Homeowners become responsible for upholding nature as development encroaches.
Usage of water and electricity – among other general expenses – can be lessened by plants.
Water: Native plants send their roots deep and deliver rainwater to our aquifer. Turf grass is from Europe and usually reaches about four inches into the earth. Native grasses penetrate the ground deeper, with denser roots, and offer better resistance against drought or flood. The density of roots is important because soil is healthiest in the rhizosphere, the area directly surrounding a root.
Electricity: Shade trees can dramatically lower the cost to air condition a building. With their sprawling canopies they cast deep shade all the while transpiring and creating a cool atmosphere.
Time and energy: Traditional turf should be an area rug, not a wall-to-wall carpet. Please consider, how much of your lawn is regularly sat or lain upon? During your game of bocce or corn-hole, are you really enjoying all of your turf? Together, we will streamline your property for easier maintenance and more support for your local ecosystem.
Ecological services: Native plants are desired due to their stress tolerance to their climate. Additionally they are identifiable with their ecosystem traits: fruit, seeds, nectar, and habitat, plus specialized interactions with water or soil. Plants are less effective at providing ecological benefits when moved to foreign areas. They are not synced to the seasonal rhythms, and have evolved to support organisms from their own habitat. Native insects such as the Monarch Butterfly have the spotlight, so let’s discuss them. Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is the only food source used by Monarch caterpillars as they travel from Mexico to Canada. It also blooms in a sequence that leads them back home after they reach their northernmost range. Exotic milkweeds are an active issue in botanical gardens where they slow down and distract Monarch butterflies from their course.
Noah Meanix 