Douglas W. Tallamy would like everyone to have a Homegrown National Park. And that’s the idea behind Nature’s Best Hope – How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard, filled with practical tips for increasing habitat for endangered species, such as the monarch butterfly, at home, on your own.  Sarah L. Thomson adapted this version of Tallamy’s New York Times best-selling book to make it more accessible to young readers. This book has photos and illustrations for most of the content and projects that are included, making it actionable and easy to understand.

With chapter titles such as, “Making Connections,” “What’s A Lawn for Anyway?” and “Ten Things You Can Do,” readers are led through ecosystem connections and habitat fragmentation to steps they can take in their own yards to help pollinators and birds.  The book doesn’t push an all-or-nothing approach; instead, Tallamy suggests setting a goal to populate one-half or one-third of your yard with native plants. Devoting just a corner of your yard will make a difference. You can also learn how to build a bee hotel out of common household items.

The author also recommends many great resources, including Plants for Birds at Audubon.org/plantsforbirds and Native Plant Finder at nwf.org/NativePlantFinder. And, if you’re interested in expanding Homegrown National Parks in your community to make an even greater impact, the book offers suggestions for that, as well.