Plant with a Purpose

Plant Native for Clean Water

Native plants can play a significant role in providing for cleaner water.

The root systems of natives are more robust and extend deeper than nonnative plants and grass lawns, meaning more roots beneath the ground to take up nutrients which could otherwise reach groundwater or nearby streams, bind soil particles to prevent erosion and sedimentation to waterways, increase infiltration and decrease soil compaction to aid in replenishing groundwater aquifers, and reduce the need for fertilization and pesticides which can harm the environment.

Native plants adapt well to “rain gardens” which are bowl shaped depressions that can be created in the landscape to capture run-off and provide for short term water storage, infiltration, and run-off filtration and provide protection to nearby waterways.  How can you create a rain garden?

Plant Native for Birds

Plant native plants to grow your own bird food! 

Native plants provide birds food by producing berries and seeds as well as by supporting the specific life cycles of caterpillars and other insects. Caterpillars and insects are the protein source in a bird’s diet especially during breeding and migration. In fact, young hatchlings rely solely on caterpillars and insects for their food. 

Here are a few fun facts about the importance of planting native for supporting bird populations:

• 96 percent of the terrestrial birds in North America rely on insects to feed their young and most of the insects they eat are caterpillars, which are primarily herbivores.
• Most herbivorous insects are diet specialists – they have evolved to only eat a very specific type of plant food, meaning they only eat a certain part of a plant, or they only eat species from a certain plant lineage.
• Insects that are diet specialists have typically evolved to be able to disarm the chemicals that the plants that they eat produce to deter herbivores.
• Studies have shown that insectivorous birds are significantly more abundant in areas with native plant communities than in areas where non-native invasive species have replaced native plants.

Plant Native to Reduce your Carbon Footprint

We all have a role to play in reducing our carbon footprint and native plants certainly do their fair share. 

The robust root systems of native plants compared to nonnatives help to sequester or store carbon in their roots and soil and reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Native trees which have adapted to their environment over eons, are the lungs of the natural word but rather than taking in oxygen, they “breath-in” carbon dioxide (CO2) and exhale oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, significantly reducing carbon in the atmosphere. There is certainly no shortage of native trees to choose from for planting on your property, so take the time to select the right tree(s) for your desired results.

Before planting, always consider a tree’s ultimate size to be sure you have provided sufficient area for it to grow properly and without conflict with existing or planned structures on your property.

Planting natives has another benefit unrelated to plant physiology. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that lawn mowing with gas powered mowers is estimated to contribute to 5% of the nation’s total air pollution. Replacing grass lawns with native plants that don’t require mowing can reduce carbon emissions associated with gas powered engine emissions. Not to mention saving time and expense on lawn upkeep.

Plant Native for Ease

Once established, native plants do not require as much maintenance as plants that did not evolve to live here.

Why are native species easier to grow? Since native species have evolved in an area and adapted to its local climate and conditions, they are well suited to deal with the range of conditions that can be expected there. They can tolerate the long rainy days of spring, the hot humid days of summer, as well as the cold, windy days of autumn because they have had to deal with all of these seasons before. Furthermore, most natives are perennial plants, meaning they will return each year without replanting, or annuals, that drop seeds each year to create a new generation.

Native groundcovers can be an alternative to establishing vegetative cover on steep slopes that can be difficult to mow. More information about converting lawn with natives can be found at https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lawn-alternatives.

Plant Native for Beauty

Native plants cover the entire spectrum of plant types (trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns, and forbs), not to mention color, texture, size and shape. 

All those things a gardener considers when selecting a plant to grow in their yard, flower bed, or container. Likewise, flowering period is also variable from early to late season bloomers. Native plants and their relationship with other animals such as birds and insects have resulted in numerous varieties of flower colors and shapes that have evolved to attract insects and birds to aid in pollination. Furthermore, these same plants can provide a food source for certain stages of an insect’s life cycle. Most common is the life cycle of the butterfly and moth which includes the adult stage (the butterfly/moth) and the larvae stage (the caterpillar). So not only does the native plant add color, texture and shape to enhance a garden’s beauty, those same attributes allow for even more beauty with the addition of colorful butterflies or other colorful insects.  In fact, the plant/insect relationship where the native plant is the “host” is critical to the insect’s survival.  Below is a list of common Harford County butterflies and their host plant. Incorporating these plants into your garden will add beauty and interest in a multitude of ways.