Why Should You Plant Native Plants?
For most people, plants in our landscapes serve one purpose: beauty. But in reality, plants are critically important for food webs and life cycles. Doug Tallamy explains, “almost all North American birds other than seabirds — 96 percent — feed their young with insects.” (qtd. in Raver, Anne). Those insects require host plants on which to lay their eggs, plants with which they have evolved over millennia. When we trade our native plants (those species that have evolved with surrounding plants and animals, each influencing the evolution of the other) for species from other places, we hinder the ability of those insects to reproduce. A clear example can be seen in a comparison of the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), which is native to Orange County, and the kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), which is native to Korea, China, and Japan. The flowering dogwood supports 117 species of moth and butterfly larvae, the kousa dogwood supports zero (Tallamy).
Many people argue that they see insects on their non-native plants constantly. For instance, butterflies can often be seen drinking nectar from the flowers of the non-native butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), leading people to assume they have chosen a helpful species for their yard. But no native species of butterfly will use the butterfly bush as a host plant on which to lay its eggs.
Natives are economically important. Insects pollinate many of the foods we enjoy eating. As of 2009, pollination of US crops by native insects was valued at more than nine billion dollars (Fact Sheet). Some species, such as the monarch butterfly, have an estimated economic value in the billions of dollars all by themselves. These insects will cease to exist without the correct host plants on which to lay their eggs. In fact, researchers estimate that the monarch butterfly population has declined by 80% over the past 21 years (Monarch Butterflies). The decline has been attributed in large part to the disappearance of the milkweed plants on which the species relies, resulting in the US Fish and Wildlife Service considering the monarch for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
In contrast to the high economic value of natives, non-native species can be economically and environmentally devastating; such species are categorized as invasive by the US government (The Cost of Invasive Species). Nearly half of the species listed for protection under the ESA are in trouble due at least in part to invasive species (The Cost of Invasive Species). Far from the economic good of natives, invasive species are estimated to cost the US more than 120 billion dollars in damages annually (Pimental et al.). It can take decades to discover that a species is invasive, and such a discovery does not necessarily lead states to ban nursery sales of the species.
The cost of invasive plants and benefit of native plants affects all of us. If you would like to help by avoiding invasives and planting natives but are overwhelmed by where to begin, a number of resources exist to help you figure out which species will work best in your yard or garden. The NC Botanical Garden (http://ncbg.unc.edu/) offers plant lists, classes, tours, family and youth programs, and knowledgeable people to help you in your hunt (not to mention a beautiful garden for you to stroll through to see our spectacular natives year-round). You can also find plant lists and local nurseries that specialize in species native to our region through the NC Native Plant Society (http://www.ncwildflower.org/).
Works Cited
“Fact Sheet: The Economic Challenge Posed by Declining Pollinator Populations.” the White House. Office of the Press Secretary, 20 June 2014. Web. 18 May 2015. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-economic-challenge-posed-declining-pollinator-populations>.
“Monarch Butterflies.” The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Xerces Society. Web. 18 May 2015. http://www.xerces.org/monarchs/.
Pimentel, David and Lori Lach, Rodolfo Zuniga, Doug Morrison. “Environmental and Economic Costs of Nonindigenous Species in the United States.” January 2000. Web. June 2019.
<https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-pdf/50/1/53/26692736/50-1-53.pdf>
Raver, Anne. “To Feed the Birds, First Feed the Bugs.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 6 march 2008. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/garden/06garden.html?_r=0>
Tallamy, Doug. Bringing Nature Home. Portland: Timber Press Inc., 2010. Book.
“The Cost of Invasive Species.” US Fish and Wildlife Service. US Fish and Wildlife Service, January 2012. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/PythonPDF/CostofInvasivesFactSheet.pdf>
Many people argue that they see insects on their non-native plants constantly. For instance, butterflies can often be seen drinking nectar from the flowers of the non-native butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), leading people to assume they have chosen a helpful species for their yard. But no native species of butterfly will use the butterfly bush as a host plant on which to lay its eggs.
Natives are economically important. Insects pollinate many of the foods we enjoy eating. As of 2009, pollination of US crops by native insects was valued at more than nine billion dollars (Fact Sheet). Some species, such as the monarch butterfly, have an estimated economic value in the billions of dollars all by themselves. These insects will cease to exist without the correct host plants on which to lay their eggs. In fact, researchers estimate that the monarch butterfly population has declined by 80% over the past 21 years (Monarch Butterflies). The decline has been attributed in large part to the disappearance of the milkweed plants on which the species relies, resulting in the US Fish and Wildlife Service considering the monarch for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
In contrast to the high economic value of natives, non-native species can be economically and environmentally devastating; such species are categorized as invasive by the US government (The Cost of Invasive Species). Nearly half of the species listed for protection under the ESA are in trouble due at least in part to invasive species (The Cost of Invasive Species). Far from the economic good of natives, invasive species are estimated to cost the US more than 120 billion dollars in damages annually (Pimental et al.). It can take decades to discover that a species is invasive, and such a discovery does not necessarily lead states to ban nursery sales of the species.
The cost of invasive plants and benefit of native plants affects all of us. If you would like to help by avoiding invasives and planting natives but are overwhelmed by where to begin, a number of resources exist to help you figure out which species will work best in your yard or garden. The NC Botanical Garden (http://ncbg.unc.edu/) offers plant lists, classes, tours, family and youth programs, and knowledgeable people to help you in your hunt (not to mention a beautiful garden for you to stroll through to see our spectacular natives year-round). You can also find plant lists and local nurseries that specialize in species native to our region through the NC Native Plant Society (http://www.ncwildflower.org/).
Works Cited
“Fact Sheet: The Economic Challenge Posed by Declining Pollinator Populations.” the White House. Office of the Press Secretary, 20 June 2014. Web. 18 May 2015. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-economic-challenge-posed-declining-pollinator-populations>.
“Monarch Butterflies.” The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Xerces Society. Web. 18 May 2015. http://www.xerces.org/monarchs/.
Pimentel, David and Lori Lach, Rodolfo Zuniga, Doug Morrison. “Environmental and Economic Costs of Nonindigenous Species in the United States.” January 2000. Web. June 2019.
<https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-pdf/50/1/53/26692736/50-1-53.pdf>
Raver, Anne. “To Feed the Birds, First Feed the Bugs.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 6 march 2008. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/garden/06garden.html?_r=0>
Tallamy, Doug. Bringing Nature Home. Portland: Timber Press Inc., 2010. Book.
“The Cost of Invasive Species.” US Fish and Wildlife Service. US Fish and Wildlife Service, January 2012. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/PythonPDF/CostofInvasivesFactSheet.pdf>