Several people we met along the way had dropped his name as if his recent book “Bringing Nature Home” (Timber Press, 2007) would revolutionize the landscaping industry, which is currently worth about $50 billion dollar annually.

Why? Because Tallamy shares the data he’s collected over the course of 20 or so years studying insects’ dependency on native plants.

His precautionary tale (based on hard data) is pretty important: if we don’t plant native plants and trees in our backyards, we are taking a part in the dismantling of the food web we depend on for survival.

One of the most quoted parts of his book is where he states that one oak tree in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. can feed/house about 600 different species of Lepidopterae. That’s just moths and butterflies! (There are many more juicy tidbits in the book. Click on the book cover image above to purchase, and a percentage will go to help the Plant a Wish project!)

Once we heard the buzz, we knew we needed to meet him, plant a tree with him in Delaware, and interview him extensively for our film. And we hit a home run!

Here’s an excerpt from our forthcoming documentary. We plan to post about one per week, featuring various experts and tree caretakers we’ve met along the way so far.

Please enjoy!

Doug Tallamy is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has written more than 65 research articles and has taught insect taxonomy, behavioral ecology, and other subjects. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities.

Our first cover!

“Living Christmas Tree: How Plant a Wish is Saving the World – and the Holidays – One Tree at a Time”
Cover Story by Jen Russo, Maui Time Weekly, December 7, 2011

“Aloha Friday – Let’s Talk About Trees and Planting Trees”
by Liza Pierce, AMauiBlog.com, November 4, 2011

“Plant a Wish Finale on Maui“
by Janet Jones, activerain.com, November 3, 2011

“From Little Things, Big Things Grow”
by Shannon Wianecki, Maui No Ka Oi Magazine, Nov/Dec 2011

“Family Roots Run Deep”
by Kehaulani Cerizo, Maui News, Currents, Sunday, October 23, 2011

“Green Thursdays: Plant a Wish“
www.athousandguitars.com (blog), Octber 13, 2011

“Plant a Wish to Plant at Red Canyon Ranch”
by Sara Deur, Wyoming Nature Conservancy, October 10, 2011

Making U.S Greener, a Plant at at Time
by Cameron Rassmusson, Bonner County Daily Bee, Sandpoint, Idaho, October 1, 2011

“Plant a Wish Restores Native Habitats Around America”
by Inhabitat, September 23, 2011

“Daydream from the Plant a Wish Tour”
by Sara Tekula, Maui Time Weekly, September 1, 2011

“Hawaiian Couple Embarks on Mega Tree-Planting Road Trip: 50 Native Trees, 50 States”
by Blythe Copeland, TreeHugger.com, 5/16/11

“Volunteers Team Up to Plant ‘Wishes’ Along York Boulevard“
by Andrea C. Quezada, Eagle Rock Patch, 5/2/11

“Plant a Wish Brings their Mission to Charleston”
by Kellen Goodell, Charleston Parks Conservancy, 3/24/11

“Plant a Wish”
by Eric Pickhartz, Austin Post, 3/18/11

“Setting Down Roots”
by Sheila Sarhangi, Honolulu Magazine, February 2011

“Maui Residents to Continue 50-State Tree Planting Tour and Documentary Project”
by Katie McMillan, MauiNow.com, 1/15/11

“Broadlands Becomes Virginia’s Plant a Wish Site”
by The Certified Community Wildlife Habitat Committee, on BroadlandsNaturally.org, VA, 7/13/10

“Plant a Wish”
by Emily Lytle, Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Blog, 7/6/10

“Plant a Wish tour visits UD, Early Learning Center”
by Jerry Rhodes, UDaily, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 6/23/10

“Plant a Wish on the Chesapeake Bay”
by Tom Zolper, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis, MD 6/22/10

“Tri-state United for Plant a Wish”
by Katie Schwendemen, The Morning Journal, Lisbon, OH, 6/13/10

“Plant a Wish Chooses Knoxville”
by Spenser Durke, KNIA/KRLS Radio, Knoxville, Iowa, 5/21/10

“Peace Tree Brewing Part of Plant a Wish Project”
by Tim Hinds, Sioux Brew Blog, Sioux City Journal, 5/20/10

“Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods Sponsors Plant a Wish’s National Tree Planting Project”
PR Newswire, Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods, 6/1/10

“Duo’s ‘Plant a Wish’ to be a Documentary”
by Star-Bulletin Staff, Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s “Da Kine Hawaii Features” Section, 5/15/10

“Hawaii Couple Hits the Road to Plant Native Trees (and Wishes!) in all 50 States”
By Rachel Cernansky, Planet Green (a Discovery Channel Blog), 5/1/10

“Watershed of Wishes”
By Unknown Author, OurGreenMaui.org, 4/23/10

Announcement in The Hawaii Reporter
Announced at HawaiiReporter.com

“50 Wishes”
Segment in Maui TV News, host Jeff King, 4/22/10

“Forest for the Trees: Native tree enthusiasts Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula are branching out…and they’ve got a lot of ground to cover” (Featured story in The Green Issue!)
by Jacob Shafer, Published in Maui Time Weekly, 4/22/10

“Wishes accompany planting of native tree”
By Gary T. Kubota, Published in Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5/25/08