Green spaces flourish, healthy landscapes thrive, when trees and plants conducive to wildlife species are introduced, according to a noted entomologist and environmental figure.

Doug Tallamy, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, recently addressed a local audience on ways for landowners to be good stewards of the environment by tending to their own properties.

His message during a recent evening lecture at Lycoming College was a heartening message to anyone concerned about doing their part for the planet at a time when the alarms of global warming and environmental devastation are not only sounding but bellowing.

Tallamy made no bones about the fact that the earth is in peril.

Over-development, pollution, deforestation, and harmful agricultural practices are among the factors that have severely endangered the environment.

“Nature itself is on the ropes,” he said.

Tallamy noted the continued extinction of numerous species from the planet, including insects.

However, it is the bugs and tiny flying creatives among us that are so vital to the health of the planet.

“Life as we know it depends on insects,” he said.

Most flowering plants, Tallamy noted, would disappear without bees and other pollinator insects.

Plants are an important part of the ecosystem producing oxygen, building topsoil, preventing flooding, and overall helping to sustain the environment.

Private landowners can use their own spaces to introduce the right flowers, plants, and trees to their properties.

Tallamy noted he carried out such measures at his own suburban Philadelphia home.

Among his strategies was the planting of oak trees on his 10-acre property.

Oak trees support native birds and the insects they need for food. In addition, many wildlife species rely on oaks which help fight climate change.

“Oaks deliver more energy than any other plant species,” he said.

Tallamy was eventually able to count more than 1,200 species of moths at his home.

Moths, like butterflies, are part of the animal order Lepidoptera and both are important pollinators of flowering plants.

Caterpillars, the larval stage of moths and butterflies, are vital food sources for numerous species of birds.

Yet another vital aspect of maintaining landscapes is elimination of invasive species.

Invasive species reportedly lead to the extinction of native plants and animals, destroy biodiversity, and permanently alter habitats.

In fact, if everyone got rid of invasive species on their land, that would be a big step toward helping the environment, Tallamy said.

He feels that society needs an overhaul in its collective perspective regarding nature.

No longer, he said, can preserving landscapes be considered optional. Nor, he said, can society carry the notion that it cannot co-exist with nature.

In addition, the idea of good environmental stewardship must include everyone.

“We are nature’s best hope,” Tallamy said. “It is nature that keeps us alive on this planet.”

Tallamy is the author of several books including Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard.