The next activity that I did on YardMap was to learn about my Eco-Region. You type in your zip code and it tells you what Eco-Region you live in. I live in Vienna, VA and my eco-region is the Southeastern Mixed Forest Province. That was not really news to me, but for a lot of people, this gives them a sense of what the natural eco-system in their area is.
What is really useful in discovering your eco-region is that then they give you several links to help you make your yard a better habitat for local wildlife. There is a link to a pdf published by the Pollinator Partnership which gives a wealth of information on pollinators in general and also information about native plants that can attract pollinators. I already have a lot of pollinator-friendly plants in my yard, but I am always on the lookout for new ones!
A second link to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas gives a list of all the plants that are native to Virginia. I found this list to be too cumbersome, since plants that are native to the coastal plain, would not be native to the piedmont, where I live.
A third link gave a list of local native plant nurseries. Although I usually purchase my natives from my local chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, I think this link is very, very useful to most people. Even if people want to plant natives, they can't do so, unless they can find the plants to plant.
Another link took you to local e-Bird reports. I haven't explored this link yet, but I intend to do so, since it will open up new horizons for me. I have a bird feeder, but I am not that knowledgeable about birds.
The last link was supposed to take you to local community gardens, but this link was broken. :-(
Since I usually include a photo with my posts, I am including a beautiful native shrub today called Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenia). It is also called Witch Alder. The leaves are brilliant in the fall and they only fell off a few days ago. This photo was taken last week.
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