What's Up, Watershed? Three Reasons to Plant Native This Spring!

I’m excited that winter is over!  Not that winter doesn’t have its own special charm…but I much prefer the sight of spring flowers and the smell of fresh earth.  This year, I’ve raised some native plants from seed and I’m getting ready to plant them in my garden.  If you don’t know what native plants are, be sure to check out our webpage for a simple definition.  I love native plants for their unique beauty and for the way they support our wildlife here in Pennsylvania.  In this issue, I’m going to share three reasons why it’s so important to plant native this spring.  Let’s check it out!

Chris Bunn

Environmental Program Coordinator

Pennsylvania Resources Council

1. Native Plants Support Insects

Over millennia, insects form special relationships with the plants that are native to their region.  Some insects, such as the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, even form relationships with specific species of plants. The Baltimore Checkerspot’s main host plant is a native plant called White Turtlehead — they rely on this plant to feed their young caterpillars, and the chemicals in the plant help them fend off predators.  Without White Turtlehead, these insects lose access to a critical source of food, shelter, and protection.  Planting native can help support native insects in general — studies have shown that native gardens support a wider abundance and diversity of insects than non-native ones!

2. Native Plants Help Feed Local Birds 

I know what you may be thinking — “the less bugs, the better.”  Well, birds certainly don’t think so!  Research by scientist Doug Tallamy has shown that 96% of terrestrial birds rear their young on insects.  Chickadees, for example, need between six and nine thousand caterpillars within a period of two weeks to feed their nestlings.  But what do native plants have to do with this?  Tallamy’s research has also shown that on average, native plants support 15-times as many native caterpillar species as non-native plants.  Now, that’s a lot of bird food!

3. Native Plants Fight Climate Change

You may have learned in school that trees breathe in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and breathe out oxygen.  Not only do they breathe in CO₂, they can actually store and remove it from the atmosphere!  This is great news because this means that trees and other native plants can help us to fight climate change!  Just one oak tree can store up to five tons of carbon dioxide in its lifetime!  As we continue to burn fossil fuels, high levels of CO₂ in our atmosphere are causing changes in Pennsylvania’s climate including warmer temperatures and the increased severity of droughts and floods.  By planting more native plants, shrubs, and trees, we can work towards reducing the impacts of climate change we will experience in the future.

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By this point in the article, I hope you’re at least slightly more interested in planting native!  If so, check out this tool created by the National Wildlife Federation to see which plants are native to your area!  Need help planning out your native garden? 

Check out this nifty guide made by Lehigh Gap Nature Center called “Native Plants For The Small Yard.”  For more information and resources about native plants, be sure to visit the Growing Greener Communities website.  Thanks so much for reading, and happy spring planting!

Photos shown above (top to bottom): Chris Bunn, Judy Gallagher, Tom Potterfield, Jocelyn Anderson, Marty Aligata