Naturescaping (or nature scaping) is a method of
landscape design
Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and garde ...
and
landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following:
# Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...
that allows people and nature to coexist with landscaping. By incorporating certain native plants into one's yard, one can curtail the loss of wildlife habitat and attract beneficial
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s,
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s, and other creatures.
Origins
Naturescaping takes some of its principles from the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "GreenScaping" or "Beneficial Landscaping" programs — which strive to reduce water, energy, and chemical usage. Naturescaping is an organic discipline of this practice, that is easily adapted to backyards.
History
Most universities throughout the country, that have agricultural programs, also have university cooperative extensions. These programs include
Master Gardeners. The practice of naturescaping is being taught at several of these universities.
Current acceptance
The practice has spawned many non-profit groups to form near universities teaching this practice. Many include some form of the phrase "naturescaping" in their name. Some states have recognized the benefits to society of this practice and those who either volunteer or create a naturescaped garden. For instance, Oregon offers a state tax incentive.{{Dead link, date=April 2020 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes .
See also
*
Landscape ecology
Landscape ecology is the science of studying and improving relationships between ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems. This is done within a variety of landscape scales, development spatial patterns, and organizatio ...
*
Sustainable landscaping
External links
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife(ODFW) promotes Naturescaping
NatureScaping of Southwest WashingtonNature Scaping for Clean Rivers
Horticulture
Organic gardening
Landscape architecture
Types of garden