How Much Do You Know About Native New England Plants?

02 Jul

How Much Do You Know About Native New England Plants?

What is a native plant?

A plant that does not need human help to reproduce and maintain itself in a certain gardening zone.

A plant that is a part of the balance of nature that has developed over hundreds or thousands of years in a particular region or ecosystem.

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What is the value of planting natives in your garden?

NE Native Columbine

They provide vital habitat for regional wildlife and ecosystems.

They are evolved to survive in your region's specific climate with far fewer maintenance needs.

They demand less water, an indispensable and expensive natural resource.

All of the above.

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Do native animals need native plants?

No, animals and insects survive on whatever available food and shelter they can find in the woods, and that's fine for them.

Yes, many species of wildlife rely on finding food and shelter from specific native plants. If that plant becomes sparse, that creature will struggle to survive, and may even become extinct.

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What is an invasive plant?

A plant from another country that grows really well in our country.

An ugly plant that spreads everywhere and is hard to kill.

A non-native plant that grows aggressively, spreads, and displaces native plants, altering the balance of the regional ecosystem.

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Are native plants and wildflowers the same thing?

Yeah, they're pretty much the same thing.

No. Not all wildflowers are native plants. "Native" refers to the place of origin, whereas "wild" indicates only that the plant can be found growing in places where it is not tended by human beings.

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This plant is called New England Aster. Is it really native to New England?

Yes.

No.

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New England is famous for producing authentic Maple Syrup products, tapped from the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). Is this tree a New England native?

It sure is!

No, those trees grow everywhere but New Englanders just really like maple syrup.

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This New England native provides a fruit that is enjoyed by many people, as well as wildlife like bears, moose, scarlet tanagers, thrushes, cedar waxwings, and catbirds. This plant needs our region's naturally acidic soil, and relies heavily on pollinators. When the number of pollinators declines, so do the number of these plants. What plant is it?

Art by 1949 Caldecott Winner Robert McCloskey

Black Raspberries

Concord Grapes

Highbush Blueberries

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This New England native hosts more than 130 species of butterfly and moth, not to mention providing food and shelter for numerous birds and animals. What plant is it?

American Hornbeam

American Filbert, a.k.a American Hazelnut

River Birch

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One legend states that a Native American man in Salem, Massachusetts successfully used this plant to cure people (including colonists) of typhus fever, making his name famous. Another legend states that this plant got its name from a phonetic translation of jopi or jopai, the Native American word for the plant. What native New England plant is it?

Sweet William

'Fred Loads' Rose

Joe Pye Weed

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This plant is prized by gardeners because of its midwinter, densely packed, bright-red berries. In winter, those berries are a very important food resource for many species of bird, among them the American Robin, which will do not migrate. Also, Native Americans used the plant for medicine, and called it Fever Bush. What plant is it?

Crabapple

Winterberry

Rose

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Oaks are native to New England, and their acorns play an important role in our forest ecology. Mature Oak trees shed varying numbers of acorns annually. Every four to ten years, certain oak populations will synchronize to produce almost no acorns at all, only to rain them down excessively the following year, known as a "mast" year. The year preceding the mast year is thought to starve mammal populations of acorn supplies, thereby increasing the rate at which they are eaten and dispersed (versus stored or ignored) the following year (Mother Nature's way of creating value by supply and demand). This is necessary for the survival of the Oaks, as only one in 10,000 acorns results in an eventual tree. Which wild animals depend on acorns for food, and cause acorn dispersal?

Deer

Bear

Some Ducks

Squirrels, Chipmunks, Voles, and Mice

Blue Jays

Pigeons

Some Woodpeckers

Wild Boar

All of the above, and more.

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Clethra alnifolia, commonly called Summersweet, is a deciduous shrub that is native to swampy woodlands, wet marshes, stream banks, and seashores - it drink copiously. What region is it native to?

From Quebec to Connecticut.

From Maine to Florida and west to Texas.

Across southern Canada and the northern United States.

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'Shenandoah' Switchgrass creates a beautiful vertical accent in a garden, and it's blue-tone leaves slowly incorporate shades of burgundy, then bright red, in the fall. Deep red flower plumes appear in summer, forming a reddish cloud above the foliage. Is it a New England native?

Yes.

No.

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Monarch caterpillars eat these plants exclusively, and female Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on this plant. For many decades, gardeners plucked these out, believing them to be pesky weeds, but we now understand how critical a role this native New England plant plays in supporting Monarch populations. What is it?

Joe Pye Weed

Common Milkweed

Queen Anne's Lace

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Is Queen Anne's Lace, also known as Wild Carrot, a New England native?

Yes

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Is Black-eyed Susan, also known as Rudbeckia, a New England native?

Yes.

No.

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Is Yarrow, also known as Achillea, a New England native?

Yes