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In new book, entomologist shows homeowners how to make changes in their yards

Apr 8, 2025

2 min

Doug Tallamy
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They asked, he answered. In his new book, "How Can I Help?: Saving Nature with Your Yard," nationally known University of Delaware entomologist Doug Tallamy addresses the most common questions he receives from homeowners looking to do their part to impact the food web, boost biodiversity and replace invasive plants with native ones.


“Change is afoot!” Tallamy writes in the book, which was released today, April 8. “The cultural change from an adversarial relationship with nature to a collaborative one is starting to happen, and it gives me hope about the future of diversity and thus our own future.”


Tallamy, TA Baker Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, wrote “How Can I Help” to tackle questions he’s received over email and during talks he has given around the U.S.


“I get the same questions over and over again,” Tallamy said. “They fall into easily arranged categories: Questions about oaks, questions about ecology, questions about invasive plants. The book almost wrote itself in that sense.”


Some of those common questions include:


• Why should I care about the food web?

• How should I choose the right native plants for my property?

• What is the greatest threat to oaks?

• How do we prioritize which invasive species to get rid of?

• Are bug zappers hurting insect populations?

• Is it better to have fewer plants of lots of species or more plants of fewer species?

• Is it good to feed the birds?


Tallamy is available for interviews to discuss "How Can I Help" or other relevant topics. To reach him directly, visit his profile and click on the "connect" button.

Connect with:
Doug Tallamy

Doug Tallamy

Professor, Agriculture and Natural Resources

Prof. Tallamy researches how plants that evolved elsewhere impact food webs and biodiversity.

Native PlantsInsect ConservationEcological LandscapingEcosystem Function
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