native plants

What are Native Plants?
USDA definition of a native plant: A plant that is a part of the balance of nature that has developed over thousands of years in a particular region or ecosystem.

Are Native Plants Important?
A resounding YES! Here are key reasons why:

Native insects have coevolved with native plants so much so that they often rely solely on one or two plants to complete their life cycle. Monarchs are a good example as they only lay eggs on milkweed. We need plants that support insects not only for pollination but also nourishment for birds. Doug Tallamy describes how it takes roughly 6,000 caterpillars to rear one family of baby Chickadees through the first two weeks of life. These babies can eat only insects. If you don’t have the plants where butterflies and moths lay their eggs, you don’t have caterpillars and in turn our bird populations won’t thrive.

Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur, they prevent soil erosion and store carbon. Natives need less water, less fertilizer, no chemicals. Fan favorite pollinators like monarchs, hummingbirds and goldfinches thrive on them. Perhaps most important is their role in sustaining life. Our life. These essential plant species provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for ‘pollinators’ - native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals. Pollinators of all kinds - birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals - pollinate plants that are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food! They also sustain our ecosystems and our natural resources by helping plants reproduce. Pollinators need us and we need them!

Check out this National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder designed to help you find the best plant species to attract the butterflies and birds in your area. Enter your zip code and discover how many butterfly and moth species use each plant as a host for their caterpillars.

More terrific sites: Native Plant Society of New Jersey, Pollinator Partnership

brookdale park’s native plant gardens

playground ENTRANCE & circle gardens

Look for native pollinator loving plants at the main playground entrance and in the nearby circle garden.  Can you find the native beauties pictured below in real life? Stop and see what you can find on your next stroll through the park. You might even get lucky and see a caterpillar or butterfly in spring and summer. For more native flora, take a short walk from the playgrounds over to the Pollinator Garden for a more robust native plant garden. Fall and winter displays might be a little less colorful, but no less important in sustaining the pollinator kingdom.

Search for your favorite native on these searchable websites: NC State, Missouri Botanical Garden