Nina-Marie Lister’s Post

Happy belated #worldhabitatday from 7 October. With some design support from my colleagues and tenants, I've been working on a tenant guide to a wildlife friendly garden. It's currently out for further tenant consultation but if anyone else has any feedback, please feel free to add your insights: https://lnkd.in/e4Jh7Ab5 This came about following a joint visit carried out in response to complaints of a messy and dangerous garden. What actually happened was that it allowed us to consider whether we needed to provide better guidance and to better quantify what our tenancy agreement means by a tenant's obligation to keep the 'garden in a well maintained condition (this includes cutting the grass, removing weeds, trimming hedges and cutting back flowerbeds)' After all, we have an obligation to nature, the environmental and carbon reducing efforts. To each their own, but manicured lawn, articifical grass and acres of patio or decking may well be lower maintenance and look neat, but it's not great for the environment. Whilst this particular garden did need some attention to prevent the lawn spilling into the street and covering some of the steps, it was otherwise a fairly well managed 'wild garden' with clearly defined plants and was doing it's job of attracting pollinators. Hopefully, a more consultative approach will lead to better outcomes for what might otherwise be difficult discussions. #nature #wildlife #nomowmay #wildgarden #bughotel #socialhousing #carbonreduction #environment

When designing water features for wildlife-friendly gardens, it’s crucial to consider the needs of different species and provide a range of options. https://lnkd.in/gTHCyZnP

A study of six years of #butterfly sightings across 600 British gardens found that letting grass grow long can nearly double butterfly numbers in gardens. Long grass creates breeding habitat for butterflies, especially #species whose caterpillars feed on grasses such as meadow browns, gatekeepers, speckled woods, ringlets, and small skippers. In gardens within intensively farmed landscapes, long grass led to up to 93% more butterflies, while urban gardens saw an 18% increase in butterfly abundance. Flowering ivy in gardens also boosts butterfly populations by providing crucial nectar sources in autumn. The study emphasizes the importance of creating breeding habitats to address the #biodiversity crisis. Letting grass grow long is a simple, cost-effective approach that not only helps butterflies but also supports other wildlife such as grasshoppers, beetles, and ant hills. The study suggests that the benefits of long grass for butterflies extend to other grassy public spaces such as parks, school grounds, and road verges. Butterfly Conservation aims to transform 100,000 areas across the UK through its Wild Spaces program to support butterfly populations.

#LearningBeyondFourWalls #TheNativeExplorer #WildlifeConservationBeginsInYourOwnYard I was an environmental conservation advocate well before I began my profession as a writer and engagement strategist for marketing and public relations. Yet, it was only in 2017 when I took a significant step toward activism. In 2016, Brian Ferris introduced me to then St. Louis Audubon Society Bring Conservation Home director, Mitch Leachman. Mitch taught me the term "naturescaping", which meant mindful landscaping practices that benefit local wildlife. How? By replacing non-native and invasive flora in one's garden with plants naturally found in the state/region before the arrival of European settlers. Shortly after, I met Sue Leahy, a force of nature. She was the first person to welcome me to her home address which she and husband Andy, transformed into a botanical garden filled with 100% native Missouri plants. A Wild Ones St. Louis board member, Sue shared the organization's strategy: The best way to introduce a newbie to native plants is to invite them to see your native garden. Over 10 years, Sue and Andy replaced their lawn with native plantings a little section at a time. Andy even created a lovely pond in their back yard, the size of a small swimming pool. Their property teemed with various chirping birds and buzzing pollinators. They even introduced us to several box turtles that claimed the Leahy yard as their home. The Leahys live just 10 minutes away from a busy city center that featured a Macy's, Target, Trader Joe's, and various other shops. It was awe-inspiring to enjoy natural beauty in an urbanized location. "There'll be that one native plant that will get you hooked," Sue explained, "for me, it was the Cardinal Flower." Lobelia cardinalis, with its scarlet florets, is a hummingbird magnet. Now who wouldn't want hummingbirds in their yard? I learned over time, that these little migrating birds found red flowers extremely enticing. As Brian and I learned about naturescaping, it dawned on me that our friends and neighbors could learn from our experience. Thus, in November 2017, we founded The Native Explorer naturescaping education initiative for homeowners. My background in advertising and social media made it easy for me to share our learnings through Facebook, and the website I created, TheNativeExplorer.org. The Native Explorer naturescaping education initiative is a passion project. Our work is voluntary and virtually unpaid, with the goal of spreading the message that wildlife conservation must, and can begin, in your own yard. We've even partnered with local government to share what we've come to learn about native plants. For our latest project which began in 2023, we were invited by city council members and City of St. Charles Parks to serve as consultants to turn a 1.6-acre vacant lot into a community nature park. I will update you on our progress when we break ground this year. So. Exciting. #GoWild @everyone

🌳 What Is a Hazard Tree and How Arborists Prioritize Removals 🌳 Have you ever looked at a tree and wondered if it could pose a risk to your property? While trees provide beauty and environmental benefits, they can also become hazards due to their condition or location. In my latest blog post, I explore how arborists identify hazard trees, the key indicators they look for (such as decay, structural defects, and root problems), and how they prioritize which trees to remove first. Understanding the systematic approach arborists use can help you make informed decisions about tree care and property safety. 🔗 Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/gTP7s2va #Arboriculture #TreeCare #HazardTrees #RiskManagement #LandscapeSafety #TreeRemoval

My latest magazine piece out today -- this one in Canada's Rewilding magazine. It's a story that hits close to home -- literally. My wife and I have spent the last two years and counting removing our lawn grass and replacing it with habitat for wildlife and food for us. Rewilding at a small scale is something everybody can do to help the planet and ourselves. Here's a look at what we did, and how. https://lnkd.in/eN2aSi-h #rewilding #ecofriendly #ecology #climateaction #climateaction #writingcommunity #environmentalsustainability #environmentallyconscious #environmentalstewardship

364-Easy Ways to Help Heal Earth in Suburban and Urban Landscapes: Getting more people to participate in healing the ecosystem takes spreading awareness of both the problems and the solutions. Listen below: https://ow.ly/h7Cm50RC4Ue #joegardener #campbellferrara #gardeningpodcast

Can letting go have a positive impact on nature? A six-year study has shown that one simple action can boost butterfly numbers by up to 93%... Leaving areas of grass in your garden to grow long. Conducted by Butterfly Conservation, this is the first study-backed evidence that wildlife-friendly gardening practices can boost the numbers and types of butterflies 🦋 It's a powerful reminder that sometimes, the best thing to do is to do nothing. It's why I'm a huge fan of #rewilding. There are loads of little things you can do in your green areas (gardens, communal spaces, window boxes) to create more wild spaces and have a positive impact on nature. And with over 728,000 hectares of gardens in the UK, the potential for positive change is immense. The study showed that the biggest impacts on butterflies were felt in urban areas and places of intensive farming. What are your thoughts on the role of wild spaces in supporting biodiversity? Will you be creating any wild spaces this spring? --- Image of Murphy basking in my little wild corner and uncut grass at my old house. I'll be recreating something similar this Spring. #biodiversity #nature #butterflies #wildspaces

🌱 Discover how your garden can save the planet! 🌍 Little actions, big impact: Turn your garden, park, or balcony into a green haven that battles climate change. Gardening is more than a hobby. It's a force for good. Sustainable practices boost biodiversity, help sequester carbon dioxide, and enhance mental well-being. Did you know the UK's 27 million gardens cover an area equivalent to 10% of the land? Using native plants, reducing pesticides, and letting nature creep in can make a huge difference. For example, a community garden in Manchester turned a derelict plot into a thriving green space, enriching the local environment and community life. 🌷 Unlock the potential of your garden to create habitats, reduce runoff, and foster wildlife. 🌳 It's a small step for you, but a giant leap for our planet. Ready to make a change? Tell us how you’re turning your space green! Comment below! 🌿🌼 #Gardening #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Biodiversity #GreenLiving #PollinatorFriendly #CommunityGardens #UrbanWildlife #MentalWellbeing #UKGardens #EcoFriendly #NatureLovers #SaveThePlanet

"Zach Schumm, an entomologist at Iowa State University, is not a fan of turfgrass lawns, which he describes as essentially ecological dead-zones." - from Harvest Public Media feature More from the feature: “Lawns are very highly managed landscapes that don't really support a lot of biodiversity and therefore don't really serve many great purposes for ecosystems,” Schumm said. “There's nothing that is natural about a lawn or landscape that is completely turfgrass.” According to a 2019 study in the journal “Biological Conservation,” 40% of insect species are threatened by extinction and fading from places, even where they were thought to be abundant. Habitat loss and pesticide use are among the leading factors, and Schumm said utilizing spaces “effectively” to create habitat pockets can help slow decline, with lawns as an easy starting point. “Not many insects are utilizing turfgrass spaces for food, water and shelter. A lot of them tend to be pests,” Schumm said. “All of the pollinators, the beneficial insects utilize flowering plants, larger trees, shrubs, things like that.” Schumm said it’s not surprising that altered landscapes affect biodiversity — in the same way that roads and buildings do — but he believes lawns have been overdone. AND YET: Barnes said lawns have also become synonymous with the American Dream and home ownership, but he believes they’ve persisted because they’re easy to understand and make people feel safe. “Lawns are not as threatening as other forms of nature,” Barnes said. --- The manicured grassy lawn may be the ultimate metaphor for the ersatz experience of abundance on offer in an economy and culture structured to keep us running on the treadmill of pecuniary emulation and conspicuous consumption;)