WHAT IS A 'NATIVE PLANT'? WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
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 thousands of years (think Monarchs and Milkweed). Here are a few reasons why they are critical to local ecologies and why you should consider incorporating them into a project or adding some to your own backyard:
- Native plants support the local food web and create habitat, which perpetuates biodiversity.
- In addition to being food and shelter, some native plants are able to prevent soil erosion with their deep roots while others clean the air by removing carbon.
- Native plants attract songbirds and butterflies, as well as many other exciting mammals, amphibians, and insects.
- When planted in suitable locations, native plants are relatively low maintenance (i.e. no need to cut back before winter) and require little to no irrigation beyond the establishment period. Hooray for time, energy, and water conservation!
- Many species have unique seed heads and branching structures that provide continued visual interest well beyond their bloom times into the deep winter and early spring seasons.
What's not to love?!
what are wetland and keystone PLANTS?
WETLAND PLANTS
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.
Some of the wetland species we offer and love:
Allegheny Monkeyflower - OBL
Cinnamon Willowherb - FACW
Fringed Sedge - OBL
Seedbox - FACW
Silky Dogwood - FACW
Smooth Alder - OBL
Spotted Joe-Pye - FACW
Steeplebush - FACW
Swamp Aster - OBL
White Turtlehead - OBL
Winterberry Holly - FACW
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[HOT TIP: Springhouse is located in the 'Eastern Mountains and Piedmont' region.]
KEYSTONE PLANTS
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 excellent pollen sources for bees. An example of a keystone species are Maple trees, which serve 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.
Some of the keystone species we offer and love:
Wild American Plum - 340
White Pine - 200
Smooth Alder - 173
Blackcap Raspberry - 127
Black Walnut - 125
Viburnum spp. - 115
Paleleaf Woodland Sunflower - 50
Elderberry - 37
Black Gum - 35
Aster spp. - 33
Wingstem - 17
Devil's Beggarsticks - 15
Common Evening Primrose - 7
Purple Coneflower - 6
Dogwood spp. - 4
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[FUN FACT: the keystone is the state symbol of Pennsylvania!]