April is Native Plant Month!
- jhansen49
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
By Suzanne McCarthy
Did you know that Congress first adopted April as Native Plant Month in 2021? A yearly bipartisan resolution focuses on the importance of native plants in supporting biodiversity and in conservation and restoration efforts.
There are over 17,000 native plant species in the U.S., including canopy trees such as oaks, hickories, and tulip poplars, and under-story trees such as dogwoods and hollies. Native shrubs, perennial plants, local grasses, vines, and wildflowers are also part of this list. Two thousand of these native plant species are found in New Jersey, of which 700 are considered rare.
So, what is a “native plant?” It’s one that has evolved over thousands of years in a specific geographic region, alongside local animals, including insects. Native plants are adapted to the particular soils and conditions of the region and provide food and shelter for native wildlife.
Many ornamental plants in our gardens and landscaping come from other parts of the world. Our local insects and caterpillars have not evolved quickly enough to be able to eat these exotic foods. Because the insects are the source of food for other wildlife, especially birds feeding their young, the overabundance of non-native plants is detrimental to wildlife generally.
Some non-native plants are especially aggressive growers, overcoming native growth while not providing food benefits to native fauna. They are considered “invasive” species and include plants such as Phragmites – the tall, plumed grass that is found next to water, especially along New Jersey shores. They can dominate an area quickly and are difficult to control or eliminate.
Native plants, conversely, provide nectar, pollen, and seeds as food for native butterflies, insects, birds, and other wildlife in ways that non-native species cannot.
To retain and improve our natural ecosystems, we should protect our remaining forests and plant more trees to expand the natural tree canopy. It would also help to avoid non-natural pest controls and to reduce the amount of lawn we work so hard to maintain because lawn areas provide no food or shelter to wildlife.
If you can, every April plant a wide variety of native plants that bloom from early spring to late fall. Also, take a walk in your local woods to see the spring woodland flowers that bloom very briefly.
For additional information visit the Native Plant Society of New Jersey website at www.npsnj.org and the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team website at www.fohvos.info/invasive-species-strike-team/
Sources:
Linz, Nancy, “Why Are Native Plants So Important?” April; 15, 2022.
National Native Plant Month: https://nationalnativeplantmonth.org/
SPRING WOODLAND WILDFLOWERS
By Suzanne McCarthy
Between March and May, a walk in the woods may reveal native perennial flowers showing through the leaf litter. These are “spring ephemerals” – flowers that bloom early in the woods before the trees get their leaves and close off sunlight to the forest floor. They are quick growers, out of necessity. By June the blossoms will be gone, and it will be hard to find the plants with their small size and grass-like leaves.
This group of plants includes Spring Beauties, Bloodroots, Yellow Trout Lilies, Rue Anemones, Virginia Bluebells, Jack-in-the-Pulpits, violets, trilliums, mayapples, Solomon’s Seals, Pink Lady’s Slippers, and more.
Spring Beauties have five white or pink petals with stripes on them that serve as bee “guides” to the nectar in the flower center. They are tiny but can support the weight of a bee landing on them. Like most spring ephemerals, they rely on insects to pollinate them and, indeed, many insects, such as bumblebees, depend on the early presence of spring ephemerals to provide food when other sources are still scarce. Bumblebees may even situate their nesting site close to these flowers and are the only insect pollinator of the flower called Dutchman’s Breeches, which gets its name because the blossoms look like little puffy pants hanging upside down.
Another charming flower is the Trout Lily with golden yellow flowers and brown-mottled leaves rather like brook trout, for which they are named. There is a type of bee called the Trout Lily Mining Bee that feeds almost solely on trout lilies. Like bumblebees, the mining bee populations have larger nests near these flowers.
Another characteristic of the Trout Lily, along with White and Red Trilliums, Wild Ginger, Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches, and some species of violets, is that the dispersal of their seeds is by ants. This is a mutually beneficial relationship with ants. The flower’s seeds are coated with a lipid-rich appendage, so ants are attracted to them, which leads to the dispersal and protection of the seeds by the ants. This method of dispersal is called myrmecochory. (I challenge you to pronounce that!)
These spring wildflowers are all native to New Jersey, but their populations have declined in recent decades because of deforestation, disturbances, and development. If you have a spot on your property under trees with dappled sunlight, you may be successful in planting some of them such as the Spring Beauty or trillium. Others, such as the Pink Lady’s Slipper are more difficult but can be raised. Do not transplant wild plants from the outdoors. Instead, find a reputable nursery that carries them.
Spring ephemerals are important parts of the woodland ecosystem, despite their short appearance. They have a relationship with early appearing local insects. They are not only charming when you do find them, but impressive in the way they have adapted to blossoming and setting seed within a short window of time in an otherwise leafed-out, dark forest.
Sources:
Manganelli, Kristine, (Somerset County 4-H Coordinator), “Spring Ephemerals,” April 30, 2020. https://4histops.org/nature-inspired/spring-ephemerals
New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Alison Mitchell, Michele S. Byers, John S. Watson, Jr., Tom Gilbert, “The State We’re In: Spring ephemerals get their moment in the sun,” April 1, 2021. www.njconservation.org
Orfald, Catherine, Artist, Designer, Educator, https://orfald.ca/yellow-trout-lily-flower/
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