(4/5) This is a rough time for many of us, especially for those who like to be out among other people. But this could be a good time for looking at things more closely and for discovering things that have been in front of us all along. And as a gardener and an environmentalist, I see this as a time to explore the outdoors more thoroughly, especially the area immediately out my back door.

There is a lot going on just beyond my back door. It is an advantage having a yard large enough to accommodate trees and garden beds, but a postage stamp-sized back yard can also support a variety of creatures. Several neighboring backyards together can become a habitat for an even larger community of plants and animals. Even a north-facing patio can support life in a container garden.

I realize gardening is difficult this year since we cannot get out to garden centers and plant sales. We have to start where we are right now. Why not use the time to discover what’s already here in the natural park in our backyards? Spring is a great time to do this because nature is waking up and she is full of energy and activity. There is a lot happening if you look closely. This is actually easier if you have youngsters who often have more curiosity and observe with lots of patience.

This is an opportunity to start an inventory of all the plants and animals you find in your yard, as well as keeping track of the natural phenomena. Every time you find something new, identify it, if you can, and record it. Exact identification isn’t really the point, but the more you do it the more accurate you become. The internet is a good identification tool, and there are plenty of apps for the phone, too. When you add a creature to your inventory, be sure to include other information, like the date, location and what other plants or animals were found with it. This allows for helpful comparisons over years.

You can make a catalog of all the living beings in your yard using index cards or a computer spread sheet. For plants, you can keep track of when a species of flower blooms and what insects are attracted to it. Sometimes the insect might be interested in the nectar or pollen; sometimes it may be interested in laying her eggs on the leaves. Do you have any amphibians, like toads? What mammals have visited your yard? Sometimes you don’t see the mammals, but you find tracks or nibbled foliage.

Take note of the timing of natural events. When did your first crocus or daffodil bloom? When did you see your first bumble bee? If you hear peepers, when did they start their chorus? If there are birds that visit your yard every year, note when they return. When do the maples start shedding their pollen? (My sinuses usually know before my eyes do.)

Have you thought of tracking the position of the sun as it rises, moving north until the summer solstice and moving back south again until December? Where are the shadows cast by the sun as its position shifts through the seasons? From which direction is the wind the strongest or most persistent? What are the high and low temperatures? Be sure to note the last freeze date and the last frost date, too. This information is useful in planning a garden. If you have children in need of math and science projects, consider letting them collect the information and help them turn all this data into graphs and tables.

You may have heard of Doug Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home, in which he explains the relationship of birds and insects, as well as the rest of the animal kingdom, to our backyards. He does this in order to demonstrate that we maintain interesting and diverse animal communities when we maintain a yard that supports insects by planting native species.

In his sequel, Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy urges us to consider turning our backyards into natural areas. Even better, connected back yards with insect-supporting plants can bring even more wildlife. This idea is supported by research showing that connected corridors of residential greenways, made up of backyard gardens that include native shrubs and trees, can support many bird and insect species. It also helps them move into new neighborhoods as their numbers expand.

Tallamy says that in the US, most of the land preserved as national parks, state parks and wilderness areas was put aside for its rugged beauty or some particular feature without preserving the best tracts of land that support biodiversity. Parks in the East that preserve tracts of forested lands are often too small for large animals to migrate or for seeds to find their way between them. Since land is chopped up by development, he challenges his readers to set up ‘wildlife preserves’ by re-naturing part of their lawns to gardens and meadows that support wildlife.

Yes, most of this backyard wildlife will be small creatures. You may find them to be some of the most interesting and most important — especially insects, which support the rest of the community. Sure, plants form the base of the food web by their ability to turn light energy into sugars that support themselves and everything that eats them. But plants need insects, some to ensure more plants by pollinating, and some beneficial insects to protect them. Native plants are the best for these gardens, though there are some great non-invasive, non-native flowers that attract bees and butterflies by providing loads of nectar (e.g., tithonia, zinnias, cosmos).

We can stay busy watching and recording the activity in our own backyards. We have an opportunity this year to spend more time getting to know our non-human neighbors. And we have more opportunity this year to re-think and perhaps re-landscape. Enjoy your time outdoors!