What is a native plant?
What is a Native Plant?
One question I have been asked several times since I started working with the Yard by Yard team is “What is a native plant?” So I’d like to share a little of what I’ve learned so far!
Native plants are plants that have evolved to the local environment for thousands of years. There are many benefits to native plants and reasons to grow native plants instead of traditional ornamental garden plants.
Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur, and can be more resilient to extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. They will usually have longer tap roots, which aid in creating and maintaining healthy soil, reducing water runoff, and sequestering carbon by taking it out of the atmosphere and storing it in the soil. Most non-native ornamental or exotic plants don’t have this feature due to their shorter root systems.
Native plants have a symbiotic relationship with the wildlife that relies on these plants to provide food and shelter to survive. Native plants can be host plants for many insects, meaning they are the only plant that an insect will use to lay its eggs. If you are looking to maximize your space and provide the most benefit to as many insects and animals as possible, look to keystone plants, which are native plant species such as black-eyed Susans, tall goldenrod, plains sunflower, or bur oak trees.
These species can be the host plant for hundreds of different caterpillars or provide pollen and nectar for dozens of different specialist native bees. Choosing native plants will support a more diverse and healthier ecosystem, and you will likely be supporting local businesses at the same time!
Morgan Sommer, Oklahoma County Conservation District