Pennsylvania Native PlantsLunch ‘n Learn

5/8/2020Starts at Noon

Welcome! If you are reading this, then you are successfully seeing the webinar video!Webinar audio should be automatic through your computer. If your computer audio does not work, you can listen on your phone by opening the audio options (arrow in bottom left by the microphone), click “switch to

phone audio”, and following the directions on the popup screen.

While you wait, please locate your “chat box” and feel free to introduce yourself & answer the question of the day: Do you say “crick” “creek” or “stream”?

Presented by: Brittney Hartzell, Watershed Specialist

Important Conservation Areasin Columbia County

Why you should plants• Act as a natural sponge

• Slows the flow of stormwater, allowing more time for soil and roots to absorb excess water, preventing it from entering nearby streams

• Spreads water, preventing flow channelization

• Roots hold soil in place, preventing excess erosion

• Filter out metals, nutrients, and other chemicals from runoff via plant uptake

• Provide habitat and food for wildlife

• Cooling effect for soil, air, and water

• Sequester Co2 from atmosphere

Why you should trees more• Provide a cooling effect • Act as a wind break• Absorb and block noise • Filters out dust, pollen, smoke and smog from the air• Produces clean, fresh O2• Helps us sequester CO2 to combat climate change• Fallen (decaying) leaves provide nutrients to the soil and streams• Reduces soil temperature and retains soil moisture • Providing ecosystem structure, habitat, and food for wildlife• Reduce water temperature in streams, ponds to enhance aquatic life• Riparian buffers filter and reduce pollution from entering waterways• Use roots for bank stabilization and erosion prevention along streams• Intercepts potential stormwater and reduces flooding

Additional benefits provided by NATIVE plants

•Reduce need for fertilizers/pesticides

•Provide more nutritious food and forage for native wildlife

•Provide adequate shelter and forest structure for wildlife

•Non-invasive and easily managed

•Attract and support more pollinators

•Naturally adapted to local soils, climate, and conditions and will persist through frost, drought, and high water events

•Deep roots absorb more water, builds healthier soils, and reduces erosion

•Native plants are beautiful and increase scenic values!

What does “native” mean?“A native plant is one which occurred within this region

before colonization by Europeans” –DCNR

“A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human

introduction” – NWF

“All indigenous, terrestrial, and aquatic plant species that evolved naturally in an ecosystem” – U.S. Forest Service

“With respect to a particular ecosystem, a species that, other than as a result of an introduction, historically occurred, or

currently occurs in that ecosystem” – U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Threats to native plants•Habitat conversion•Deer herbivory•Pollution•Over-harvesting•Pathogens & Pests•Non-native plants

What is a “non-native” plant?•“Non-native” – not considered a native plant by most definitions•“Introduced” – a plant brought in intentionally•“Exotic” – an introduced plant, intentionally or unintentionally•“Invasive” – an exotic plants that outcompetes native plants and tends to spread out of control•“Noxious” – an exotic plant that is harmful to agricultural crops, livestock, natural ecosystems, or humans

Invasive plant impacts•Changes in availability of water, light, and nutrients

•Disruption of native plant-pollinator relationships

•Serving as host reservoirs for plant pathogens

•Replacing nutritious native plant foods with lower quality sources

•Killing trees and shrubs through girdling

•Changes in the rate of soil erosion

•Changes to natural ecological processes, such as plant community succession

•Economic costs: the U.S. spends more than $120 billion on invasive species each year

Native vs. Non-native

Agriculture

Nature

Role of native plants in the landscapeEcosystem structure/architecture

• Canopy- tall trees• Understory- small trees, shrubs, saplings, vines• Forest floor- wildflowers, ferns, seedlings

Primary producers = base of the food web

Native plants for wildlife•Habitat – protection, shade, nesting areas

•Food sources- fruit, nuts, seeds, nectar, insects + grubs

Native plants for pollinators•Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination

•Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops.

•That means that 1 out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators!

Native plants for pollinators

•Provide nectar for native bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, etc. Host plants for caterpillars- encourages butterflies AND provides food for songbirds

• Hollyhock- Painted lady• Milkweed- Monarch• Spicebush- Spicebush Swallowtail• Tulip Poplar- Tiger Swallowtail• Violets- Fritillaries• Clovers- Clouded Sulphur

Native plants for pollinators•Bees are arguably the most important group of pollinators! •Bees exhibit a behavior called “flower constancy”•Types of bees

Mason bees - solitarySweat bees - solitaryLeafcutter bees - solitarySquash bees - solitaryBlueberry bees - solitaryBumble bees - socialEuropean honey bees - social

Source: PennState Ext.

Native plants for low maintenance landscaping•Low maintenance

•Less watering

•Less pesticides and fertilizers

Native plants for stream restoration

•Bank stabilization

•Riparian buffers

•Live stakes

Intrinsic value of native plants•Natural Aesthetics

•Recreation

•Natural Resources

•Ecosystem Services

Who are Pennsylvania’s native plants?Ferns

MossesGrasses/Sedges/Rushes

WildflowersTrees

ShrubsVines

PA native plant highlightsTrees

•Oaks- White, Red, Pin, Chestnut•Birches- Black, River, Yellow•Maples- Red, Sugar, Silver, Striped•Hickories- Bitternut, Shagbark, Pignut •Tulip Poplar•Sassafras•Sycamore•American Beech•Eastern Hemlock•Pines- Pitch, Red, White

PA native plant highlightsTrees

•Oaks- White, Red, Pin, Chestnut•Birches- Black, River, Yellow•Maples- Red, Sugar, Silver, Striped•Hickories- Bitternut, Shagbark, Pignut •Tulip Poplar•Sassafras•Sycamore•American Beech•Eastern Hemlock•Pines- Pitch, Red, White

PA native plant highlightsShrubs

•Eastern Redbud•White Flowering Dogwood•Silky Dogwood•American Elderberry •Serviceberry •Winterberry Holly•Highbush Blueberry•Spicebush•Witch Hazel•American Hazelnut

PA native plant highlightsShrubs

•Eastern Redbud•White Flowering Dogwood•Silky Dogwood•American Elderberry •Serviceberry •Winterberry Holly•Highbush Blueberry•Spicebush•Witch Hazel•American Hazelnut

PA native plant highlightsWildflowers•Common Milkweed•Bee-balm•Black-eyed Susan•Purple Coneflower•Grey Goldenrod•New England Aster•Cardinal Flower•Wild Columbine•Mountain Mint•Blue Star

PA native plant highlightsWildflowers•Common Milkweed•Bee-balm•Black-eyed Susan•Purple Coneflower•Grey Goldenrod•New England Aster•Cardinal Flower•Wild Columbine•Mountain Mint•Blue Star

Native edible & medicinal plants•Persimmon

•Elderberry

•Highbush Blueberry

•Wild Ramp

•Wild Plum

•Hazelnut

•Sugar Maple

•Teaberry

PA invasive plants to watch forIn Disturbed Woodlands:

•Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)•Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)

•Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)•Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima)•Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

•Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)•Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum)

In Wetlands and Along Streams:• Common Reed (Phragmites australis)

• Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea)• European buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)

• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)• Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)• Mile-a-minute weed (Polygonum perfoliatum)

What to do if you find an invasive plant•Identify the plant species•Research or consult an expert regarding removal strategies•Create a management plan•Treat the site (mechanically or chemically)•Ongoing monitoring•Replace eradicated plants w/ native plants

Rare, threatened, or endangered plants•Habitat loss and forest fragmentation•Competition with invasive plants•Creation of more edge habitat•Deer browse •Overharvesting•Decline in pollinators and wildlife for seed and pollen dispersal•Climate change

https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Conservation/WildPlants/RareThreatenedAndEndangeredPlants/Pages/default.aspx

Climate change impacts on native plantsEffects of rising CO2 levels

• Nutritional quality• Growth and forest regeneration• Community change

Climate resilient trees• Oak vs. Maple dominated forests

How you can help native plants

•Minimize habitat destruction•Use native plants in landscaping (no mow zones!)•Learn more about native plants•Buy nursery-propagated native plants•Do not remove native plants from the wild•Choose the right plants for the site•Remove invasive and non-native plants

Where to get native plants•Nurseries•Greenhouses•Gardening centers•Start from seed•Seed mixes•Annual native plant sales and festivals•DCNR list: https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Conservation/WildPlants/LandscapingwithNativePlants/BuyNativePlants/Pages/default.aspx

Annual CCCD native plant & tree sale

Pre-order in Jan-MarchPick up in early May

Sign up for our newsletter to get updates!

www.columbiaccd.org/annual-native-plant-sale

Opportunities for large-scale projects•Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership initiative

•PA-DCNR Multi-Functional Riparian Buffer grants

•Chesapeake Bay Buffer Bonus program

•Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

•USFW Wetland Restoration projects

•USDA-NRCS programs for pollinator habitat

Questions?Contact info

Brittney Hartzell

Watershed Specialist

570-317-9491

Brittney.Hartzell@columbiaccd.org

www.columbiaccd.orgfacebook.com/columbiaccd