Go Native for Animals: op-ed by Rebecca Fanning

Rebecca Fanning

Director of Resilience and Natural Resource Management

Town of Sullivans Island

“Who really knew that it’s all about the caterpillars?”

That was Sullivan's Island Town Councilman Carl Hubbard’s reaction to Doug Tallamy’s lecture on the importance of native plants at last week’s Beneath the Oaks Symposium, which kicked off Native Plant Week.

Tallamy’s message resonates with the op-ed by Brad O’Brien in the Oct. 11 Post and Courier.

It turns out our Carolina chickadees need 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise just one nest of baby birds. While these birds may visit feeders, they don’t rely on them for their young. Like our own children, chickadee chicks require soft, nutritious food, specifically, caterpillars, and plenty of them.

Unfortunately, many Charleston yards, gardens and parks provide little value for either chickadee or butterfly parents. Most landscaping features plants that lack natural history in the area.

For example, how many different species of caterpillars can utilize crepe myrtles? The answer is zero; these non-native plants do not contribute to the local food web. In contrast, our native oaks support more than 400 types of caterpillars.

Seaside Goldenrod is now blooming and supports over a hundred species of native pollinators right here in the Lowcountry.

Let’s be good neighbors and extend our hospitality to chickadees, butterflies and native plants alike.

I encourage everyone to find a local chapter of the S.C. Native Plant Society to learn more and get involved.

REBECCA FANNING

Charleston

reprinted from Post and Courier 10-19-2024