The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

A low-intervention gardening approach, benign neglect allows natural processes to unfold with minimal interference. Renkl embraces this method to support wildlife in her backyard.

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment is known as ecology. Renkl’s observations reflect a deep ecological awareness shaped by both science and storytelling.

A community of organisms that interact with each other and with their environment is an ecosystem. Renkl treats her backyard as a small but complete ecosystem.

A non-native species that spreads rapidly and disrupts local ecosystems by outcompeting native plants or animals is an invasive species. Renkl describes how such species degrade biodiversity even while appearing beautiful.

This is a natural event in which certain trees, such as oaks, produce an unusually large crop of nuts or seeds. As Renkl notes, these boom years affect wildlife food availability and behavior.

An area dominated by a single plant species, often as a result of human landscaping or the spread of an invasive species, is a monoculture. Renkl laments how monocultures reduce habitat diversity.

A plant species that naturally occurs in a particular region and supports local wildlife is a native plant. Renkl encourages native planting as a form of environmental stewardship.

Quiet, often incoherent vocalization made by birds, usually outside of mating season, is called subsong. As Renkl notes, crows produce subsong as part of their complex communication.