Rewilding actions

Replace one ornamental with a regionally native species. A single native plant supports hundreds more species than the average introduced ornamental.

A single pipistrelle bat eats up to 3,000 insects per night. Bat roost sites are disappearing, and a box takes an hour to install and can support a colony for decades.

Over 60% of invasive plants originated in horticulture. Removing one before it sets seed prevents thousands of plants from spreading into natural areas.

If you're moving outdoor items from a spongy moth quarantine area, federal law requires inspecting them first. Ten minutes with a checklist keeps this pest out of new states entirely.

Artificial light at night disrupts insect navigation, bat foraging, and bird migration. Switching off or using motion sensors is a zero-cost, immediate rewilding action.

A dense planting of native trees and shrubs in as little as 100 sq ft. It cools the surrounding area, supports pollinators and birds, and creates habitat from almost nothing.

Not all native plants are equal. A small group of trees and shrubs support the vast majority of local wildlife. Plant one and you add a foundation for a food web.

Pesticides kill far more than their targets. Neonicotinoids persist in soil for years and accumulate in pollen at concentrations that impair bees, disrupt bird migration, and collapse the insect food web.

Many "bee-friendly" garden plants are pre-treated with neonicotinoids before you ever buy them. A 2014 test found this in 51% of plants sold at major retailers. Here's how to check before you plant.

A small pond and the right native plants can bring dragonflies to your garden. They eat mosquitoes, flies, and midges at a catch rate of around 95%, and their presence signals clean, healthy water.

See how much carbon your native garden stores and what it's worth to pollinators. Enter your area, plant structure, and number of trees to get annual and ten-year estimates back.

Every observation you record contributes to a global scientific database used in peer-reviewed research. Your garden is a field site.

A great observation isn't the most artistic one, it's the one someone else can actually identify. Practical tips for photos and recordings that hold up.

Document biodiversity along Austin's Violet Crown Trail, from golden-cheeked warbler habitat to the monarch migration route, at an ongoing project or a single-morning bioblitz.

Native groundcovers rebuild soil structure, increase organic carbon, and protect degraded land from erosion. In drylands, they are often the first step toward ecological recovery.

Swales, rock check dams, and brush weirs keep rainfall on the land long enough to soak in and rebuild soil. Simple techniques, compounding gains.

Biological soil crusts stabilize drylands, fix nitrogen, and store carbon. A single footprint can cause damage that takes decades to recover. Your steps matter.

Pesticides kill far more than their targets. Neonicotinoids persist in soil for years and accumulate in pollen at concentrations that impair bees, disrupt bird migration, and collapse the insect food web.

Dragonflies eat mosquitoes, flies, and midges at a catch rate of 95%. A cattle pond with native marginal vegetation is one of the lowest-cost fly management tools available, no chemicals required.

Before you can reduce your emissions, you need to know where they come from. Most people are surprised by which parts of their life matter most.