becoming incredibly difficult to eradicate . In the specific case of the crape myrtle , researchers have observed nature ’ s ability to adapt : according to the Smithsonian , the berries of the hundreds of millions of crape myrtle trees throughout the Southern states are a huge food source to native birds like American goldfinches , dark-eyed juncos , and northern cardinals . According to author Doug Tallamy , who spoke recently at an event organized by the Kiawah Conservancy , planting with native plants is still the best way to have the biggest benefit to wildlife ; but the example of the crape myrtle tree is at least an interesting historical anecdote that can help show the resiliency and adaptivity of nature in the context of human impact .
Donna Windham , the Conservancy ’ s executive director , has seen how quickly nature can adapt firsthand , in her own yard . Over the past year , with help from others involved with the Conservancy , her yard was transformed from “ a clean slate ” of lawn into an oasis for the birds , butterflies , and pollinators that frequent the flowers and shrubs . “ It ’ s all just taken root ; even through the heat of this summer ,” Windham says , “ we ’ ve not even lost one plant . When you plant things where they ’ re supposed to be , you have to do very little .”
Beyond plants , there is another world of invasive species that have come to call Kiawah Island home . In the last century , armadillos — once associated with the dry deserts of Texas — have expanded their range all the way into the Lowcountry of South Carolina . Coyotes , too , have become a more common sight , or sound , on Kiawah Island . Originally only found west of the Mississippi River , the coyote , like the armadillo , has expanded its range . While coyotes compete with the island ’ s native bobcats and gray foxes for food , they also help control the island ’ s rodent population . The scientists who study the movements of animals like the armadillo and coyote generally come to the same conclusion : while not historically a part of our habitat , these species are here to stay .
Humanity will always have an impact on the environments around us — one reason for that , as the author and journalist Michael Pollan argues in his 1991 book Second Nature , is that we have a tendency to see ourselves as outside of nature rather than as a part of it . If we can restore that understanding , any attempt to create a perspective of ourselves in relation to our natural environment will only have positive implications for the animals , plants , and landscapes around us . According to Mark Permar , Kiawah Island ’ s unique sense of place comes from the community that has been created here . For an island that is always evolving , the ultimate goal in the relationship between the community and the natural world can be summed up in one word : balance .
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