Native Plants: Treasures in Our Parks & Your Back Yard

Each native plant species is a member of our community that includes other plants, animals and microorganisms. Each component keeps one another in check, together striking a balance. Thus, native species rarely become invasive, as plants introduced from other areas can be.

Native plants provide more nourishing food than most exotic ornamentals for local birds, butterflies and other desirable wildlife. Many help to improve the soil. Their root systems are better suited to help rainfall percolate into the soil, reducing erosion and runoff, which improves water quality.

Native plants provide interesting flowers and foliage. Native shrubs and trees endow the landscape with a variety of heights, shapes and textures; their bark and seed pods add character throughout the winter.

Another aspect of native plants is their historical and cultural value. Some plants played an essential role in the culture of Native Americans, or the exploration and settlement of the Europeans. Native plants can provide us with a physical link to the past.

There are specialized relationships between the soil microorganisms and plants, invertebrates and woody debris, pollinators and flowers, and birds and their structural habitat that can only be rebuilt by planting native plants. Native plant species provide the keystone elements for ecosystem and cultural restoration.

Spring Beauty Claytonia virginica

In March or April, on the cold moist ground beneath the canopy of still-leafless trees in the forest, the spring sun warms the leaf litter. Dormant underground stems and roots begin active growth. The tiny tubers of spring beauty break dormancy, and fleshy leaves emerge on the slender stems. For several weeks the forest floor is alive with the pink flowers of spring beauty.

As the leaves of the canopy trees develop and shade again settles over the woodlands, the flowers fade. The fruits or capsules mature, and their seeds are dispersed. Within a few weeks the above-ground parts die down, leaving the underground tuber with its stored food to remain dormant in the soil until the following spring. These tubers were a favorite food of Native Americans.

The Woodlands Restoration Team works hard to manage Spring beauty’s habitat, as it is easily destroyed by invasive ground cover vines and bush honeysuckle.

Cut-leaf Toothwort Dentaria laciniata

© Daniel Reed @
www.2bnthewild.com

Clusters of white flowers atop the stems of the cut-leaf toothwort may be found in rich woods and wooded slopes throughout the park. The delicate flowers emerge in April and May before the leaves develop on deciduous trees, then the spring ephemerals go dormant by late spring to early summer. The toothworts are sometimes called pepper roots in reference to the spicy, radish-like flavor of the rhizomes.

False - Rue Anemone Enemion biternatum

Daniel O’Brien
USDA Forest Service

The false-rue anemone looks delicate but it is a tough woodland plant that sometimes forms large colonies in moist rich soil. The five, white, petal-like sepals bloom in March through May above a wiry reddish green stem. Leaves deeply lobed into three leaflets may persist at the base of the plant well through the season if sufficient moisture is present. This perennial is sometimes mistaken for the rue anemone, which has rounded leaves and almost black stems and leaf stalks.

What’s In Bloom In Olmsted Parks (April-May)

Native Plant Suggestions for Your Backyard

Native plants have evolved and adapted to the area’s conditions. They are hardy, so can survive summer heat and winter cold. They are resistant to most local pests and diseases. Once established in a suitable area, they do not require any special care. Therefore, native plants are excellent choices for "low-maintenance" gardening and landscaping.

To learn more, and find sources for native plants, visit www.for-wild.org/chapters/louisville