Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
How to find out what's native 🌻
Hi friend,I get asked a lot about how to figure out what species are native to your area. So I wanted to share resources for folks in the USA and Canada! 🌻 🇺🇸 The National Wildlife Federation has an excellent tool called the Native Plant Finder. It shows you what native species support the most wildlife in your zip code - these are called “keystone” species. 🌻 🇺🇸 The NWF has another tool that tells you the best commercially available native host plant species based on your ecoregion. 🌻 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 BONAP’s North American Plant Atlas has a prolific database of range maps for species in the US and Canada listed by botanical name. 🌻 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s website has a search tool where you can input your state or province, growing conditions, and other descriptors like bloom time, height, lifespan, etc., and search their database for plant species that meet your criteria. 🌻 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Most states and provinces have a Native Plant Society that should have resources specific to your area. You can find your local Native Plant Society here 🌻 🇺🇸 Wild Ones is another organization that advocates for native plants and has chapters in most US states. Find your local chapter here 🌻 🇺🇸 Audubon has a database of bird-friendly native plants based on zip code. 🌻 🌎 iNaturalist can help you identify plants that you’re unsure of what they are. You can also browse what’s been seen in your area, check a species’ status as native or introduced, etc. 🌻 🌎 If you’re plant shopping and not sure where a species is from, do a quick google of “(species name) native range” Always use the botanical name because common names can apply to multiple species. I don’t recommend buying plants that aren’t labeled with the botanical name unless you’re 100% sure you know what it is. If you're looking for US native flower seeds, check out my seed shop here!
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Native Yardening
Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
Hi friend, It’s that time of year again already. The leaves are falling and the humans are packing them into trash bags to send to the landfill, then wondering why they don’t see as many bees or lightning bugs as they used to. It’s not just some weird unimportant coincidence that all the different deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn. Leaf litter is crucial to healthy soil, wildlife survival & reproduction, and overall ecological health. As the leaves decompose, they add the nutrients...
Hi friend, As I post more on social media about the problems caused by invasive plants, I realize how much misunderstanding there is around these issues. I always get a little discouraged when I see firsthand how misinformed the general public is about how nature works. But I also understand that it's a systemic issue. We aren't taught about these things. I recently made this post on Facebook and Instagram, showing a handful of common invasive species in North America. For some reason, people...
Hi friend, Galls! What are they? Should you be concerned if you see something like this on your plants? A gall is an abnormal growth on exterior plant tissue (leaves, branches, flowers, etc.). They may look like tumors, warts, balls, or lumps, and vary widely in shape, size, color, etc. They’re complex and highly organized structures, and science still has a lot to learn about them. Most galls are caused by insects and other invertebrates like wasps, midges, aphids, mites, etc. either feeding...