Native Plants and Pollinators

Why Natives?

Native plants are the best kind of plants you can put in your own yard! Unlike many commonly-used ornamental plants that have not developed alongside our native pollinators, natives fully support the entire life-cycles of the insects that belong here. Do you know about the native insects that pollinate most of our plants? Most native bees are solitary and highly-skilled pollinators, and many are specialists that require pollen from certain native plants to feed their larvae. Additionally, all of our butterflies and moths start as caterpillars, which need specific native host plants to eat as they grow. The birds you probably enjoy watching in your yard search out oodles of caterpillars in order to raise their young, and the other creatures that live around us also depend on nutrition from well-fed insects and seasonal nuts and berries, as well as shelter from proper habitats that we could provide in our landscapes. These native plants are vital to the health of our ecosystems and our long-term enjoyment of our world!

Resources

If you would like more info on native plants or pollinators, this brief list is a good place to start! All of the species in PLOT are native to Virginia, as well as larger portions of the Eastern United States. Natives here can be very different from natives in other parts of the country, so make sure to do research on the right plants for your region.

Backyard Ecology: backyardecology.net/YouTube - A husband and wife ecologist team from Kentucky who put out entertaining and educational YouTube videos and other content.
Virginia Native Plant Society: vnps.org - Blog articles about native plants, local chapter resources, and native plant nursery lists to help you find the plants you are looking for.
Choose Natives: choosenatives.org - Connects gardeners in the mid-Atlantic region to native plants and events near them.
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu - A detailed source of information on thousands of plant species!
Homegrown National Park: homegrownnationalpark.org - Find resources and community support to help you turn your property into a native habitat.
Biota of North America Program: BONAP.net/napa - A great North American Plant Atlas! Search any plant by scientific name, and the site will show you a map of the states and counties where it is native.
National Wildlife Federation: nativeplantfinder.nwf.org - Look up any native plant and discover the many pollinator species it supports, or look up a pollinator to find a list of host plants!
Wild Ones: WildOnes.org - A national organization with local chapters that encourages native landscaping via education and advocacy.

Are you already a native plant lover?

Get your game-playing friends interested in native plants too!

Games are a spectacular, low pressure way to introduce new concepts, and enjoy learning things with others.

Host a game night, and soon, your neighbor will be asking you about the Rudbeckia he sees growing in your little meadow. Your mom will be researching where she can find a Fringe tree for her front yard, and your friend will be wondering if she can have some starts from your Virginia Bluebells! You might even notice some early spring Miner bees that you never thought to look for before. What a fun way to share your love of natives, or to become more familiar with how and where your new favorite plant species could grow in your landscape!

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