thank you
the Wonder and diversity of life on this
planet the miracle is all dependent on
one indisputable truth and that is that
plants turn light into food all else of
alls from this herbivores eat the leaves
twigs and flowers and turn that energy
into lipids and proteins some are
generalists they eat any plant they can
find others specialize they require a
family or a genus or even one species of
plant because plants don’t relish being
eaten so they’ve developed defenses
chemical defenses to discourage this
behavior and native plants and animals
have co-evolved over millennia in an
intricate dance of chemical warfare
balancing the plant’s toxicity with the
animals resistance plants also produce
pollen nectar and fruit and exchange
this for increased genetic diversity and
for expanded range but that’s not the
whole story
there’s also the carnivores the
creatures that eat the creatures that
eat the plants and then there’s the
detritivores the decomposers without
whom we would be buried in refuse they
eat the plant and animal dead material
and convert it into its constituent
components they return it to the soil
enriching the earth and making
conditions better for growth so what you
might ask does this have to do with the
urban jungle well we need it all we need
the entire ecosystem to support this
healthy and diverse environment the
native plants are the foundation of this
system but the requirement is the open
space the room the association’s the
competitors and companions that create
this balanced ecosystem so what can we
do in this region I ask you to consider
what human uses are compatible with this
wildlife
what places need to be left unused the
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
recently completed a study where they
looked at the open space in our
community they identified the habitat
and the wildlife corridors that support
this robust healthy system but they also
found the gaps the breaks and
connectivity which caused a threat to
this environment so what can we do in
our own yards and make a difference in
this process I ask you to consider ad
native wildflowers to your landscape
include fruit-bearing shrubs find a
place to plant a tree reduce or end the
use of pesticides which harm the
beneficial insects as well as the pests
many organizations including the Audubon
Society of Northern Virginia with their
Audubon at home program and the plant
Nova native social marketing campaign
provide information and guidance to help
inform you how to include native plants
in your landscape and include and make
this change from the majestic oak
hickory forests which once dominated the
Tysons region to the globally rare river
outcrop Barrens in the Potomac Gorge of
Great Falls we live in a diverse and
precious environment we can choose to
act we can choose to protect and make
room plant native plants
[Applause]
the Wonder and diversity of life on this
planet the miracle is all dependent on
one indisputable truth and that is that
plants turn light into food all else of
alls from this herbivores eat the leaves
twigs and flowers and turn that energy
into lipids and proteins some are
generalists they eat any plant they can
find others specialize they require a
family or a genus or even one species of
plant because plants don’t relish being
eaten so they’ve developed defenses
chemical defenses to discourage this
behavior and native plants and animals
have co-evolved over millennia in an
intricate dance of chemical warfare
balancing the plant’s toxicity with the
animals resistance plants also produce
pollen nectar and fruit and exchange
this for increased genetic diversity and
for expanded range but that’s not the
whole story
there’s also the carnivores the
creatures that eat the creatures that
eat the plants and then there’s the
detritivores the decomposers without
whom we would be buried in refuse they
eat the plant and animal dead material
and convert it into its constituent
components they return it to the soil
enriching the earth and making
conditions better for growth so what you
might ask does this have to do with the
urban jungle well we need it all we need
the entire ecosystem to support this
healthy and diverse environment the
native plants are the foundation of this
system but the requirement is the open
space the room the association’s the
competitors and companions that create
this balanced ecosystem so what can we
do in this region I ask you to consider
what human uses are compatible with this
wildlife
what places need to be left unused the
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
recently completed a study where they
looked at the open space in our
community they identified the habitat
and the wildlife corridors that support
this robust healthy system but they also
found the gaps the breaks and
connectivity which caused a threat to
this environment so what can we do in
our own yards and make a difference in
this process I ask you to consider ad
native wildflowers to your landscape
include fruit-bearing shrubs find a
place to plant a tree reduce or end the
use of pesticides which harm the
beneficial insects as well as the pests
many organizations including the Audubon
Society of Northern Virginia with their
Audubon at home program and the plant
Nova native social marketing campaign
provide information and guidance to help
inform you how to include native plants
in your landscape and include and make
this change from the majestic oak
hickory forests which once dominated the
Tysons region to the globally rare river
outcrop Barrens in the Potomac Gorge of
Great Falls we live in a diverse and
precious environment we can choose to
act we can choose to protect and make
room plant native plants
[Applause]
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