Got (Native) Trees?

 

As housing lots get smaller and smaller, more native trees are cut down for those developments than are planted back. It’s a trend that we need to reverse. And we can do that with our own actions: plant more native trees.

Sweetgums support life!

Whether it is a pristine woodland lot or a scraggly former cow pasture with early-succession trees, these areas contain plants – maples, sweetgums, oaks, tuliptrees – that support our native insects and they get wiped out when development comes through. What is planted back are rarely plants that sustain our insects. We usually get turf grass, exotic shrubs, and one tree in these new ¼-acre yards. The tree might be a native maple, but it just as easily could be an exotic elm or crape myrtle.

The population of butterflies and birds just took a dive in the new area because the carrying capacity of the area is diminished. We know from research that birds need about 70% native vegetation in order to stay at reproducible numbers (maintain the same population). Large trees like oaks, sweetgums, maples and tuliptrees significantly contribute to those kinds of numbers.

Photo from the City of Woodstock's FB page

Friday was Arbor Day in Georgia. I write about this almost every year (and my post in 2022 was a good summary of why we have it in February and why native trees matter) because it is always a good opportunity to remind people of the importance of native trees. Last year, I specifically profiled red maple (Acer rubrum) for my Arbor Day post because of its statewide profile.

I hope you will take some time to look at what you have in your yard and consider adding a new native tree to increase your biodiversity. You might even consider replacing any non-native tree that you have already.

Double- toothed prominent caterpillar on native elm

I don’t have a yard, How can I help?

 

Georgia has 11 million people in the state and not of them have homes with a place to plant things. Some of them are renters and some of them – especially in more urban areas – have very small lots or none at all (e.g., townhomes and condos). The movement for using native plants, conserving habitat, and removing invasive species has never been stronger, but not having a yard doesn’t mean you can’t contribute to that movement.

People all over are inspired to make a positive impact on the environment. Opportunities include the following:

Volunteer – You can donate your time to help guide, to remove invasive plants, to be on a committee or even lead one for your chapter or state organization; there are volunteer tasks for people of all abilities.

Educate others – You can give talks to garden clubs, HOAs, school groups, Scouts. Many of these groups need a 20-30 minute basic discussion of why we should appreciate and use native plants; your efforts can help more people not take the native green for granted. (Hat tip to a DNR friend for that expression!)

Talking about native trees at Arbor Day school talk

Advocate for native plants – We should follow native plant and habitat issues and contact our elected legislators to support them. Recent examples: issues like the recent expansion for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Boundary or the proposed change to the State Flower (HB145). Share these issues with others and contact your legislators to let them know which issues are important to you.

Donate – You can help groups that educate people, manage nature centers, and seek out opportunities for land conservation by donating funds that they can use for staff and resources.

Georgia Piedmont Land Trust is one such group.

Plant – Get your hands in the dirt by planting native plants in pots for your patio, in school and church gardens, or in public spaces like libraries and neighborhood green spaces. Squeeze in native plants wherever you can! Seek out “Friends” groups for State Parks and county ones too.

Whether you plant in your yard or you convince/enable others to do it, it’s a win for the local ecosystem. Need some resources? Look to your native plant society for help. As an example, here is a link to education resources developed by the Georgia Native Plant Society.

 

February 2025 Moment in Nature

February is such a tease. I've written about this before so I won't repeat myself. Today's #momentinnature is a lovely native Trillium standing tall in my friend's yard. We were looking for trout lily foliage (which was still sparse) but we found several of this early species and I'm not sure which one it is, but we'll try to figure it out once the flower opens.

Enjoy the moments, take time to appreciate the special things, and keep/plant as many native species as you can.

Native Plants – Gateway to Conservation

 

Okefenokee NWR expansion is thanks to public input

In late 2021, a fellow board member of the Georgia Native Plant Society coined a phrase that resonated with me then and still does. As we were writing our 3-year strategic plan, she wrote “GNPS grows people who love native plants.” We recognized then that when you cultivate people’s appreciation of native plants, a wonderful by-product is that they tend to become more interested and more involved in conservation.

As we see more pressure to overturn conservation efforts, from land preservation to pollution, growing a more sensitive population is in the best interest of conservation. Each of us should take time to educate people about native plants, even if it is just pointing out:

• That native plants exist (“Look at the fall color on that native red maple!”), and
• That they are beautiful (“This native trillium is so unique and I’m glad I am able to have it in my wooded area.”), and
• That they support local insects and birds (“I appreciate having that native black cherry because it provides food for beautiful butterflies – like over 400 of them. And it supports birds!”).

Share articles on your social media and photos of your successes to help get people interested. Think about what people like (birds, butterflies, fireflies, frogs, for example) and play to those interests.

• Fall color on native plants is key to great views in the fall.
• Pollinators depend on native plants, especially native bees but also honeybees.
• Birds thrive when native plants are more abundant to provide food to birds that don’t use feeders or have chicks to feed.
• Beautiful native flowers in your garden are an excellent way to demonstrate that native plants are accessible to gardens.

Share copies of books that have inspired you, like one of Doug Tallamy's books or Georgann Eubanks’s Saving the Wild South. Personal recommendations is one of the most powerful ways of persuading someone.

If you want to help the conservation of lands, plants, and other organisms, tell people about native plants and start them on the road to caring and conservation.

Monarch butterfly on goldenrod