Native Plants are the most sustainable plants for our area. Native Plants:

• Provide critical habitat (food, shelter,  and nesting) for songbirds, butterflies, and other local wildlife. Because native plants have co-evolved with wildlife in our area for thousands of years, they support a larger diversity of wildlife and are the basic support system for nature's web of life.

• Improve the water quality of our waterways by reducing pollutants, flooding, erosion while recharging our groundwater supply through infiltration.

• Save you money, maintenance, and energy. Eliminate/greatly reduce the need for fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, mowing,  aeration, watering/irrigation, replacement plants, and noisy, pollution generating gas-powered yard equipment.

• Provide an interesting place where children can play, explore, learn, discover and use their imaginations, while developing their connection with and understanding of nature, and all its wonderful benefits. 

• Benefit vegetables gardens too. A diverse native plant garden surrounding or near your vegetable garden will bring in more pollinators and more diversity which will greatly decrease pests and diseases, while infiltrating run-off from irrigation and fertilizers.

• Add organic matter deep into our soil. Prairie roots eventually grow 8-10' deep, contributing organic matter that not only benefits the plant itself but greatly improves clay soils and beneficial soil organisms.

• Are becoming endangered or threatened because of rapid land development and the spread of invasive plants. Less than 1% of our original prairies are left, making it one of the most endangered ecosystems of the world. 

• Improve air quality. Native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses all improve carbon sequestration.

• Reconnect all of us with a bit a nature right in our backyard which too often escapes us during our busy lives, especially in this technology driven world.

• Provide a corridor or gateway for wildlife to travel, find food, seek shelter while traveling between natural areas which are often small, fragmented and great distances apart.

What other types of plants can do all the above?