Growing Native Plants for Biodiversity

What exactly are Native Plants?

Native plants are those that occur naturally within a defined area. They evolved over thousands of years, shaped by the local climate conditions, geology, flora, and fauna. Native plants include trees, shrubs, vines, annuals, and perennials.

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the shortened form of two words “biological” and “diversity”. It refers to all the variety of life that can be found on Earth (plants, animals, fungi, and micro-organisms). Ecosystems are comprised of all these organisms interconnected in a complex, stable, and sustainable network of life. The more biodiverse an ecosystem the better it’s able to withstand change and negative impacts.

Why care about Native Plants?

Not only are native plants fascinating, beautiful, and evolved to thrive in the local landscape, they serve an essential role in biodiversity. Besides providing nutritious leaves for countless herbivores, they serve an essential role by providing nectar, pollen, and specific host food for native insects and their larvae, which in turn, sustain local and migrating birds, bats, and other wildlife. Native plants are the foundation of biodiversity!

How many Native Plants do I need to make a difference?

Studies tell us that every time that you add a productive native plant to your landscape you improve your local food web. Moreover, woody plants (trees and shrubs) support more wildlife species than herbaceous plants but nectaring plants are necessary for pollinators. The important thing is to get native plants of all types into your landscape. Since most of our suburbs contain around 90% lawn that provides neither food nor shelter, even small additions of native plants can quickly make a big difference.

Remove Invasive Species

Habitat loss and invasive plants are the leading causes of native biodiversity loss. Invasive plant species spread aggressively and can displace native plants, create monocultures, and provide little benefit to wildlife. Never introduce exotic plants that are known to be invasive. More information can be found on the Ohio Invasive Plants Council website at: https://www.oipc.info.

Native Species — Straight and Nativars

It’s always best to grow plants that are native to your region or nearby. For example, if you live in southern Ohio, Michigan native species may not be as beneficial as those found closer to your region. Always consider specific growing requirements such as sun/shade tolerance, soil moisture, soil pH, etc.

Cultivars of native plants are often termed “nativars” (usually a ‘catchy’ name is listed after the species name). They are propagated for aesthetic characteristics such as unique flower and foliage color, flower density, or size. These adaptations, however, may reduce their value as a food source by insects. When purchasing plants to create a food web that supports biodiversity we recommend using straight native species when possible.