A native plant is a species that is naturally occurring to an ecoregion, or areas with similar climate, geology and soil characteristics. These plants have developed unique relationships with pollinators -- butterflies, moths, birds, insects -- over hundreds, even thousands, of years (think Monarchs and Milkweed). Here are a few reasons why they are critically important to local ecologies and why you should consider incorporating them into a project or adding some to your own backyard:
What's not to love?!
Learn more about how we grow our native plants here.
Our meadow with goldenrod, aster, and native grasses on a frosty morning in November.
In the simplest of terms, a wetland plant grows in places that are saturated with water either some or all of the time. Some examples of wetlands are bogs, fens, sedge meadows, vernal pools, and swamps.
The US Army Corp of Engineers and other federal agencies, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, use a designation system called Wetland Indicator Status (WIS) to signify a plant's likelihood for occurrence in a wetland. Designations are broken into five categories: Obligate Wetland (OBL), Facultative Wetland (FACW), Facultative (FAC), Facultative Upland (FACU), and Upland (UPL).
These categories can be helpful when selecting plants for the right locations. You can search the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) by species or region to learn more about a plant's specific indicator status. The USDA-NRCS also has a robust search engine of the NWPL.
[Hot tip: Springhouse is located in the 'Eastern Mountains and Piedmont' region.]
Coined by ecologist Robert Paine in the 1960s, a keystone species serves as the backbone of an ecosystem. Without them, things fall apart.
Keystone native plants are "superplants" that host and feed numerous caterpillars and moths, and are also pollen sources for bees. An example of a keystone species is Acer spp., or Maples, which serves as a host plant to 230+ species of caterpillars according to the National Wildlife Federation.
For more info about keystone native plants in eastern temperate forests, visit the National Wildlife Federation website here.
[Fun fact: the keystone is the state symbol of Pennsylvania!]
Copyright © 2024 Springhouse Native Plants LLC - All Rights Reserved.