Are You a Native Gardening Expert?

Gardening with Native Plants: A Solution to Biodiversity Loss

Majority of garden plants in North America are non-native species from Europe and Asia.
Habitat destruction is the primary cause of the decline in biodiversity worldwide.
Gardeners can help reverse the trend in biodiversity loss by creating backyard habitat with native plants.
Gardening with native plants has a long history in North America but remains under the radar of mainstream gardening.
Native plants are key to creating backyard habitats that support insect and animal populations.
Insects are picky eaters and have adapted to eat the leaves of native plants, which produce toxic chemicals to deter animals.
Common milkweed is a native plant that is vital to the survival of monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth.
Non-native plants, like dog-strangling vine, contribute to biodiversity loss by forming dense colonies that displace native plants and their associated animals.
Native plants maintain natural ecosystem food webs and support healthy insect populations, which provide essential food for birds and other animals.
There are thousands of native North American pollinator species, including bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles.
The leaves of native plants provide food for caterpillars, while the flowers provide food (pollen and nectar) for pollinators.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada, USDA Plants Database, and Ontario Invasive Plant Council provide resources to get started with native gardening, and the Nature Needs Half movement promotes devoting half of your garden to native plants.

Gardening with Native Plants: A Solution to Biodiversity Loss

Majority of garden plants in North America are non-native species from Europe and Asia.
Habitat destruction is the primary cause of the decline in biodiversity worldwide.
Gardeners can help reverse the trend in biodiversity loss by creating backyard habitat with native plants.
Gardening with native plants has a long history in North America but remains under the radar of mainstream gardening.
Native plants are key to creating backyard habitats that support insect and animal populations.
Insects are picky eaters and have adapted to eat the leaves of native plants, which produce toxic chemicals to deter animals.
Common milkweed is a native plant that is vital to the survival of monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth.
Non-native plants, like dog-strangling vine, contribute to biodiversity loss by forming dense colonies that displace native plants and their associated animals.
Native plants maintain natural ecosystem food webs and support healthy insect populations, which provide essential food for birds and other animals.
There are thousands of native North American pollinator species, including bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles.
The leaves of native plants provide food for caterpillars, while the flowers provide food (pollen and nectar) for pollinators.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada, USDA Plants Database, and Ontario Invasive Plant Council provide resources to get started with native gardening, and the Nature Needs Half movement promotes devoting half of your garden to native plants.

Gardening with Native Plants: A Solution to Biodiversity Loss

Majority of garden plants in North America are non-native species from Europe and Asia.
Habitat destruction is the primary cause of the decline in biodiversity worldwide.
Gardeners can help reverse the trend in biodiversity loss by creating backyard habitat with native plants.
Gardening with native plants has a long history in North America but remains under the radar of mainstream gardening.
Native plants are key to creating backyard habitats that support insect and animal populations.
Insects are picky eaters and have adapted to eat the leaves of native plants, which produce toxic chemicals to deter animals.
Common milkweed is a native plant that is vital to the survival of monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth.
Non-native plants, like dog-strangling vine, contribute to biodiversity loss by forming dense colonies that displace native plants and their associated animals.
Native plants maintain natural ecosystem food webs and support healthy insect populations, which provide essential food for birds and other animals.
There are thousands of native North American pollinator species, including bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles.
The leaves of native plants provide food for caterpillars, while the flowers provide food (pollen and nectar) for pollinators.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada, USDA Plants Database, and Ontario Invasive Plant Council provide resources to get started with native gardening, and the Nature Needs Half movement promotes devoting half of your garden to native plants.