By: Sara Toler
Over the last several years you may have been hearing the term “native plants” quite often. But what exactly is a native plant? What does it mean and why is it beneficial to our environment? Native plants have been in Michigan (or other geographic areas) before the European settlers that arrived in the 1700s. Since that time, thousands of plants and animals have been introduced and became naturalized to North America at a remarkable rate and speed. Naturalized means these non-native plants (also called alien or introduced species) are capable of establishing and sustaining themselves in the environment without our care. About 30% of Michigan’s 2,600 plant species are non-native plants that have become naturalized, mostly in the last hundred years.
So why is it so important to plant native plants? Native plants are essential to our environment for many reasons, the first being that they support native wildlife. Since plants and animals have evolved alongside each other, they rely on one another for food and shelter. Here are a few other benefits of planting native plants:
- Soil Health-Native plants improve overall soil health through their root systems, which can break up heavy clay and soils, and aid in nutrient cycling and soil structure.
- Water Conservation-Native plants require less irrigation because their root systems and water uptake have evolved to thrive in the climate they grow in.
- Air Quality-Native plants absorb and store carbon dioxide while still producing oxygen and improving air quality as they do so.
- Stormwater Runoff-Native plants reduce the negative impacts of stormwater runoff by trapping sediment and excess nutrients.
- Low Maintenance-Native plants often require less water, fewer pesticides, fertilizers, and overall less work than plants that originated elsewhere.
Spring and planting season is right around the corner and below is a list of some of the more popular plants that are native to Michigan that would make an excellent addition to landscapes and gardens:
Wild columbine, butterfly weed, blue cohosh, wild geraniums, foxglove bearded tongue, black-eyed susan, spiderwort, lady fern, elderberry and rose mallow. Happy planting!