Russ Jones, a naturalist and native plant enthusiast, came to our September meeting to inspire us to plant native biodiverse gardens.

Those in attendance were treated to a slide show of the magnificent garden Russ has created in his backyard in Amherstburg.

What was once a 50 foot by 100 foot lot of grass is now a biodiverse ecosystem filled with life.

Beginning with salvaged plants from the nearby bridge project, the diversity has grown to include various grasses, shrubs, trees, ponds, dry and moist areas, logs, leaf and vegetation litter – all of which provide food and habitat for animals.

“Animals” he has!

Russ has documented over 2,000 species of plants and animals, which include 89 threatened species, in his backyard.

I don’t know how much time he spends counting and photographing them but the results shown in his slide show are incredible!

Most of us know that nectar sources, mainly flowers, are necessary to pollinators. However, we may forget about host plants and habitats.

The variety of habitat in Russ’ garden has led to discoveries of several species of fungus, worms, potato bugs (who knew there was more than one!), arachnids, beetles, ETC., insects, moths, bees, wasps, ants, ETC., amphibians, snakes, snails and, of course, butterflies and birds!

Russ’ garden is now a Certified Wildlife Habitat from the Canadian Wildlife Federation. His backyard project is documented on iNaturalist.

You don’t need a large yard to create a diverse garden. A few different plants, a dead log, a pile of stones and a small water source will do.

If you plant it, they will come!

Join us on Thursday, October 17th when Jan Dugdale will talk about Birds in our Backyards. I hear she is a hoot (pun intended!) We meet at the Unico Centre on Main Street at 7:00.