Plant It for Planet Earth

By Bethany Beebe

Baseball and apple pie might be iconically American, and the lawn could easily be added to that list. At approximately 40 million acres of the United States, we have four times more acres of yard than corn. One way to hit a home run for the environment is including native plants in the yardscape. Since Earth Day is celebrated this month, we thought the topic was timely.

According to the Indiana Native Plant Society, native plants are those that appeared in natural contexts before contact with European settlers or those that moved into an area by natural means after European settlement. Natives play a critical role in the living community in which they live and include everything from perennial and annual flowers to ferns, shrubs, and trees. Indiana’s list of 170 plant families is a mix of 147 flowering plant families (Angiosperms), 19 fern and club mosses (Pteridophytes and Lycophytes), and 4 conifer families (Gymnosperms).

The biodiversity of earth is among the chief reasons to consider natives. Just like we have the human equivalent of foods that are best for us, insects, birds, and animals are also dependent on certain plants to thrive. For example, monarch butterflies require milkweed; no milkweed means no monarchs. The inclusion of nonnative species interrupts the naturally occurring sustainable cycle of life that can function long after current gardeners are done tilling the soil.

While the power is ours to exercise, we can make a dramatic difference in the landscape. Here in the United States, 83% of land is held under private ownership. When one considers that communities of individuals can work together to affect the content of public green spaces, too, potential impact is obvious!

The impact on your time is also noteworthy when these plants are included in the home garden; since they are comfortable in the climate and soil of Indiana, they require less babying. Less fertilizer, time, and attention on top of showing greater pride in the history

Even when they have the resources to afford the height of manicured quality, some big players are putting natives on display. If you are up for a field trip to Indianapolis, the campus of Eli Lilly was made over with sustainable natives. In a one-day volunteer event, alone, 138 species and 33,000 individual plants were installed.

Spreading that love of our Indiana culture into the standards of suburbia might take some persuasive effort, though. Some HOAs have stringent lists of plantings homeowners are required to include many or most of which are non-natives. Those in power of such areas might consider that single-species planting areas would be left in dire state should disease or insects find weakness in the selected plant or tree.

Those interested might visit the Indiana Native Plant Society at the link included, where plant lists can be found. The Society also offers some book titles worthy of consideration before taking the plunge into planting. a