APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – As gardening season makes its arrival and you get the feeling your garden may need a bit more, consider utilizing native plants, as they help have a larger impact on wildlife, climate and even people.
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Native plants can be essential for much of the wildlife here in northeast Wisconsin, as many insects rely on these plants for protection as well as food sources. It’s even more important now as scientists document global declines in insect populations.
When used in a rain garden, native plants can help minimize flooding and filter out pollutants. The flooding factor is affected because, as we see rushing or building waters, the plants can create a stronger ground and structure, which provides reliability for banks and shorelines.
These plants can also assist in filtering out pollutants. They tend to help in soil maintenance, which involves reducing the amount of fertilizer and pollutants that make it into our waterways.
On a much larger scale, native plants tend to sequester more carbon by taking it out of our atmosphere and storing it in their deep root systems. Native plants often do this much more efficiently than many non-native ornamental garden plants.
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So when the time comes to bring that spring lawn to life, consider a more beneficial native plant that can have longer-term effects for its surrounding environment.
Visit the DNR website to learn more about the benefits of native plants in northeast Wisconsin.
