Doug Tallamy on NPR: Turning Yards into “Little National Parks”

NPR recently featured ecologist Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Homegrown National Park® and a member of Plan It Wild’s Science Advisory Board, in an article about how ordinary yards can play an extraordinary role in supporting biodiversity.

Tallamy’s message is straightforward: treat your yard like a piece of the national park system. Even small changes like replacing turf with native plants, planting trees, or letting wildflowers grow create habitat that supports insects, birds, and other wildlife. When multiplied across neighborhoods, these pockets of life connect and strengthen the wider landscape.

The article pointed out that this shift is already happening. Across the country, more homeowners are rethinking traditional lawns and experimenting with native gardens. These “little national parks” provide food and shelter for pollinators, absorb stormwater, and make yards easier to care for over time.

For Plan It Wild, it’s exciting to see this idea getting national attention. It reinforces what we see locally: ecological restoration doesn’t just take place in preserves or large tracts of land. It starts in backyards, side lots, and neighborhood green spaces—where people live and where change can be felt right away.

🌱 Read the full article on NPR: Ecologist encourages people with yards to create 'little national parks'