“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.” — Doug Tallamy

Native plants are a powerful tool to help fight pollution, floods, record-breaking heat waves, sea-level rise, and mass extinction of species. Native plants have evolved to sustain the diversity of animals we need to maintain our ecosystems. Only native plants can support the insects that provide an essential food source for the hundreds of species of birds, bats, lizards, bears, foxes and other creatures that depend on them. These insect and animal species and native plants are interdependent and they are critical to our survival.

By saving wildlife with native plants, we also battle climate change. Our native grasses have deep roots that make them drought resistant, reduce soil erosion and flooding, filter pollutants from ground water and increase rainwater infiltration. These plants remove tons of carbon from the atmosphere and pump it into the soil, out of harm’s way. Nothing sequesters carbon and manages watersheds as well as native forests. Naturally dense native plant communities can also buffer severe storms. Roots and shoots absorb energy from wind and water, lessening storm strength and damage.

Join us to learn more about how you can help restore biodiversity and ecosystem functioning by planting native plants. For more information on Dr. Tallamy’s work, visit Homegrown National Park.

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