If you鈥檙e like most well-intentioned gardeners, you might give a lot of thought to planting to nourish , with nectar, pollen, seeds and fruit. But have you given much thought to those animals’ habitat?
In addition to sustenance, beneficial insects and critters need a safe home in which to rest, hide, breed and pupate.
One area crucial to their lifecycles is around the base of trees.
鈥淲e talk about the importance of (native) trees in creating the caterpillars that drive the food web,鈥� of 鈥淣ature鈥檚 Best Hope鈥� and 鈥淏ringing Nature Home,鈥� told me the last time we spoke.
鈥淏ut those caterpillars drop from the tree and they pupate in the ground. And how we landscape under those trees determines whether or not those caterpillars will survive,鈥� he said.
Giving caterpillars a 鈥榮oft landing鈥�
So, how are we landscaping under our trees? Raise your hand if your grass goes right up to their trunks.
Instead, Tallamy says, 鈥渨e want uncompacted areas where we鈥檙e not walking, which means (planting) beds around our trees. If you鈥檙e mowing or walking under them, you鈥檙e squishing all those caterpillars.鈥�
Caterpillars feed birds, which in our gardens by feeding thousands of insects each to their young every year. Caterpillars are also a crucial food source for reptiles and spiders. And they themselves eat up garden pests like aphids.
Later in life, they morph into moths and butterflies, becoming important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. Creating a so-called 鈥渟oft landing鈥� for them, while at the same providing habitat for native bees, fireflies, beetles and other beneficial insects, is essential for a healthy ecosystem. And it鈥檚 easy to do in two simple steps.
How to do it
For starters, allow leaves to rest directly under trees, where they fall. Those pupating caterpillars will get cozy in their natural blanket, and you鈥檒l get a break from raking.
Next, plant groundcovers and other plants under the tree鈥檚 canopy, which is the overhead area that extends along the width of the tree from branch tip to branch tip. 鈥淐hoose plants that are going to support the food web, the ones that will share the most energy with other living things,鈥� Tallamy advises.
That means opting for ferns, woodland phlox, sedges and other native groundcovers, shrubs and perennials.
Plug your ZIP code into the to learn which plants are best suited for your region, according to Tallamy鈥檚 research.
___
Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up for weekly gardening tips and advice.
___
For more AP gardening stories, go to .
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
