The Impact Conference

2021 Impact Conference

Pollinators. Invasive Plants. Native Plants. Native Insects. Natural Ponds. Organic Lawns. Something for everyone at this year’s conference.

Nina A. Koziol

“I believe that all of the objects and possessions that we own really just exist at different stages of becoming garbage. To me the world is comprised of garbage and pregarbage. Because every object on earth is actually part of a giant, slow parade to the dumpster…” — Comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

Seinfeld’s dish on garbage and our

“disposable” culture may be funny, but sadly true. We end up throwing things “away” when we’re done using them or when they’ve lost usefulness. But as one landscape architect told me years ago, “There is no ‘away’—it all stays right here.”

In the manufacturing process, resources—often non-renewable— are used to make what we consume and then they’re disposed of—whether it’s in a month or decade. In the big picture, sustainability—and reducing reliance on non-renewable energy—is a hot topic, whether it’s politicians, environmentalists, concerned citizens, or, in this case the green industry. Besides the resource issue, sustainability encompasses biodiversity and conserving ecosystems that ultimately connect humans to countless other animals, insects, plants and other organisms.

More than 210 people registered for this year’s conference held at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was a great turnout considering we’re still in the midst of the pandemic. The topics ranged from “foodscaping” with native plants, marketing organic lawn care, designing natural ponds (aka chlorine-free swimming pools), eradicating invasive plants, insect-plant relationships and using wild plant communities in the built landscape.

Keynote of note

Keynote speaker Doug Tallamy, entomology professor at the University of Delaware, kicked off the conference with a rousing virtual presentation based on his latest book, “Nature’s Best Hope.”

“Half of the terrestrial earth is in some kind of agriculture,” Tallamy said. “We need a new approach to conservation. There’s

pollution, paving, development, global insect decline, and tiny remnants (of land) that can’t sustain species we depend on. This talk is about a cure for this pox.”

Because so much land in the United States is privately owned (about 78 percent according to Tallamy), landscape firms are in the best position to help recreate “ecosystem services” by understanding the relationship between native plants and native insects. “Most caterpillars are host-plant specialists. For example, all the things we typically landscape with won’t be a host plant for a monarch butterfly. Caterpillars are not optional parts of a bird’s diet,” he said. “About 50 percent of chickadees eat seeds in winter, but they switch to insects in spring to feed their young.”

The problem is that the birds primarily rely on native insects, which often rely on specific native plants for their diet. He noted a study that showed a pair of chickadees need anywhere from 6000 to 9100 caterpillars to rear one clutch of nestlings and then more when the fledglings leave the nest. Adult chickadees forage within 50 meters of the nest, so if there are no native insects, it’s bye-bye birdies. Tallamy quoted the American naturalist E.O. Wilson who said ‘Insects are the little things that run the world—they are at the heart of the food web.’

But Tallamy wasn’t being a pessimist. He pointed to a Chicago resident who has documented more than 100 species of birds that have visited her 50-by-100-foot lot filled with more than 200 species of native plants.

His suggestions to attendees were to help clients shrink their lawns. “In 2005, there were 40 million acres of lawn— deadscape. Replant half the lawns—20 million acres for conservation— and it becomes a Homegrown National Park,” a phrase he coined. “You get to experience the natural world alone—no crowds and it’s free.” As he transitioned his own 10 acres to native plants, he has counted 60 species of breeding birds and 1140 species of moths. “I’m sure we increased biodiversity at our house by 75 percent.” (continued on page 26)

Tallamy noted that keystone plants are essential and when they are removed, the local food web collapses. For example, five percent of native plants provides 75 percent of the food that caterpillars eat. “Oaks support 950 species [of caterpillars] nationwide. But keystone plants only work where there are no lights. Research from Europe shows light pollution reduces insect populations. Yellow wave lengths are less attractive than white. Use yellow or LED lights and put a motion detector on security lights so they’re not on all the time.”

Another issue is the use of pesticides and the effect on native insects. “Mosquito spray doesn’t control the adults, but it does kill beneficial insects. Kill the mosquitoes in the larval stage. Fill a bucket with water and a handful of straw and a mosquito dunk.” That takes care of mosquito larvae without spraying the entire landscape.

“I always find great value in attending the Impact conference,” said Jeff Gibson, IGC, Landscape & University Trials Manager for Ball Horticultural in West Chicago. “It keeps me in touch with sustainable landscape practitioners. It has been very impressive how the conference has evolved from the early years of MELA to now. Doug Tallamy does a great job breaking down the need for better landscape practices that will benefit all of us and Kelly Norris always brings his A-game when it comes to landscape place-making talks.”

In the end, Tallamy said, ‘Seventy-five percent of our landscapes should be native plants. Nature is not just for entertainment. We’ve assumed that humans and nature can’t coexist—that nature is optional, not essential.” He encouraged attendees to consider residential and commercial sites, roadsides and other projects as places where they can recreate viable and beautiful habitats. “Our native plants are used in formal designs in Europe. It’s not just stewardship for a few specialists or a few locations. Everyone bears a responsibility. One person can reduce the lawn size, totally revitalizing the ecosystem where they live.”

“I like to come to the events that are more technical,” said Lisa Pollman, landscape architect at Schmectig Landscaping. “I find it refreshing. It takes me back to biology and chemistry and inspires me to design more. The conference gives you a reason to repurpose and be more creative.

Landscapers, designers, horticulturists and landscape architects are often faced with questions about how to eliminate insect “pests.” This is where gently educating clients comes in. Tallamy pointed to the acorn weevil that lays eggs in green acorns and the larvae feed inside, emerging after the acorns drop to the ground. They then burrow into the soil where they remain for one to three years before they emerge

as adults. Both the weevils and the adults are on the bird buffet. The damage they do is so minor it often goes unnoticed, but it’s another reason not to use pesticides.

“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water. We can recreate functional ecosystems even if we can’t remake [the land] as it was originally.” Tallamy hopes to save native species, one lawn at a time. It can be easier than you think.

Helpful Resources

“Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard” by Doug Tallamy, Timber Press, 2020.

https://homegrownnationalpark.org (Doug Tallamy coined the term “homegrown national park.)

Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Native Plants https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/education/Pages/ PollinatorNativePlants.aspx

American Society of Landscape Architects: https://www.asla. org/sustainablelandscapes/Vid_UrbanAg.html

NEW 2022!

Hydrangea paniculata Fire Light Tidbit®

Top reasons to choose Hydrangea Fire Light Tidbit® for your landscape: • The smallest panicle hydrangea ever - just 2-3’ • Powerful blooming ability, with dozens of full mophead flowers on strong stems • Flowers go from white to rich, saturated tones of pink and red as they age

Vist our website www.midwestgroundcovers.com for the complete list of NEW 2022 plants.

CONTACT OUR SALES TEAM: P: 847-742-1790 | F: 847-742-2655 MGSALES@MIDWESTGROUNDCOVERS.COM

PLACE YOUR ORDER AT MIDWESTGROUNDCOVERS.COM TODAY!

Groundcovers & vines native Plants Perennials ornamental Grasses deciduous shrubs roses conifers & broadleaf everGreens