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Monarch butterflies and bumble bees feasting on our Anise Hyssop blossoms. 

Shinleaf  Native Plants

What's a Native Plant?

 

A native plant is one that has evolved in a particular region or ecosystem, often over thousands of years, and that was not introduced by humans. Having co-evolved with all the other plant and animal species in the ecosystem, each native plant species has a unique and essential role in the health of the system. Without the base of its native plants, an ecosystem is disrupted all the way up the food chain. 

Why is it Important?

According to entymologist Dougas Tallamy, the drastic decline in habitat for native plants is having a catastrophic effect on wild plant and animal populations:

"...the consensus among landscape ecologists is that 3 to 5 percent of the land [in the US] remains as undisturbed habitat for plants and animals. . . Unless we modify the places we live, work, and play to meet not only our own needs but the needs of other species as well, nearly all species of wildlife native to the United States will disappear forever. . . And the extinction of our plants and animals is not a scenario lost in the distant future. It is playing out across the country and the planet as I write."   

From BRINGING NATURE HOME by Douglas Tallamy

Why Plant Natives?

  • Native plants increase biodiversity by attracting all sorts of pollinators and providing food for other insects which eat their leaves. The insects provide food for native birds and other animals. Biodiversity is a key indicator of the health of an ecosystem.

  • They support native bird populations. About 96 percent of terrestrial bird species in North America feed their young insects. Most of those insects can eat only the native plants they have co-evolved with over milennia. 

  • They are low maintenance compared to exotic species native to other parts of the world. They are well adapted to the conditions a particular region, and consequently need little or no watering, and don't require fertilizers or pesticides.

  • They add color and beauty and often multi-season interest to a garden, yard, or landscape.

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