What are Native Plants and Why Should We Plant Them?
Native Plants include herbaceous plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees. Natives evolved over a period of time sufficient to develop complex and essential relationships with pollinators, birds, and other wildlife species in a given ecological community. Native plants were established here long before the arrival of European colonists.
In the Northeast, we have many wonderful native perennials (sometimes called wildflowers), shrubs, trees, and grasses that thrive in a variety of light and soil conditions. Garden perennials such as Rudbeckia, Lobelia, and Monarda attract many species of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Native shrubs and trees are attractive and provide many benefits in our landscapes. Spicebush, Willow, Blueberry and Cherry provide early-season blooms and many produce nutritious fruits. Trees such as Oak, Maple and Birch have attractive forms providing shade in summer and gorgeous color in fall. Many native trees, shrubs and grasses provide winter interest when other plants are sleeping.
In the Northeast, we have many wonderful native perennials (sometimes called wildflowers), shrubs, trees, and grasses that thrive in a variety of light and soil conditions. Garden perennials such as Rudbeckia, Lobelia, and Monarda attract many species of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Native shrubs and trees are attractive and provide many benefits in our landscapes. Spicebush, Willow, Blueberry and Cherry provide early-season blooms and many produce nutritious fruits. Trees such as Oak, Maple and Birch have attractive forms providing shade in summer and gorgeous color in fall. Many native trees, shrubs and grasses provide winter interest when other plants are sleeping.
Newtown Conservation Commission introduces
the Native Plant Resource Guide
The Newtown Conservation Commission, in association with Monroe Conservation, has prepared a Native Plant Resource Guide to strongly encourage developers, landscape architects, municipal workers, landscapers and homeowners to use native plants that naturally occur in our area. The Guide also provides guidance on plants and their benefits, landscape uses, and local sources for native plants.
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Why are Native Plants So Important?
Native plants are important for their ability to support wildlife, especially our plant-eating insects (herbivores) that in turn provide protein-rich food for a large percentage of wildlife species. Insects are extremely important to the health of all terrestrial ecosystems on which we humans depend. Without insects, higher life forms would cease to exist. For example, most baby birds are fed insects exclusively. And because they grow quickly from nestlings to adults, baby birds eat tons of insects. In springtime there is a flurry of activity by parent birds as they try to keep up with their babies’ insatiable appetites. This activity continues for weeks until fledglings are able to survive on their own. No insects, no birds.
Butterfly caterpillars exemplify the important relationship between insects and native plants. All species of butterfly caterpillars require specific host (food) plants in order to grow and develop into adult butterflies. The Monarch butterfly caterpillar, for example, requires plants in the milkweed family (Asclepias). Milkweeds are the only food the Monarch caterpillar can eat.
Native plants evolved over millions of years to attract specific pollinators with unique shapes, sizes and colors. These plants better meet their nutritional needs providing the best sources of pollen and nectar for a plethora of pollinators which include many species of bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles and hummingbirds. Native plants also support beneficial insects such as lady beetles and lacewings. These insects are important for controlling many garden pests.
Butterfly caterpillars exemplify the important relationship between insects and native plants. All species of butterfly caterpillars require specific host (food) plants in order to grow and develop into adult butterflies. The Monarch butterfly caterpillar, for example, requires plants in the milkweed family (Asclepias). Milkweeds are the only food the Monarch caterpillar can eat.
Native plants evolved over millions of years to attract specific pollinators with unique shapes, sizes and colors. These plants better meet their nutritional needs providing the best sources of pollen and nectar for a plethora of pollinators which include many species of bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles and hummingbirds. Native plants also support beneficial insects such as lady beetles and lacewings. These insects are important for controlling many garden pests.
Best Things about Natives
- They flourish without synthetic pesticides.
- Require less care since they are adapted to our local climate and soils.
- Rarely need watering once established.
- Provide food and cover for wildlife.
- Contribute to biodiversity.
- Native trees keep our air and waterways clean and prevent soil erosion.
- Native plant species connect us to our unique natural surroundings.
- They teach us about our natural world.
- Native Plants are beautiful!
You Can’t Fool Mother Nature
Many introduced (imported) plants are ignored by our pollinators. These specialized cultivars and exotic imports offer little or no benefit to bees and other pollinators.
- Non-native plant species may not provide cues to attract pollinators.
- Specialized colors are not attractive to pollinators.
- Pollinators cannot access double flowers for pollen or nectar.
- Cultivars (nativars) that are too changed from original plant contain less pollen and nectar.
- Some cultivars no longer produce pollen or nectar at all.
Many Introduced Plants are Harmful to Native Plants and Animals
Invasive plants are non-native species that spread to natural areas, displacing native plants and threatening diversity of native birds, insects, and other animals. They grow aggressively, spread quickly and are difficult to control. In this way, they out-compete native flora. Invasive plants can be extremely harmful to pollinators that require specific plants for survival. Swallow-worts (Cynanchum), for example, are poisonous to Monarch butterfly caterpillars. If a female mistakenly lays her eggs on this plant, the caterpillars will not survive; another factor contributing to Monarch decline. It is important to learn to recognize these invasive species. You can refer to the Invasive Plants section of this site for more information on invasive species in Connecticut and Newtown.
If an introduced species has been in this country long enough, doesn’t it become native?
People often equate a plants ability to naturalize with it “becoming native”. While many introduced plants have been in this country for many years and are established here, they are unrecognizable to our insects and offer little benefit. It would take thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years before an introduced plant could play the same role in the food web as plants that evolved with our pollinators and other important insects.
“We are replacing native plants with alien species at an alarming rate, especially in the suburban garden on which our wildlife increasingly depends.”
“ A plant that has fed nothing has not done its job.”
“ A plant that has fed nothing has not done its job.”
—Douglas J. Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home
Resources for Native Plants
Native Plant Policy for Newtown
Newtown was the first town in our state to approve a Native Plant Policy requiring the use of native plants on municipal properties. Native plantings help mitigate the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation and the proliferation of non-native exotic species. Supporting this policy shows our Town’s willingness to preserve and maintain healthy ecosystems, ensuring the well-being of our community now and for future generations.
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