Above: Participants learn about pollinator/native plant interactions before getting their hands dirty.
[Just Roots, 2021]

How to Choose Bird-friendly plants

Sharing your yard with Birds

Greenfield’s own Pat Serrentino holds a Masters degree in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island, and has extensive experience in wildlife ecology and management, habitat restoration and public education. Pat focused on the actions that residents / homeowners can take to not only attract birds to their yards, but also keep them safe and healthy. She talked about supplying water and bird houses, how to prevent birds from striking windows, and urged us to avoid using pesticides.  Click here for a video of the presentation,  February, 2025.  Pat’s extensive bird resource list here.  

Berries for Birds

Susan Smith Pagano, Ph.D. Professor of Biology at Rochester Institute of Technology with research focused on the role of diet for migrating songbirds at stopover sites in the Northeast.   Her research indicates native fruiting shrubs provide more of what birds need and when they need it.  Her conclusion: If we want to support birds, we need to incorporate a variety of native plants that produce calorific, high-fat, and antioxidant-rich berries during migration. Click here for a video of the presentation, March, 2025, Hand-out here. 

Regenerating Life: We viewed and discussed the first two parts of this three-part beautiful documentary film by John Feldman, which explores how life on our planet came to be. The documentary reveals fascinating insights into the role of water and plants in nurturing and balancing pathways to restore biodiversity and our climate. Click HERE to rent or buy the film.
– Water Cools the Planet Part 1, February, 2024. 
– Life Sustains the Climate Part 2, March, 2024.

Healthy Soils at Home:  Presentation by Rachel Lindsay, Ecologist and Designer, Regenerative Design Group. Rachel shared ways to protect soil health and increase climate resilience at home and beyond.  She introduced us to the 2023 Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan, the first statewide comprehensive plan of its kind that addresses non-agricultural soil management. Click here for a video of the presentation. April, 2024.

Recommended videos:

A Chickadee’s Guide to Gardening, a talk by Doug Tallamy hosted by the Athol Bird and Nature Club and the Brookline Bird Club.  Doug is an entomologist, author, photographer, co-founder of Homegrown National Park.

Wild by Design, The Rise of Eco-Restoration (60 min) Ecologist, historian, and author, Laura Martin, PhD introduces her book by this name.

Successful eco-restoration stories:
A Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts   (18 min) Fourth generation cattleman in Georgia, Will Harris, shares his journey to a humane food producer, and farmer of the soil, not cattle!

Miyawaki Forests: Spreading resilience one pocket forest at a time (60 min) Maya Dutta of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate shares slides of planting Miyawaki mini-forests in Boston, and explains why these forests are special.

Taking Root: The vision of Wangari Maathai, Kenya (60 min) PBS documentary 2008. Inspiring story of Wangari Maathai’s efforts to empower women to plant trees and restore areas “desertified” by colonial practices.

Lawns to Meadows, talk by Ecological landscaper and author , Owen Wormser, April 2023

Living with Nature, David Small, naturalist, Athol Bird & Nature Club, shares his thriving yard, home of insects, birds, and salamanders! March 2023

Turning a Barren Lawn into Thriving Habitat, by naturalists Charley Eiseman and Julia Blyth

Recommended videos:
Nature’s Best Hope, talk by author Doug Tallamy and founder of Homegrown National Park, to the Endangered Species Society

Kill your Lawn, talk to Lexington, by Dan Jaffee Wilder

Creating and Managing Habitat for Native Bees, by Heather Holmes to Ohio State U

“Pollinators in the Woods?” by Dr. Kass Urban-Mead, researcher/staff at Xerces society

Greenfield Public Trees Taking Stock and Planning for Our Future. With the Greenfield Tree Committee.

Birds, Insects and Plants:   Sustaining Healthy Food Webs with Keystone Plant Species a talk by Meredith Gallogly, Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts, takes a deep dive into the ecological links between birds, caterpillars, and native plants, and what we can do to support this system while adding beauty to our yards and communities.  Meredith’s handouts, March 2021 for GG

70% Native Plants: trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants count! Check out “WHY” this campaign, watch video by Dr. Desiree Narango, find plants to support our birds, butterflies, bees and more! FEb 2021 – new GG campaign launched

Where the Wild Things Are: Native Plants for Pollinators, a talk by Dan Jaffe Wilder and a film on how building soil health helps reduce the climate crisis by sequestering carbon.Kiss the Ground. Jan 2021-suggested viewing while sequestering. Watch anytime! Hope for Wild is a talk by Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, and recently released Nature’s Best Hope, A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard. He shares stunning photos he took in his yard, and fascinating stories of moths, birds, and Butterflies and more.