Beginning in April 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution
designating April to be National Native Plant Month. [Since this is a Resolution and not
a Law, this legislation needs to be reintroduced each year.] That designation has continued each year, and
each year the message spreads a little further. In Georgia, the native plant
society has been using social media to highlight chapter activities around the
state, using the national momentum to encourage people get involved locally.
The Society’s executive director also wrote a
great article to share about ways to celebrate: planting native plants,
removing invasive plants, and educating others. Notice that two of those ways
don’t even require you to have a garden!
Various national organizations are using the designation to
highlight how essential native plants are to creatures that people like: birds,
butterflies,
and bees. Yes, science has shown us that there is a reason that native plants
are required for our native ecosystem to thrive and I’ve written about this
before:
Why
Native Plants Matter to Birds
Why
Native Plants Matter to Bees, Butterflies, and Bugs
Pollinators
in Georgia: A Compilation of Articles
I also think that using native plants in our Georgia
landscapes help anchor a
sense of place and celebrate the natural beauty of our state. That certainly
is one of the founding principles of this blog: Using Georgia Native Plants.
I hope you enjoy April and all our natural beauty. My native
Piedmont azalea, Rhododendron canescens,
is currently in full bloom outside the front window, serving as this week’s
installment in gorgeous native flora in my yard (although the golden ragwort, Packera aurea, is certainly trying hard
to rival it).
