves as a practical guide for next steps in ecological landscaping, bridging the gap between “I believe this is important” and “Here’s exactly what I can do.”
You’ll take away practical tools and confidence to take the next step in making your landscape a functional ecosystem, no matter your starting point.
Thousands of members have come to Wild Ones after reading one of Tallamy’s books or seeing him speak. His works offer more than inspiration: they are blueprints for action. Wild Ones members and chapters build on that foundation by turning ideas into practice through hands-on education, grassroots advocacy, and the supportive community it takes to make lasting change.
Together, Tallamy’s vision, Wild Ones, and our partners like Homegrown National Park, show that restoring biodiversity isn’t abstract; it starts with people, plants, and places right where we live.
Read, reflect, and let’s make our yards part of the solution.
Further Reading & Resources
- Browse our full Wild Ones Reading List
- Watch Wild Ones National Webinar, Next Steps for Nature, presented by Doug Tallamy
- Check out this Gardenside Chat between Wild Ones and Doug Tallamy
- Learn more about Homegrown National Park, co-founded by Tallamy
- See Tallamy’s Wild Ones Lifetime Honoary Director Profile
