• Provide visual beauty year-round. Unique flowers, vibrant fall colors of leaves and stems, fruit shapes and colors, and bark textures are all reasons to purchase native plants.

• Support more wildlife species than non-native plants. Native plants host specific insects and are essential for pollinators. Birds, mammals, and invertebrates rely on these insects to survive.

• As natural habitats are lost; home gardeners more than ever need to landscape with native plants to support the local ecosystem and plant communities to help prevent the extinction of species.

• Native plants show a sense of place. There are many native species unique to this region.

• If the public demands more local native plants, the supply will become greater and native plants will be easier to find for sale.

• Local native plants are adapted to local temperature and rainfall fluctuations. Once established, they require less watering and fertilizing, which saves natural resources, time, and money.

• Native plants are essential for a healthy watershed. They provide oxygen and habitat for the ecosystems of these rivers and their tributaries. Plant roots absorb nutrients and prevent sediment from entering our local waterways, which reduces pollution and improves water quality.

• Spraying pesticides for insects or diseases is generally not necessary for native plants. Insects that feed on native plants rarely eat enough to weaken the plant, as the insects need to come back another time to feed again. One saves time and money not having to spray chemicals. Seeing butterflies, dragonflies, birds and lightning bugs around your plants is much more rewarding than seeing no life at all.

86% of land east of the Mississippi is privately owned!

Good News!
Although too many of us seldom consider the ecological function of our own yards, you can bring it back. We can work together to increase biodiversity by looking to grassroots solutions like our own backyards to make change. Everyone will benefit from your efforts, from tiny soil microbes to you and your neighbor.

A simple goal to start is planting more natives.

Any increase is good. You can add more native plants over time.

Plant diversity is the key to providing support for a healthy and functional system. Remember the keystone species are particularly good at bringing diversity to our gardens.