Okay, But Why Does Your Garden Matter?

Climate change is a lot of things: big, scary, scientifically-accurate. And as we just saw in Texas, it’s not just a matter of principles or talking points. It’s causing tragedies in our own country and around the globe.

In the face of such an overwhelming issue, it can be hard to know what we as individuals can do. Of course we can donate to environmental causes and vote for leaders who prioritize climate policy, but there’s something else that’s as close to home as our own backyard. Gardening!

By expanding our backyard gardens to include plants for native pollinators, we can make a difference in our own local ecosystem. Bees and butterflies are some of the most common pollinators, but hummingbirds, moths, beetles, and even bats can also be part of the process. Unfortunately, many parts of the world have been seeing declines in pollinator populations. A 2017 report done for the Center of Biological Diversity found that nearly 1 in 4 species of native bees are now at risk of extinction. Monarch butterflies, meanwhile, have declined more than 80% in the last 30 years.

And that’s a big deal! At least 75% of all flowering plants on Earth are pollinated by insects and animals, including almost all of the food we eat. In fact, farmers estimate that pollinators are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of food we take every day.

And yet, the Trump administration seems intent on making the situation worse. Since the start of Trump’s second term, his administration has fired hundreds of climate and weather scientists. He wants to start drilling for oil on pristine lands full of native plants and animals and roll back protections for migratory birds. And he wants logging companies to be able to cut down some of our National Forests. He even named a lobbyist for the logging industry, Tom Schultz, as the new head of the U.S. Forest Service.

There’s no denying that this all feels overwhelming. But “think global, act local” doesn’t only apply to your community’s school board or city council. You can make a difference just by planting more native species that are good for pollinators. Not only are the beauty and fresh air good for your mental health, you’ll be directly improving the environment in your area.

And that is why your garden matters!

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Transcript

Okay, But Why Does Your Garden Matter?

CLIP: Rebecca McMackin’s TED talk: “Gardens and landscapes that are absolutely gorgeous can also help the world around us. They can provide food, water, and shelter to wildlife. Gardens can and have brought back plants and animals from the brink of extinction. 
I am at times immobilized with climate grief, thinking about the world that we're leaving for our children. But gardening honestly brings me so much hope that we can solve some very big, very serious problems, that we have the solutions already, and many of them simply involve planting flowers.”

Narration: It’s July, which means summer is well underway. If you have a backyard garden, you’re probably enjoying beautiful flowers and harvesting more tomatoes or zucchinis than you know what to do with. But summer also means heat, and lately it seems like every year, it gets a little bit hotter. Well, it doesn’t just seem that way. The last ten years have been the warmest on record and scientists agree that the reason isn’t a mystery. It’s climate change. Not only are temperatures rising, but more and more species are going extinct. 

But climate change is such a big issue, it can be hard to know what we can do as individuals to help. Sure, we can reduce our own carbon emissions by buying an electric car, but that can be expensive. And sure, we can talk to our friends about the climate or donate to environmental organizations. All of those things are great, and if you have the money or time, we absolutely encourage you to do any or all of them. But did you know that you can help the environment just by focusing on your own backyard?

Literally! By expanding your backyard garden to include plants for native pollinators, you can make a difference in your own local ecosystem. And if we all do it, we can make a difference around the world.

Pollinators are animals that move pollen from one flower to another. Bees and butterflies are some of the most common pollinators, but hummingbirds, moths, beetles, and even bats can also be part of the process. Unfortunately, many parts of the country have been seeing declines in pollinator populations. It’s happening for a number of reasons, including pesticides and the destruction of natural habitats. A 2017 report done for the Center of Biological Diversity found that nearly 1 in 4 species of native bees are now at risk of extinction. Monarch butterflies, meanwhile, have declined more than 80% in the last 30 years.

And that’s a big deal. Pollination is how plants reproduce. At least 75% of all flowering plants on Earth are pollinated by insects and animals, including almost all of the food we eat. In fact, farmers estimate that pollinators are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of food we take every day. Flowering plants also clean the air we breathe. Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been rapidly rising over the past century, mostly from burning fossil fuels – that’s the whole reason we’re in this climate change situation to begin with. But plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, which is exactly what we need right now. Native plants can help restore the balance, and many of those plants need pollinators.

So yeah, pollinators help us eat and they help us breathe. They’re kind of a big deal!

But what’s the deal with “native plants” specifically? Why is a plant that originally grew in your area more valuable than a pretty flower or a tasty vegetable from the other side of the world?

Basically, all of the native plants and animals in your area fit together in a complicated and interdependent puzzle. Each type of flower doesn’t exist in its own bubble – it interacts with the other plants and animals around it. That includes pollinators, but it also includes animals that take shelter in their leaves, or eat them for a snack. Sometimes it even interacts with the plants in your neighbor’s yard too through long-distance root systems. And as strange as it might sound, those plants adapted to life in your backyard! Over millions of years, they grew to be perfectly suited for the temperature, and the rainfall, and the rest of the plants and animals around them. That means you don’t have to water them as often, use fertilizer to keep them healthy, or worry about keeping them at the right temperature. And that means you don’t have to waste water or introduce more chemicals into the soil. Native plants are at home in your backyard – just like you and your family.

One of the most common non-native plants might surprise you: it’s the green grass in our backyards. When European settlers came to America in the 16th century, they brought their favorite plants and animals with them. They didn’t quite understand yet that nature exists in a delicate balance that can be thrown off by suddenly introducing a new species, even if it’s something as simple as grass. In the 1700s, the British were very fond of their green grass lawns, and showing off a well-manicured lawn was a way for aristocratic families to prove that they had the money to pay for the gardeners to cut them.

Some areas of the United States, like the East Coast, have a similar climate to England so grass lawns don’t require as much fertilizer and watering. But in many places in the United States, like the Southwest, English grass just doesn’t make sense. Across the country, local leaders are pushing for laws that make it easier to replace your lawn with native plants. Some even offer stipends and tax breaks. There are also organizations out there that will give you a free native tree if you show them proof that you just removed a non-native one. You might be surprised at how beautiful a yard full of native plants can be.

But you don’t need to rip out your lawn to make a difference! Even just adding more native plants to your existing garden can have a huge impact on the pollinators in your neighborhood. 

The best place to start is by doing a little research about what native plants belong in your area. You can go to the library, or find an online gardening group, or visit a local plant nursery. They can also give you tips on how to lay out your garden to entice the most pollinators, but many experts suggest planting in clumps rather than having just one type of flower grouped together, and planting a mix of colors and smells. Make sure you leave enough space and water for animals. And plant your garden with the changing seasons in mind – if pollinators have nothing to eat during certain seasons, they’ll look elsewhere. You don’t want them to leave! Fall is usually considered the best time of year to plant native trees, shrubs, grasses, and vines, but again, you can almost definitely find someone to help you on all the specifics at your local library or plant store.

There’s so much that’s happening in the world right now that feels out of our control, and for many people, climate change is at the top of that list. Nearly every scientist in the world agrees that the planet has been getting hotter over the past hundred years, and that it’s caused by humans burning fossil fuels. And when we “every scientist,” we mean every scientist – an analysis of more than 11,000 scientific papers in 2019 showed that 100% of scientists agreed that climate change is real. One hundred percent! 

And yet, the Trump administration has been rolling back our progress. Years ago, he declared climate change to be a “hoax” and even in the face of all this scientific agreement, he’s still holding onto that dangerous view. Since the start of his second term, his administration has fired hundreds of climate and weather scientists. He’s cut major climate programs, including gathering information from satellites to even understand how bad the problem is. He wants to start drilling for oil on pristine lands full of native plants and animals and roll back protections for migratory birds. And he wants logging companies to be able to cut down some of our National Forests. He even named a lobbyist for the logging industry, Tom Schultz, as the new head of the U.S. Forest Service.

All of this might feel overwhelming. Not only have things been getting worse for the environment in our own country, climate change is literally a global issue. What individual actions could possibly make an impact? But “think global, act local” doesn’t only apply to your community’s school board or city council. You can make a difference just by planting more native species that are good for pollinators. You can also keep piles of leaves in a few places for insects like fireflies to nest, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. If you have kids or grandkids, you can do fun summer projects like creating native seed bombs to plant or give out as gifts. And try to avoid using pesticides – they don’t know the difference between good bugs and bad bugs, which means you could be killing pollinators without meaning to.

If we all pitch in and do our part, we can transform not just our own backyards but the whole world. And that is why your garden matters.



Sources
https://xerces.org/monarchs/conservation-efforts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollinator

https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/top-plants-that-attract-pollinators#:~:text=Butterflies%2C%20bees%2C%20and%20hummingbirds%20are,habitats%20are%20threatened%20by%20urbanization.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/pollinators/what-is-a-pollinator.htm

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/initiatives-and-highlighted-programs/peoples-garden/gardening-advice/why-native-species-matter

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0270467619886266

https://www.nrdc.org/media/trump-interior-secretarys-orders-make-public-lands-ground-zero-drilling-mining

https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-trumps-assault-on-science-is-blinding-america-to-climate-change/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-national-forest-executive-order