Plant native species to help bees, birds and butterflies
Native plant sales will be in full bloom across the state, through April. By planting native plants, Wisconsin residents can support the entire ecosystem, by providing food for insects, birds, small mammals and other wildlife.
This year, local non-profits and governments are offering online, or mail-order options, with pick-up at local sites, for spring plant sales.
Many of the native plant sales, offered by local non-profits and governments, are fundraisers that help provide habitat for wildlife. Additionally, the growth of native plants can help revive habitat loss from years of intense use.
“Adding even a few native plants to your yard this spring, can provide habitat for butterflies, bees, birds and other wildlife,” said Amy Staffen, DNR conservation biologist.
Wisconsinites have a chance to buy plants from the comfort of their home, to ensure their safety, while benefiting local organizations. Some deadlines for purchasing plants are approaching within the next month.
Scientists are documenting global declines in insect populations. These can be attributed in part to loss of habitat and food sources. While native insects evolved to detoxify and digest native plants, they lack the enzymes necessary to eat non-native plants, including ornamental trees and other plants commonly used in landscaping. By planting native plants, people boost the web of life: native plants feed insects, which in turn feed birds, bats and other wildlife. For instance, in east coast suburban neighborhoods where less than 70 percent , of native vegetation remains, research i shows that birds are not finding the insects they need to survive and are having trouble reproducing.
Some monarch butterflies in the eastern migratory population that are breeding in Wisconsin and other Midwestern states, have dropped 80 percent over the last 20 years. Winter counts in Mexico, showed a 26 percent decline in 2020-21, from the previous year.
The Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative - formed in 2018, to catalyze voluntary planting of native milkweed and native wildfiowers to benefit monarchs, and help reverse their decline - recently released its 2018-20 Key Accomplishments Report, detailing conservation efforts across the state.
Partners in the collaborative are committed to engaging urban residents, farmers, businesses, rights-of-way managers and others, to voluntarily add about 120 million new milkweed plants within a diverse mix of native wildfiowers to Wisconsin landscapes, by 2038.
“The benefits of native plants don’t end with habitat,” said Staffen. “Adding native plants can help landowners achieve other goals. Native plants used in a rain garden can help minimize flooding and filter out pollutants. The variety of colors, shapes and sizes, adds beauty to any property.”
More Information on native plant sales, native plant nurseries, rain gardens, pollinator gardens, how-to guidance documents, plant lists and more, is available on the DNR’s endangered resources webpage.
