In his new book, Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy argues that we should view our own gardens as a piece of the biggest national park in the country, what he calls the Homegrown National Park. This speaks to what we grow in our gardens – we need to provide food and shelter for wildlife – but also to the way we experience them. Gardening for pollinators, for birds, turtles, frogs and other animals means that we can have a more intimate experience of the lives of these animals. It means that our gardens can allow us to commune with nature on a daily basis.

I feel the need for this more acutely than ever in our present crisis. Yesterday, while taking a break from the demands of my kids and the mess in my kitchen, I went to the far back of our garden, where I do very little “landscaping” at all.

I sat on a tree stump and looked at the heart-shaped leaves of violets unfurling at my feet. Just sitting there and being present with those violets gave me the spiritual food I needed to go back and be with my family.

I hope this interview inspires you and gives you hope (as the title suggests). Tallamy says that we all have a role to play in this grand new enterprise, whether we own a garden in the suburbs or live in an apartment in the city. You may be limited in what you can do now but, I assure you, there are things you can do. You can start by listening to this interview and reading Tallamy’s book. (By the way, if you haven’t already done so, listen to my earlier interview with him first.)