Hommel Mangas
I don’t like to cause trouble (disregard this statement if you happen to be one of my six siblings) but I felt compelled to defend my absolutely correct opinion.
My stance is not religious, political or even sports-related — it is far more heart-wrenching.
In fact, when I read the words of this highly-touted PhD, I was instantly appalled, aghast and astounded! And in complete disagreement!
And to be quite honest, my heart felt poked. I felt exactly like that toddler video (on YouTube under “You poked my heart”) where the little blond boy gets into a heated two-minute argument with two little girls on whether it’s raining or sprinkling. One little girl reaches her limit and pokes the young lad in the chest, where he steps back hurt and insulted stating, ‘You poked my heart.”
Even though I’m not one to stir the pot, I thought a reply was appropriate.
Dear Dr. Douglas Tallamy:
I recently read Christine Alexander’s interview with you in Fine Gardening Magazine. I also happened to listen to the The Fine Gardening Podcast “Let’s Argue About Plants” — Episode 120: An Interview with Doug Tallamy on Oct. 5, while watering a few new oak, redbud and birch trees that we planted earlier this spring in our Zone 5b-6 central Indiana garden.
Dr. Doug, as a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, your life’s work of researching the impact of nonnative plant species on the environment, with your fieldwork playing a critical role in solving the mystery of plummeting insect and bird populations, is quite interesting and appreciated.
And I am on board with your great idea of encouraging a Homegrown National Park (homegrownnationalpark.org) by cutting down private lawn space by half, which would give us 20 million acres for conservation — which would make the biggest national park in the country. I signed up our garden— which, by the way already has many of the keystone plants you suggest to support wildlife: six varieties of oak, cherry, birch, aster and goldenrod. We also have our native tulip poplar, sycamore and buckeye.
I wanted to acknowledge and thank you for your life’s work and I look forward to reading your new book, “The Nature of Oaks.” I hear your book “Nature’s Best Hope” is a thought-provoker.
I appreciate your response in Fine Gardening that Quercus alba, Zone 3-9, — the White Oak — is your favorite tree. I too, love oaks. The hubby and I continue to add natives and remove invasives from our property of 33 years.
But Dougie, Dougie, Dougie — you really poked my heart with the rest of your response:
“The hosta sitting there is taking space, but not that much space. If you have an oak tree in the yard, it’s contributing a plant biomass that’s helping creatures. Nationwide there are 952 species of caterpillars alone that eat oaks. And an oak tree will easily make up for the fact that your hosta is not doing anything. Think of your hosta as a little plastic statue. It’s there and it’s not wrecking anything; it’s just not helping anything. So how many plastic statues do you want? That’s up to you.”
“Think of your hosta as a little plastic statue” — really, Doug?
As a seasoned Purdue horticulture graduate, and currently serving as a board member of the Indianapolis Hosta Society and the American Hosta Society, I couldn’t help come to the realization that you could have chosen ANY other plant to make your point, or not even used the “little plastic statue” reference. Sheesh.
I won’t try and defend genus hosta — the friendship plant — that has well over 100,000 followers on multiple social media pages. A genus that is obviously nonnative, but supplies pollen and nectar to a variety insects — my hummingbirds love hosta nectar. I won’t even try to explain that in the hundreds of private and public gardens I’ve toured, every single “hosta” or “conifer” garden I’ve toured contained a myriad of plants, including nonnative hostas, but always a myriad of native keystone plants.
In case you were wondering, in the “You poked my heart” video, neither ever changed their minds on whether it was “raining” versus “sprinkling,” but it seemed the debate ended and they remained friends.
Your friend,
Janet Hommel Mangas
Dr. Tallamy: if you send me your address, I will send you a hosta — you can plant it under your oak tree.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments to [email protected].
