Category
May 17, 2025
Spring is here again in Northeast Ohio and forsythia shrubs, Bradford Pear trees, and lilac trees will soon be blooming. These are beautiful and popular, so who knew they and other non-native trees, shrubs and plants are contributing to the drastic reduction of insects, birds, and native plants? Not me!
It was only when a good friend began learning about gardening with native species that I was subject to lectures on the dangers of planting non-natives. I, who compost my food scraps, recycle my waste paper, metal, and allowable plastic. How could such a conscientious person as I be contributing to insect and bird loss, native plant destruction, and (gasp!) climate change in my garden!
After a brief period of resistance, I began to listen to my friend. I learned that native plants evolved with native animals and insects for millions of years. They are all part of the same ecosystem acting together for their mutual benefit. Plants give food and shelter, and Insects and animals help with pollination and seed dispersal. In addition, native plants require less water, and make beneficial changes to the soil.
Many non-native plants do not support any insects, leading to fewer pollinators and less food for birds. Many non-natives, like forsythia, are invasive and crowd out the native plants which do support insect life. I can attest to the invasiveness of forsythia. I witnessed mine take over a 10 by 4 foot garden bed. I love that bright yellow after a long winter of nothing but brown branches. But I realized the switch to natives is extremely important. Doug Tallamy, of the TV series “Growing a Greener World” and author of Bringing Nature Home points out that “some 96 percent of North America’s terrestrial birds rear their young on insects rather than seeds or berries, so when insects decline, they do too.” (1)
Some of the native trees in Northeast Ohio that are not invasive and that support insect, bird, and animal life are native oaks like Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana ), native willows like Black Willow (Salix nigra), native cherry trees like Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), native pines like the white pine (Pinus strobus), and native populars like tulip popular (Liriodendron tulipifera). All of these are hosts to a large variety of caterpillar species which give us pollinators as well as food for birds.
Besides protecting biodiversity, another benefit of native trees is that they store more carbon dioxide than non-natives. Trees are carbon sinks, and planting them is an important way to combat climate change. Planting native trees and shrubs makes this action most effective.
It’s not hard to find out which species of trees, shrubs, and plants are native to your area. The Audubon Society has a native plant finder. To use their plant finder put in your zip code.
If you’re on Facebook, a group called Pollinator Friendly Yards administered by native species expert Leslie Nelson Inman has a wealth of information on gardening with natives.
Finding natives in the big box or nursery stores, though, can be a challenge. Some native species that may be available are: the Eastern Red Bud Tree (Cercis canadensis), Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Chokeberries (Aronia), Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Swamp rose-mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), and Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). If you can’t find the native species you want, chances are you can order it through Prairie Moon Nursery, a mail order company. You can visit their website at www.prairiemoon.com and order their catalog.
If we plant all or part of our gardens with native plants we’ll be helping to restore the balance and health of our piece of nature.
References
1. How Non-Native Plants Are Contributing to a Global Insect Decline by Janet Marinelli, December 8, 2020.https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-non-native-plants-are-contributing-to-a-global-insect-decline.
2. Say No to Non-Native Plants, Shrubs and Ornamental Trees. Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District blog. https://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/blog/2019/03/04/say-no-to-non-native-plants-shrubs-and-ornamental-trees.
