By Madelyn Ostendorf
Fanny Riand, graduate student in wildlife ecology, sees the potential that everyday homeowners and renters have in the grand scheme of conservation. Her thesis, focused on how urban environments can help support birds and pollinators, examines how the smallest yards can make the biggest difference.
Riand got her bachelor’s degree in biology and natural resources conservation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. While there, she became excited about the intersection between humans and nature and how the two could coexist better. Before her senior year, she went to Idaho to work with the U.S. Forest Service, then moved to Florida after graduation for an internship at Archbold Biological Station to study the Florida scrub-jay. During this internship, she learned that understanding and working with people is the key to successful conservation.
“I saw this posting for a master's program at Iowa State University that was interested in the motivations and barriers for people growing native plants in their yards,” Riand said. “I was interested in that, because I think social science lets you get to the roots of issues. My undergraduate training is more on the biological side, so I like that I get to keep that in this project, but I think there is strength in combining biology and social science together.”
Riand’s research is focused on Des Moines and its suburbs, examining the yards of 32 homeowners to gather data on visiting pollinators, birds, and the types of vegetation present. Riand was connected to many of these participants via Christine Eckles with the Blank Park Zoo’s Plant.Grow.Fly. program and Ryan Smith with the Iowa Wildlife Federation. Both organizations encourage homeowners to plant pollinator- and wildlife-friendly gardens and help connect them with resources. To recruit more yards to her study, Riand then went door-to-door, knocking to find neighbors whose gardens were not registered with the Plant.Grow.Fly. program or the Iowa Wildlife Federation but would still be willing to participate in her research.
For each yard, Riand conducted two rounds of bird surveys, in which she noted all birds seen or heard within a defined area surrounding the backyard. She also surveyed all pollinators and blooming flowers in each yard twice during the summer and collected information on trees and shrubs in yards at the end of the season. From that data, she ran statistical models to determine whether native vegetation in yards increases native bird and pollinator activity.
“We wanted to see if there was a difference in how birds and pollinators respond if you run a model that includes all types of vegetation in a yard versus if you run one with just the native vegetation,” Riand said. “Our main finding was that the native vegetation model was better, meaning there were more birds and pollinators in yards with more native flowers, trees, and shrubs.”
Riand then conducted surveys and interviews with the same homeowners to learn more about what they valued about their yard and possible motivations or challenges with growing native plants. The next year, she interviewed city planners and officials to determine which active conservation strategies are underway in these areas at the city level.
Adam Janke, associate professor in natural resource ecology and management department, said Riand is one of the hardest-working and creative students he’s ever advised.
“She took on a project that was ambitious from the start, and then she made it even more exciting,” Janke said. “Our goal was to understand people's attitudes toward biodiversity and conservation in cities, and she added some really neat elements where we were able to measure biodiversity outcomes in their yards. Combining those two things will make education and outreach campaigns much more effective.”
From her research, Riand has a few suggestions on how to make yards and porches more biodiversity-friendly:
- Plant native. Native Iowa plants are a huge source of food for Iowa wildlife.
- Create variety in your garden. While purple coneflowers are great for pollinators and very popular, having several plant species attracts a wider range of pollinators.
- Don’t forget native trees and shrubs. Riand noticed a big difference in the wildlife in yards with native trees and shrubs, which provide important food and shelter for birds.
Riand encourages anyone with space to find ways to incorporate pollinator-friendly plants. Even in apartments, window planter boxes or balcony pots with native flowers can provide a rest stop for bees and butterflies.
“Everything is connected within the larger landscape,” Riand said. “Even a small flower pot can be an important stepping stone to another, bigger area with more food opportunities for pollinators. Every little bit helps.”