Prime Plants for Nature: Backyards for Nature 2016 Native Plant Awards

Posted on May 3, 2016 by barb

By Edie Parnum

Every year we feature two superior native plant species. One of the Prime Plants for Nature is a Tree or Shrub and the other is a Perennial. Prime Plants are selected based on these criteria:

Be native to southeastern Pennsylvania.
Offer high wildlife value and contribute significantly to your property’s web of life.
Provide food for wildlife. Nutritious fruits, seeds, nuts, nectar, or pollen are produced by the plant. Most host insects that are eaten by birds or other animals.
Offer shelter and places to raise young.
Be easy to grow and make an attractive addition to your landscape.
Sold at native plant nurseries and native plant sales. (See list at end of article.)

Our selections for the 2016 Prime Plants for Nature awards are:

Black Cherry, Prunus serotina

Wildlife Value: This medium-sized deciduous tree delivers exceptional wildlife value.

When the young caterpoillars emerge, the eat the cherr leaves. © Barb Eliot. Click to enlarge.

Red-spotted Purple butterflies lay their eggs on the tips of Black Cherry leaves. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

According to Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, it hosts 456 species of moths and butterfly caterpillars. The foliage-eating caterpillars include Red-spotted Purple butterflies and moths such as Luna, Polyphemus, and Cecropia. The tree is not defoliated because many migrating and breeding birds including warblers, vireos, and thrushes feed on these caterpillars. Yellow-billed Cuckoos will eat Eastern Tent Caterpillars.

Luna Moth is another of the 456 lepidoptera species caterpillars that eat Back Cherry. Photo © Adrian Binns. Click to enlarge.

In late summer Black Cherry produces a copious crop of berries that are enjoyed by 33 species of birds including American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Baltimore Oriole, Cedar Waxwing, and various woodpeckers. Native bees and flies pollinate the flowers.

Many birds eat these Black Cherry fruits in late summer. Click to enlarge.

Growing Conditions: Adaptable to a variety of situations, sun or part sun, dry to moist soil. Seedlings can be transplanted.

Appearance: Medium to large fast-growing deciduous tree with dark, peeling bark. White flowers bloom in May on drooping stalks called racemes. The reddish-black fruits ripen in late summer.

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis

Wildlife Value: If you want to entice hummingbirds to your yard, this is a must-have perennial. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are attracted to the Cardinal Flower’s brilliant red flowers and are its primary pollinators. The nectar is very sweet, twice as sweet as a soda. A hummingbird’s bill is long enough to reach the nectar deep inside the tubular

The Ruby-throated Himmingbird is the primary pollinator for Cardinal Flower. It's long bill and tongue can reach the nectar deep inside the blossom. It's head feathers pick up pollen from the anther. Photo © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the primary pollinator for Cardinal Flower. It’s long bill and tongue can reach the nectar deep inside the blossom. It’s head feathers pick up pollen from the anther. Photo © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

flower. The feathers on the head pick up the pollen and carry it from one plant to another. Cardinal Flowers bloom for six weeks in the late summer during the hummingbirds’ southbound migration. Bees rarely visit these flowers because their proboscis is too short to access the nectar.

The Spicebush Swallowtail’s long proboscis can reach the nectar, but the pollen remains untouched. SCJack.blogspot.com photo. Click to enlarge.

Large swallowtail butterflies can reach the nectar with their long proboscis but are unable to pick up and transfer the pollen.

Growing Conditions: Cardinal Flower is a trouble-free perennial that enjoys moist soil. It will grow in average soil in a shady location. Not a true perennial, the plant and roots die after the growing season. However, the next spring it produces off-sets that will flower or can be transplanted to new locations. The parent plant also produces seedlings that can be transplanted. In the late fall, lay the flower stalk on the ground where you want seedlings to sprout in the spring. Appearance: The striking red flowers are arranged along 8” spikes called racemes. The plant grows 2 ½ -3 feet high. The flowers are attractive additions to flower arrangements.

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Complete List of Backyards for Nature’s Prime Plants for Nature

Trees

Betula nigra, River Birch

Juniperus virginiana, Eastern Red Cedar

Prunus serotina, Black Cherry

Quercus alba, White Oak

Perennials

Asclepias incarnata, Swamp Milkweed

Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal Flower

Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot

Pycnanthemum muticum, Short-toothed Mountainmint

For information about each plant, see Previous Posts

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Sources of Native Plants

Collins Nursery, 773 Roslyn Avenue, Glenside, PA 19038. Native trees, shrubs, and some perennials. Spring and fall open houses. Otherwise appointment necessary. 215-715-3439 or collinsnursery.com.

David Brothers Native Plant Nursery, Whitehall Road, Norristown, PA 19403. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials. 610-584-1550 or davidbrothers.com

Edge of the Woods Nursery, 2415 Route 100, Orefield, PA 18069. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials. 610-393-2570 or edgeofthewoodsnursery.com.

Gateway Garden Center, 7277 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin DE19707. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials. 302-239-2727 or gatewaygardens.com.

Jenkins Arboretum, 631 Berwyn Baptist Road, Devon, PA 19333. 610647-8870 or jenkinsarboretum.org. Outdoor plant shop open daily 9-4 late April through mid-October.

Redbud Native Plant Nursery, 643 West Baltimore Ave., Media, PA. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials. 610-892-2833 or redbudnativeplantnursery.com.

Russell Gardens Wholesale, 600 New Road, Southampton, PA 18966. Wholesale perennials, many native, sold to public. Pre-order for convenient pick-up. 215-322-4799 or russellwholesale.com.

Sugarbush Nursery, 4272 Morgantown Road, Mohnton, PA 19540. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials. 610-856-0998 or sugarbushnursery.com.

Yellow Springs Farm, 1165 Yellow Springs Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Landscape design and consultation services available. Spring and fall open houses. On-line and phone orders available. Otherwise call for appointment. 610-827-2014 or yellowspringsfarm.com.

Native Plant Sales

Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19143. 215-729-5281 or bartramsgarden.org. Spring and fall sales.

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd. New Hope, PA 18938. 215-862-2924 or bhwp.org. Spring and fall plant sales.

Brandywine Conservancy, Routes 1 and 100, P.O. Box 141, Chadds Ford, PA 19317. 610-388-2700 or brandywine.org/conservancy. Mother’s Day weekend. Seeds also available.

Delaware Nature Society, Cloverdale Farm Preserve, 543 Way Road, Greenville, DE 19807. 302-239-2334 or delawarenaturesociety.org. First weekend in May.

Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, 2955 Edge Hill Road, Huntington Valley, PA 19006. 215-657-0830 or pennypacktrust.org. Spring and fall plant sales.

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagys Mill Rd., Philadelphia 19128. 215-482-7300 or schuylkillcenter.org. Spring and fall plant sales.

Edie’s Garden—A Place to Discover Nature

Posted on July 19, 2015 by barb

By Barb Elliot

Wildlife is abundant in Edie’s yard. She finds birds, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, bugs,

Monarch newly emerged and ready for release. Raised from eggs laid on Edie’s Butterfly Milkweed. © Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

beetles, bees, wasps, flies, and more – creatures she loves – living among her native plants.

It wasn’t always this way. I saw the yard when Edie moved to this ¾-acre property in 2007. It was mostly turf grass. Except for a few native trees (Black Cherry, Red Maple, White Pine), no native plants grew here. Consequently, we observed few birds—just an occasional robin or starling—no other wildlife. She knew she could transform her lifeless property into a healthy habitat for wildlife by reducing the lawn and planting native plants. It could become a place where she could discover, learn, and enjoy nature.

To create a healthy ecosystem on her property she wanted to:

Plant a diversity and multitude of native plants
Offer conditions for birds and other creatures to thrive and reproduce
Provide year-round food sources, water, cover, and places to raise young for wildlife
Welcome lots of birds—certainly hummingbirds
Create a place of beauty where she could be immersed in nature
Learn the species of flora and fauna and how they interact and depend on each other
Leave a legacy of nature for future generations with long-lived trees and shrubs

Gradually, year by year, she has succeeded in creating this haven for wildlife. Eight years later I see thousands of native plants. They include perennials, grasses, vines, ferns, and woody plants, i.e. shrubs and trees. She planted densely, letting the plants touch each other as they do in the wild. Her canopy trees are young, but the oaks and others will be massively productive for wildlife for decades. Eastern Redbud, Flowering Dogwood, and Shadbush are already filling the understory. The mature shrubs like Spicebush, Elderberry, and several viburnum species are now luxuriant. At the ground

Red Milkweed Beetles eat plants in the milkweed family. The beetles are protected by the milkweed’s toxins and the black and red colors. © Edie Parnum. click to enlarge.

level perennials, vines, ferns, sedges, and grasses, are profuse. This diversity of plants offer nuts, seeds, berries, nectar, and pollen. Even the foliage of the native plants is indirectly a source of food. Insects eat the leaves and become food for birds and other creatures.

Birds now find what they need to live and thrive. They eat the fruits, nuts, seeds, and nectar produced by the yard’s native plants. Resident and migrating birds eat the insects hosted by her native plants. For example, Carolina

Chickadees can locate the 6, 000-plus caterpillars required to feed their young. Of course, no pesticides are ever used.

Edie has added other features for birds. She installed nest boxes for cavity-nesting House Wrens and Tree Swallows. She allows fallen leaves to lie in many places. Eastern Towhees and Brown Thrashers rummage in this leaf litter to find insects. Carolina Wrens

Trumpet Honeysuckle, a well-behaved vine with hummingbird-attracting red tubular flowers. © Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

often locate their insect delicacies in the brush pile. On a snag (dead tree) woodpeckers, including a Pileated Woodpecker, forage for insects in the decaying wood. A Trumpet Vine grows on this snag and attracts hummingbirds seeking nectar from its flowers. A bird bath and small pond offer birds water. The bird feeders supply a small proportion of food needed by some of the birds. Many, many birds (106 species) love this yard.

Her meadow, in my opinion, is the crown jewel of her property. It is chock full of colorful perennials and grasses. Birds forage for seeds in late summer, fall, and winter. Numerous butterflies (30 species so far), bees, beetles, and other pollinators are active on flowers

Edie’s Meadow in late summer. Flowers attract butterflies, moths, and other insect pollinators. © Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

blooming from April through October. Even at night the meadow is alive with moths, beetles, and other insects and spiders. Aiming a flashlight into the dense meadow plants, she can see the tiny, shining eyes of moths and other insects. Bumble bees, too, sleep on the flower heads, resting for the next day’s work.

Edie has created a paradise for herself as well as the creatures that call her yard home. With binoculars and camera, she frequently takes nature walks around the yard. The birds, whether eating, preening, feeding young, are always interesting. Mating foxes are less expected. Mating Garter Snakes, too. Even

Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar on Sassafras, one of its host plants.© Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

better, she loves to discover a caterpillar eating leaves. When she locates other tiny creatures—bees, beetles, wasps, and others—she takes their photos. At night she uses lights to attract moths. She photographs these creatures, too.

Using the photos of insects, she can usually make identifications and then figure out their role in this ecosystem. What plants do they depend on? What plants depend on them? What do they eat? Who eats them? Are they parasites? Predators?

The possibilities for discovery are endless. Mostly, she revels in success of the healthy ecosystem she has created.

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Nature Discovery Day, August 29, 2015

Edie enjoys showing her garden with its native plants, birds, butterflies, moths and other creatures to nature-loving friends. On August 29th she will host Nature Discovery Day. Throughout the day you can explore her yard, discover nature in action, and learn about habitat gardening. Guided walks for children and adults will be offered, too. In the evening it’ll be Moth Night.

This event will be for a limited audience by invitation only. She’s inviting Backyards for Nature blog readers and their interested family and friends. Save the date and watch for an invitation coming to you in late July or early August.

Want More Native Plants? Learn to Transplant

Posted on October 22, 2014 by barb

By Edie Parnum

You read it repeatedly on this blog—plant more native plants. Plant lots of them. Too expensive, you say. That’s true when you purchase them at nurseries or native plant sales. I know where you can get native plants for free—yes, really! They are already in your own backyard.

Local native plants are adapted to our soil and climate, so they reproduce abundantly. Look carefully at the young plants in your garden. You’ll find multiples of many of your favorite native plants. Resist pulling out these volunteers and throwing them away. They are not weeds. Keep them growing by transplanting them to new locations.

A 5″ Witch Hazel is flagged and ready to transplant. © Edie Parnum

Take a tour around your yard. Locate the native plants that have popped up voluntarily, but haphazardly. These young woody saplings and perennials are smaller versions of plants you already know and love. Many, you recall, are particularly favored by birds, butterflies, and other creatures. Others are your personal favorites—they are so beautiful! You already know their ultimate size, shape, and color and their needs for sun, shade, dry, or moist conditions. These native plant treasures can be saved by moving them to new locations.

Now look for places where you can incorporate these volunteer trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and groundcovers into your landscape. Where can you grow another tree? How about several trees? Shrubs can be added around the base of isolated trees. Can you install or expand a garden bed? What about removing some non-native plants or invasives? Keep in mind native plants prefer to touch each other, not be isolated. Spots of bare ground should be filled in with native groundcovers. And, surely, your lawn can be reduced. Aim to cover virtually all open areas with native plants.

Be brave. Dare to transplant—even if you’ve never done it before. Native plants are resilient and determined to grow. Spring or fall, here’s how to transplant.

Directions for transplanting tree or shrub saplings

Locate a small sapling, preferably shorter than 15”, to transplant. If the soil is dry around the plant, water it well.
Before you dig out this woody plant, select the location where you want it to grow and dig a hole there. This hole should be no deeper than the expected depth of the transplant’s roots and about twice as wide.
To dig out the transplant, estimate the size of the root system (usually as wide as the sapling’s canopy). Dig deeply around the plant and avoid severing the tap root. When you lift the sapling out of the ground, it should have plenty of roots and soil attached.
Carefully lay the sapling with its root system on a piece of newspaper or plastic and carry it to the new location.
Place the plant into the pre-dug hole. Hold the plant upright with the top of the root system ½” above the height of the ground. Fill in around the roots with the soil that was removed from the hole. Do not add fertilizer, topsoil, or other amendments. Press the soil down with your hands, but do not stomp with your feet.
Spread compost and leaf litter on top.
The sapling of this 10-foot White Pine was 6 inches tall when transplanted five years ago.
Water well. Unless it rains, water the transplant every week for several months—longer if the season is dry. In fall, water until the ground freezes.
Some established shrubs such as viburnums send out horizontal roots where new plants can emerge. These baby shrubs can be transplanted, too. Follow the directions for free-standing saplings. However, before digging the plant out of the ground, find and sever the lateral root growing out from the mother plant.
Small woody transplants, once established, grow quickly. After a few years they will be as big as much larger nursery-grown trees and shrubs.

Personally, I have successfully transplanted Red Maple, Bottlebrush Buckeye, Redbud, Eastern Red Cedar, Tulip Tree, Eastern White Pine, Black Cherry, Tulip Tree, and Sassafras. I’ve also moved several native species of dogwoods, hollies, oaks, and viburnums. Most other native woody plants will transplant well, too. You can also relocate woody vines like Virginia Creeper, Trumpet Vine, and Virgin’s Bower.

Directions for transplanting perennials

Perennials and other non-woody plants often produce volunteer seedlings. These young plants resemble their parents and can be readily differentiated from your yard’s common weeds. Frequently I see Nodding Onion, Anise Hyssop, Amsonia, Wild Columbine, Wild Geranium, Cardinal Flower, Great Blue Lobelia, False Sunflower, Golden Ragwort, New York Ironweed, Golden Alexander—all valuable plants begging to be saved. I often find my cherished native asters, goldenrods, and phloxes as seedlings, too.
You can dig out these and many other seedlings and transplant them elsewhere. Follow the above directions for transplanting shrubs and trees.
Lance-leafed Goldenrod and other goldenrods are easy to transplant and attract many pollinators, including Ailanthus Webworm Moth. © Edie Parnum
Some perennials spread by underground runners. The lateral roots of Mountain Mint, Bee Balm, Monarda, Wild Bergamot, Obedient Plant, Ostrich Fern, and Mistflower produce growth to dig out for new plants.
Divide older perennials. Look for plants that are oversized and have lost vigor. These can and should be divided. Push your spade deeply into the ground at several places around the perimeter of the large plant. Lift it up out of the ground with most of the root system intact. Thrust your shovel into the middle of the plant and separate it into two clumps. If the root system is dense, you can use two back-to-back garden forks to pry it apart. Further subdivide these clumps to yield four or more plants.
As with woody plants, plant perennials and ferns ½ inch higher than the ground. Be sure to keep them watered until they are established. If planting late in the fall, mulch the plants to prevent them from heaving out of the ground during light frosts.

With the right transplanting tool, the work is not hard nor especially time consuming. You

Tools for transplanting: watering can, pruners, bulb trowel (extra leverage for digging seedlings) and transplant shovel (see text). © Edie Parnum

certainly can dig out a plant satisfactorily with an ordinary shovel. However, I prefer using my transplant shovel. With its narrow blade I can make precise cuts around my target plant but avoid injuring desirable plants nearby. It has a wide ledge for stomping with my foot and good leverage. Thus, I’m able to do most of my transplant operations standing up. No need to kneel or squat uncomfortably.

You can’t create the landscape of your dreams all at once. Each spring and fall, transplant as many young plants as you can. Ever increasingly, your property will include all the layers found in nature: groundcovers, perennials and ferns, shrubs, understory trees, and canopy trees. This dense, layered landscape will develop into a rich habitat alive with insect and animal biodiversity.

A layered landscape,including Virginia Creeper as a ground cover, asters, Fringe Tree (an understory tree), and a large Common Hackberry tree.

A layered landscape in fall, including Virginia Creeper and violets as ground covers, asters, amsonia hubrectii, Solomon’s Seal in its fall yellow color in the background, Fringe Tree (understory tree on right), and a large Common Hackberry tree (on left).

Revel in the fecundity of your garden. Each of your native plants is a gift to nature. Each with its leaves, flowers, seeds—in fact every part of the plant—contributes exuberantly to the web of life. Save them one by one to plant elsewhere in your yard. Give them away, too. Your garden will be a native plant nursery.

New Books on Gardening for Nature

Posted on September 29, 2014 by barb

Reviews by Edie Parnum

Want to become a better steward of nature on your land? These two books will inspire and guide you. Doug Tallamy’s popular book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, taught us to love native plants for the leaf-eating insects they host. Tallamy has now teamed up with landscape architect Rick Darke on a new book that helps us create aesthetically pleasing landscapes for our native creatures. Heather Holm’s book teaches us to garden for insect pollinators and appreciate the ecosystem roles they play. We can help the environment by what we plant in our yards. These books tell us how.

The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Diversity in the Home Garden by Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy

This book is beautiful—so beautiful you can display it on your coffee table. The photographs show landscapes, combinations of native plants, and the creatures who live there. These images inspire us to create esthetically pleasing wildlife habitats that are alive with biodiversity.
The pictures and text explain how to design for beauty using native plants. Instead of planting them haphazardly, we learn to position and combine natives to create an alluring garden.
The authors teach us to imitate natural habitats by planting in layers: ground, herbaceous, shrub, understory, and canopy.
Instead of photos of individual plants, the book illustrates native plants as part of the landscape and showcases the birds, butterflies, and other creatures living there.
Edie’s meadow landscape, September, 2014. © Edie Parnum.
A practical book, low maintenance gardening is emphasized. It recommends pleasing combinations of plants that don’t out-compete each other or require excessive weeding. We learn to anticipate changes in our landscapes over time, especially when planting trees and shrubs.
The plant lists, organized by geographical area, are superbly designed to help us make plant selections. Symbols concisely indicate the ecological functions for each plant, e.g., nest sites, pollen, nectar, seasonal foods for birds, and food for caterpillars. Other symbols represent landscape functions such as seasonal flowering, fall foliage, fragrance, or groundcover.
The plant lists also specify the ecological benefits to humans. Not normally emphasized, these paybacks include carbon sequestration, shading and cooling, watershed protection, moderation of extreme weather, and air filtration.

Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Preserve and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants by Heather Holm

Like flowers? You surely love pollinators, too! You can’t have one without the other. Plus, flowers and their pollinators create seeds, fruits, and nuts—actually a third of the food we eat. Of course, animals of all kinds require these food products, too.
Butterflies, the most charismatic of the insects attracted to flowers, already have fans. Now, with this book, we also learn to value pollinating bees, wasps, moths, flies, and beetles—really!
The bulk of the book describes the best pollinator-attracting plants and the interactions between their flowers and the pollinating insects.
Gray Hairstreak, a pollinator of Short-toothed Mountain Mint, a Backyards for Nature Prime Plant. © Edie Parnum
Insect pollinators are fascinating. We can easily observe and identify them by watching the book’s featured flowers and examining their insect visitors. The excellent photographs in the book help us identify these bees, flies, and other insects. Then we can observe each insect’s strategy as it probes for nectar and/or collects pollen. We may see insect interactions like predation, copulation, and parasitization, too.
Bumble Bee pollinating Obedient Plant. © Edie Parnum
Using this book we home gardeners can select pollinator-attracting plants for the various growing conditions on our properties.
By planting Holm’s recommended pollinator plants and observing pollination in action, we will revel in the flourishing ecosystem we’ve created.

I highly recommend both of these books. They will help you beautify your garden and increase its ecological value for all the creatures who inhabit it.

Let’s Celebrate National Pollinator Week! June 16 – June 22, 2014

Posted on June 18, 2014 by barb

By Barb Elliot

Pollinator Week* is a good time to watch, celebrate, and be thankful for pollinators. After all, they are responsible for every third bite of our food and drink. They pollinate crops, trees, shrubs, and flowers in our landscapes for free. I’m having fun observing pollinators

Native Bee on Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa). Barb’s Yard 6/16/2014. © Barb Elliot

as flowers bloom on my native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Native bees, beetles, wasps, and butterflies are busy during the day, and after dark I’m finding moths and other nighttime insects visiting my flowers. Pollinator Week is a good time to take a walk in your yard, look for flowers with pollinators, and watch them as they work.

It’s also a great time to do something for pollinators! Facing multiple threats, including habitat loss, pesticides, and diseases, they certainly need our help. The simplest and best

Moth on Common Milkweed (Aesclepias syriaca). Barb’s yard, 6/15/2014. © Barb Elliot

thing we can do to help is add some pollinator-friendly native flowers to your landscape – even if it’s just a few plants in a pot. Do even more by taking the Pollinator Pledge through The Xerces Society Bring Back the Pollinators program.

For a list of pollinator-friendly plants and more information about pollinators, reasons for pollinator declines, and other simple actions you can take, see my March 24, 2014 post Pollinators Need Our Help!

(*Established in 2007 by the Pollinator Partnership, Pollinator Week “has grown exponentially in scope each year with this year June 16-22 being designated by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and 44 governors as a week to celebrate and protect the nation’s pollinating animals.”)

Prime Plants for Nature: Backyards for Nature 2014 Native Plant Awards

Posted on May 5, 2014 by barb

By Edie Parnum

Each year we select two native plants with exceptional ability to support wildlife. These plants will contribute significantly to the web of life in your yard. They host insects, offer nectar and pollen, and produce fruits, seeds, or nuts. Birds, butterflies, and other insects and animals will feed and prosper. Most provide shelter and nesting places, too. Our selections, all native to southeastern Pennsylvania, are easy to grow and readily available at native plant nurseries or native plant sales. Our Prime Plants make attractive additions to your landscape. We offer awards in two categories: Trees and Shrubs and Perennials.

Our selections for the 2014 Prime Plants for Nature Awards are:

Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana

Wildlife Value: This small evergreen tree is a powerhouse for nature. Yellow-rumped

Cedar Waxwing Eating Cedar Cones. Photo © Howard Eskin. Click to enlarge.

Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, and Northern Mockingbird are among the 54 species of birds that eat its long-persisting berry-like cones during the cold months. Cedar Waxwings areso-named because they’re fond of cedar cones. The foliage hosts the Juniper Hairstreak butterfly, a vulnerable species in Pennsylvania, and several species of moths such as the Curve-lined Angle. Song Sparrows and other

Juniper Hairstreak. Photo courtesy of and © Scott Pippen.

Juniper Hairstreak. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Pippen. Click to enlarge.

birds use the dense foliage for nesting places and shelter. Don’t be tempted to buy the similar-looking Leyland Cypress, a non-native that offers little for wildlife.

Growing Conditions: The Eastern Red Cedar tolerates a wide variety of soils and dry to moist growing conditions. It prefers a sunny spot. These trees are either male or female. Only the female trees produce fruits, but you’ll also need a male for pollination.

Screech Owl in Barb’s Eastern Red Cedar. Photo © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

By planting at least three of these trees, you will enhance their wildlife value. A row of cedars will provide dense shelter for birds. From the human perspective, the cedars can offer privacy. If planted on the north side of your house, they will create a windscreen.

Appearance: This evergreen has a pleasing conical shape. It grows at a moderate rate (1-2 feet per year) and reaches 15-40 feet at maturity.

Eastern Red Cedar Trees.

Short-toothed Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum muticum

Wildlife Value: This perennial is a magnet for pollinators. Butterflies, bees, wasps, and flies are attracted to the copious nectar and pollen this lovely plant produces. Because it

Red-banded Haristreeak nectaring on Mountain Mint. Photo © Edie parnum. Click to enlarge.

Red-banded Hairstreak nectaring on Mountain Mint. Photo © Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

flowers over a long period of time, it may host thousands of visits by pollinators each season. With this plant in your yard, you can introduce children to pollination and teach them not to be afraid of bees and wasps.

Growing Conditions: Mountain Mint is a tough plant and will grow well in dry to moist soil in full to part-sun. Like other members of the mint family, it spreads but can easily be controlled, especially early in the growing season. It’s easy to transplant and share with other native plant gardeners. This perennial is deer-resistant, too.

Appearance: Mountain Mint grows to about 3-feet tall. Although the numerous flowers are small and inconspicuous, the foliage is an attractive silvery grey. The leaves complement other brightly colored flowers in the garden and in flower arrangements, too. This plant’s attractiveness is enhanced by the beautiful butterflies and other pollinating insects that visit.

Video © Barb Elliot. Pollinators visiting Short-toothed Mountain Mint. To see pollinator activity, click on symbol in lower right for full-screen view. Then click play symbol in lower left. May take several seconds to load. Turn on speakers for audio.

Plant these and other Backyards for Nature Prime Plants, and nature will flourish abundantly in your yard.

Pollinators Need Our Help!

Posted on March 24, 2014 by barb

By Barb Elliot

The earliest spring flowers will soon emerge. In my garden I’ll admire the delicate white petals of Bloodroot, the first to bloom. Soon I’ll enjoy the blue bell-like flowers of Jacob’s Ladder, the bright yellow of Golden Ragwort, and striking red blooms of Wild Columbine. The flowers are charming, but I will be more captivated by their insect visitors. Small bees and flies will fly from blossom to blossom. Working intently, they will stop briefly to feed and gather nectar and pollen. These will be the first pollinators of the year.

Skipper sipping nectar from Upland Ironweed. @ Barb Elliot

As spring and summer progress, pollinators will visit the succession of blooms on my native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, and wasps will be at work. I’ll watch each butterfly unfurl its straw-like proboscis to daintily probe flower heads and sip nectar. Yellow pollen grains will dot the heads and bodies of bees and flies. Female bees will sport saddlebag-like pollen baskets on their hind legs. The undersides of leafcutter bees’ abdomens will be golden from pollen grains stored on special hairs.

Bumble Bee with pollen baskets. Photo by Beatriz Moisset. Wikimedia Creative Commons.

I’ll notice the size, shape, and tongue lengths of pollinators – characteristics that enable some to better exploit different shaped flowers than others. Iridescent green sweat bees will glisten in the sunlight as they feed on nectar. The strikingly-marked Locust Borer Beetle will catch my attention as it methodically forages for pollen on my goldenrods. I’ll marvel at how close I can get to colorful wasps as they busily collect nectar. Hover flies will hang suspended in air as they take a break from feeding on nectar and pollen. After dark, with my flashlight, I’ll find moths flying from flower to flower, performing nighttime pollination.

Locust Borer Beetle on goldenrod. Wikimedia Creative Commons photo.

My flowering plants put on their royal finery to entice these pollinators, not me. Their showy colors and patterns advertise and guide the pollinators to the plants’ nectar and pollen. The plants must rely on the pollinators to transport pollen among different flowers of the same species. This cross-pollination enables plants to produce the seeds and fruit needed for reproduction. Well-pollinated plants bear more fruit, produce genetically diverse seed, and are healthier. For the pollinators the nectar provides carbohydrates for energy. The pollen supplies them and their offspring with protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, and starches.

Pollinators play essential roles in our ecosystems. Seventy-five percent of the world’s plants require pollinators to produce seed or fruit. One-third of our food supply comes from pollinator-reliant plants. Birds and other wildlife in my yard and the world over eat

Green Sweat Bee. Photo by Beatriz Moisset on Wikimedia Creative Comoons.

the seeds and fruits produced by pollinator-dependent plants. Pollinators themselves are food for birds and other animals, including insects. A diverse population of pollinators is critical to the web of life.

Unfortunately, many pollinators are in decline. Some are threatened with extinction. Our most beloved pollinator, the Monarch butterfly, is in serious trouble. The eastern U.S. population crashed in 2013, and the smallest number on record over-wintered in Mexico this year. Not only Monarchs but other pollinator populations, including bees, our most prolific pollinators, are in trouble, too. The effects of Colony Collapse Disorder on non-native honeybee populations are well known. However, many of our 4,000 U.S. native bee species, key pollinators of both

Bumble bee with tongue extended on Mountain Mint. Photo @ Barb Elliot.

native plants and crops, are also at risk. Bumble bees seem particularly hard hit, with about half of our 47 U.S. species in decline. Some are in danger of extinction. Less studied pollinators like beetles, wasps, and moths are likely declining as well.

Loss of good foraging and nesting habitat is the primary cause for pollinator declines. Pesticides and introduced parasites add to the toll. Many experts believe neonicotinoid insecticides pose a particular threat to bees and other pollinators. Those that forage on treated plants become weak or die. “Neonics” and other systemic pesticides are taken up through a plant’s roots and travel to all parts of the plant, including its nectar and pollen. Last June, 50,000 bumble bees foraging on flowering trees at a single location in Oregon were killed after the trees were sprayed with a neonicotenoid. Neonics are present in a variety of insecticide brands commonly sold to gardeners. They are also used in nurseries that raise plants. In fact, some plants sold as bee-attractants contain neonicotenoids.

Wasp on Mountain Mint. @ Barb Elliot

Despite all the threats, we gardeners can help sustain pollinator populations in our area. (See table below.) Some gardeners like to attract butterflies, but balk at inviting moths, bees, beetles, flies, and wasps. However, these insects have important roles to play in the web of life and are generally harmless to gardeners. Native bees are unaggressive and rarely sting. Even wasps are docile when foraging on flowers, although they may forcefully defend a nest. By incorporating a variety of native plants in our yards, our most important conservation action, we will attract pollinators that are also predators and keep insect populations in check. Various beetles, flies, and wasps prey on aphids and other insect pests. By growing a diversity of native plants (see plant list below), we will encourage a healthy balance of insects in our gardens.

Hover Fly on Snakeroot. @ Barb Elliot

I hope the plight of the Monarch butterfly will compel us to action. We must help not just the Monarchs* but the less charismatic butterfly, bee, fly, wasp, beetle, and moth pollinators as well. For too long, we have ignored pollinators or treated them as pests to be destroyed. We have gardened for aesthetics and our enjoyment without considering nature. These beneficial creatures are crucial players in the web of life in our own gardens and beyond. We can make a difference for them. We and our gardens will benefit.

*Please note that we will be selling milkweed plants for Monarchs again this year! Stay tuned for an upcoming post about Monarchs and details of the milkweed sale.

How to Help Pollinators
Provide Food
Plant:	¨ A variety of nectar- and pollen-rich native plants. Strive for 8 or more species. ¨ Perennials in clusters, preferably 5 or more of a single species, so plants are easily found. ¨ For a succession of blooms from early spring through late fall. ¨ Natives with different flower shapes for pollinators or varied sizes, shapes, and tongue lengths. ¨ Host plants for butterflies and moths.
Buy plants at local native plant retailers or where sellers identify whether plants are pre-treated with systemic pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Remove invasive plants so they crowd out natives
Provide nesting and overwintering sites
Leave:	¨ Areas of bare soil in sunny, well-drained spots. ¨ Stumps, logs on the ground, dead branches and trees. ¨ Leaf litter for over-wintering butterflies, moths, beetles and their larvae or pupae ¨ Stems of perennials standing from fall through late winter
Provide artificial nest sites, e.g., a wooden bee block or a bundle of stems or paper straws. Every 2 years replace or clean with a 3:1 water-bleach solution. Click here for more info. Build a “pollinator condo”. Click here for “how to info” or here for inspirational examples.
Provide water
Add a shallow dish with sloped sides for easy entry and exit Keep an area of soil moist or muddy for butterflies and other pollinators that forage for minerals and salts in soil
Prevent pesticide poisoning
Don’t use pesticides, but especially avoid neonicotinoids. Click here for a list of common brands containing neonics. Don’t apply herbicides or fungicides to lawn or beds with nest sites or pollinator plants
Other Ways to Help Pollinators
Make a commitment to protect pollinators by getting your yard certified as a pollinator habitat and posting a sign. See The Xerces Society’s “Bring Back the Pollinators” campaign Become a citizen scientist to help scientists track pollinator populations, such as by reporting sightings of bumble bees to Bumble Bee Watch or other species to Project Noah

Recommended Native Plants for Pollinators by Bloom Period
Common Name	Botanical Name	Flower Color	Bloom Period^	Height	Soil	Exposure	Notes
Perennials
Bloodroot	Sanguinaria canadensis	White	April	6-8”	Dry to moist	Part shade to shade
Golden Ragwort	Packera aurea	Yellow	April-May	1-2’	Moist to wet	Part shade to shade	Host plant. Deer resistant
Jacob’s Ladder	Polemonium reptans	Blue	April-May	8-15”	Moist	Part shade to shade	Deer resistant
Wild Geraniium	Geranium maculatum	Pink – purple	April-May	1-3’	Moist to dry	Part sun to shade	Host plant. Deer resistant
False Solomon’s Seal	Maianthemum racemosum	White-cream	May	12-24”	Moist to dry	Part shade to shade
Smooth Solomon’s Seal	Polygonatum biflorum	White -light yellow	May-June	2-4’	Moist to dry	Part sun	Deer resistant
Wild Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis	Red	May-June	1-3’	Moist to average	Part sun to shade	Deer resistant
Beardtongue	Penstemon digitalis	White	June-July	2-3’	Dry to moist	Sun to part shade	Deer resistant
Bee Balm	Monarda didyma	Red	June-August	3-4’	Moist to dry	Sun to part shade	Deer resistant
Butterfly Milkweed	Asclepia tuberosa	Orange	June-August	1-2’	Dry to moist	Sun	Host plant for Monarch, others. Deer resistant
Nodding Onion	Allium cernuum	Pale -dark pink	July	1-2’	Dry to moist	Sun	Deer resistant
Purple Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea	Purplish pink	July	3-4’	Moist to dry	Sun to part sun
Swamp Milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	Light – dark pink	July	3-5’	Moist to wet	Sun to part sun	Host plant – Monarch butterfly; deer resistant
Blazing Star	Liatris spicata	Purple	July-August	2-4’	Moist	Sun
Culver’s Root	Veronicastrum virginicum	White	July-August	3-5’	Moist	Sun to part shade
Joe Pye Weed	Eutrochium maculatum; E. fistulosum	Pink	July-August	4-7’	Moist to wet	Sun to part shade	Host plant. Deer resistant
Short-toothed Mountain Mint	Pycnanthemum mutucum	White	July-August	2-3’	Moist	Sun to part shade	Deer resistant
White Turtlehead	Chelone glabra	White	July-August	2-4’	Moist to wet	Sun to part sun
Wild Bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	Pink	July-August	2-4’	Moist to dry	Sun to part sun	Host plant. Deer resistant
Common Boneset	Eupatorium perfoliatum	White	July-September	2-4’	Moist to wet	Sun	Host plant
Cup Plant	Silphium perfoliatum	Yellow	July- September	4-8’	Moist to wet	Sun	Host plant
Fragrant Hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	Blue-violet	July-September	3-5’	Moist to dry	Sun to part sun	Deer resistant
False Sunflower	Heliopsis helianthoides	Yellow	July-September	3-5’	Moist to dry	Sun to part sun
Garden Phlox	Phlox paniculata	Pink/white/ lavender	July-September	2-6’	Moist	Sun to part shade
Goldenrod -Stiff	Solidago rigida	Yellow	July-Sept	3-5’	Dry to moist	Sun to part sun	Host plant. Deer resistant
Great Blue Lobelia	Lobelia siphilitica	Blue	August	1-3’	Moist to wet	Sun to part shade
Cutleaf/ Green-headed Coneflower	Rudbeckia laciniata	Yellow	August-September	3-6’	Moist	Sun to part sun
New England Aster	Symphotrichum novae-angliae	Pink -purple	August-September	2-5’	Moist to wet	Sun to part shade	Host plant
Goldenrod – Zigzag	Solidago flexicaulis	Yellow	August-October	1-3’	Dry to moist	Part shade to shade	Host plant. Deer resistant
New York Ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis	Magenta	August-October	3-6’	Moist to wet	Sun to part shade
Obedient Plant	Physostegia virginiana	Pink	August-October	2-5’	Moist to wet	Sun to part shade
Mistflower or Hardy Ageratum	Conoclinum coelestinum	Blue	September-October	1-3’	Moist to wet	Sun to part shade	Deer resistant
Vines
Virgin’s Bower (a magnet for daytime species & moths at night)	Clematis virginiana	White	August-September	To 10’	Moist	Sun to part shade	May spread. Deer resistant
Trees and Shrubs
Pussy Willow	Salix discolor	Silvery gray	March	20-35’	Sun	Wet to moist
Serviceberry	Amelanchier canadensis; A. laevis	White	April	6-20’	Sun to part shade	Dry to moist
Highbush Blueberry	Vaccinium corymbosum	White – pink	April-May	6-12’	Sun to shade	Wet to dry, acid
Redbud	Cercis canadensis	Pink – lavender	April-May	20-30’	Sun to part shade	Moist to wet	Deer resistant
Black Cherry	Prunus serotina	White	May-June	50-75’	Sun to part shade	Moist
Sweetbay Magnolia	Magnolia virginiana	Creamy white	May-June	10-20’	Sun to part shade	Moist to wet	Deer resistant
Black Gum	Nyssa sylvatica	Green	June	30-50’	Sun to part shade	Moist to wet	Deer resistant
Tulip Tree	Liriodendron tulipifera	Yellow-green & orange	June	75-100’	Sun to part shade	Moist to average
Basswood	Tilia americana	Pale yellowish	Late June-early July	75-100’	Full sun to light shade	Moist
Buttonbush	Cephalanthus occidentalis	Creamy white	July-August	6-12’	Sun	Wet to moist

Fall: Time for Planting Trees and Shrubs

Posted on November 1, 2012 by barb

By Edie Parnum

I thrust my spade into a patch of my lawn. It’s fall, and I’m planting a 4-foot Chestnut Oak. As I dig, I imagine this young tree next spring with its new green leaves. Even as a young sapling, it will host insects and birds. Looking into the future, I imagine this stately native tree a century from now. It has given life to thousands of birds and other animals.

My neighbors, I’ve noticed, aren’t thinking about spring. They are clearing their yards of leaves and the dead vegetation from last year’s ornamental plants. They are putting this unwanted garden debris out on the curb along with the cocoons and eggs of next year’s insects. They are getting ready for winter. Fall is the best time for planting trees and shrubs, any time before the ground freezes. During the autumn rains, the new plants aren’t asleep. They’re putting energy into their roots for a spurt of growth next spring.This fall, as usual, I will plant several trees and shrubs. When I bought this ¾-acre property five years ago, it was mostly grass with just a few trees, mostly non-natives. Since then I’ve planted 39 native trees and 45 native shrubs. It’s still not enough.

I keep planting native woody plants because they support wildlife. Certainly non-native woodies offer fruits birds will eat—witness the bird-spread proliferation of invasives like Multiflora Rose, Burning Bush, and Japanese Barberry. Natives, however, offer fruits of optimum size and superior nutrition. The fruits of the dogwoods, blueberries, winterberries, viburnums, spicebush, and sassafras I’ve planted ripen just in time to nourish hungry migrating birds in fall. Now in late October most of the berries are gone—consumed by thrushes, catbirds, mockingbirds, waxwings, and warblers.

The main reason I plant native woodies, however, is for the caterpillars and other insects these plants support. I’m inspired by Doug Tallamy, Professor and Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. His research shows

The caterpillar of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly uses Spicebush or Sassafras as its host plant. USFWS Photo by Ryan Hagerty.

that native plants host 29 times more of the native insects essential for our birds. After all, 96% of terrestrial birds feed their young exclusively insect food.

This year to augment what I’m already growing, I’ll plant ten small trees and shrubs. I’m planting the Chestnut Oak, Quercus prinus (according to Tallamy, oaks host 534 species of caterpillars); American Elm, Ulmus Americana (hosts 213); and Pawpaw, Asimina triloba (host plant for Zebra Swallowtail butterfly, a species I covet for my yard butterfly list).

Planting a tree or shrub is easy. For my Chestnut Oak and the other trees and shrubs, I don’t need to dig a huge hole. I make my hole only as deep as the soil in the plant container and twice as wide. After putting the plant into the hole, I make sure the soil line of the plant is level with the ground. Then I use the soil that was removed from the hole to fill in around the plant. Because my oak is a local native adapted to our soil, I am not tempted to add special topsoil, fertilizer, or any other enrichment. That would stimulate fast but weak growth. A hole filled with artificially enriched soil encourages the roots to stay confined rather than to reach into the ground below for nourishment. Next, I push down on the loose dirt with my hands, but avoid stomping on it with my feet. I spread a one-inch layer of my compost (last year’s leaves and garden debris) on top to provide some extra humus not available in the turf grass. Then I give my oak a good watering. That’s it for this tree. I’m ready to plant more.

Newly planted trees and shrubs may need extra water. During any week without significant rain, I put a leaky watering can next to each plant and let the water drip slowly into the soil. A 1-2” layer of mulch will help retain the moisture, but I never let the mulch touch the trunk. Once established, these woody plants, situated appropriately for light and moisture, should thrive without any additional help from me.

The trees and shrubs I plant are usually small. They are cheaper and suffer less transplant shock than a big tree or shrub. These smaller saplings start to grow more quickly and in a few years usually out-compete larger nursery stock. To save money, I also frequently transplant volunteer trees and shrubs in my yard to more appropriate locations. Some of my shrubs—virburnums, for instance—send out shoots that I dig up and plant elsewhere. I also accept gifts from my native plant gardening friends. As I say, there’s always room for more. Anyway, I’m not growing ornamental specimens. The plants can touch each other and offer extra shelter, just as they do in the wild.

My trees and shrubs are still small, but they already support birds and other wildlife. Next spring I’ll see warblers and other hungry migrants eating caterpillars on the leaves of my native woody plants. The remaining areas of grass are begging to be planted with additional native trees and shrubs. Next fall I won’t resist planting more.

—————————–

For Doug Tallamy’s list of woody plants supporting butterfly and moth caterpillars, click here.

Trees and Shrubs on Edie’s Property
Botanical Name	Common Name	Wildlife Value
*Trees*
Acer rubrum	Red Maple	L, F
Aesculus pavia	Red Buckeye	L, N
Amelanchier canadensis	Serviceberry/ Juneberry	L. F
Asimina triloba	Pawpaw	L, F
Betula lenta, B. nigra	Sweet Birch, River Birch	L, F
Celtis occidentalis	Hackberry	L, F
Cercis canadensis	Eastern Redbud	L, N
Cornus alternifolia, C.florida	Pagoda Dogwood, Flowering Dogwood	L, F
Ilex opaca	American Holly	L, F
Juniperus virginiana	Eastern Red Cedar	L, F
Liriodendron tulipifera	Tulip Poplar	L, N, F
Magnolia virginiana	Sweetbay Magnolia	L
Nyssa sylvatica	Black Gum/ Tupelo	L, F
Pinus strobus	Eastern White Pine	L, F
Prunus serotina	Black Cherry	L, F
Quercus alba,Q. coccinea, Q. pinus, Q. rubra	White Oak, Scarlet Oak, Chestnut Oak, Red Oak	L, F
Sassafras albidum	Sassafras	L, F
Tsuga canadensis	Eastern Hemlock	L,F
Shrubs
Aronia melanocarpa.	Black Chokeberry	L, F
Clethra alnifolia	Sweet Pepperbush	N
Cornus racemosa, C. amonum	Gray Dogwood, Silky Dogwood	L, N, F
Hydrangea arborescens, H. quercifolia	Wild Hydrangea, Oakleaf Hydrangea	N
Ilex verticillata	Winterberry Holly	F
Myrica pensylvanica	Bayberry	L, F
Rosa virginiana	Wild or Pasture Rose	L, F
Sambucus canadensis	American Elder	L, F, N
Vaccinium corymbosum	Highbush Blueberry	L, F, N
Viburnum dentatum, V. lentago,V. nudum, V. prunifolium	Arrowwood Viburnum, Nannyberry, Possumhaw, Black Haw	L, F
L = Leaves support moth and butterfly caterpillars and other leaf-eating insects that are eaten by birds
N = Nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators
F = Food products such as berries, seeds, nuts, buds, and pollen for birds, mammals, and pollinators

Places to buy native plants:

A Magnificent Moth

Posted on June 7, 2012 by barb

by Barb Elliot

When I was a ten year old kid I “saved” a Polyphemus moth my father had almost accidentally killed while pruning our hedge. Actually, I didn’t save it—in truth, quite the opposite. I captured it and put it into a collecting jar. After it died I mounted and framed it. Enamored with butterflies and moths, I then hung it in my bedroom along with the rest of my collection. Over the years I have displayed this beautiful, six-inch moth in my various homes. However, I never saw one in the wild again until this spring – more than 50 years later.

Male Polyphemus Moth (Dan Mackinnon @ fcps.edu)

On May 20th, a spectacular male Polyphemus moth just like that first one emerged from a cocoon in my yard. I had discovered the large cocoon hanging from a Spicebush twig in early March. I couldn’t tell what type of moth might be overwintering in the cocoon, but I checked it often, hoping to see what would emerge.

: Cocoon in my yard, 3/7/2012

When the time came, I almost missed it because it hung several inches from the cocoon, which appeared to be intact except for a small hole in the top. As the moth hung among the leaves, only the under wings, which look like dead leaves, were visible. I would have liked to see the more striking upper sides of the wings, but did not disturb it for a better look. This moth was to remain completely free — and in fact it was gone by the next day.

: Newly emerged Polyphemus Moth in my yard, 5/20/12

It likely flew off that night in hot pursuit of a female, using its large, feathery antenna to detect the powerful sex hormone scents (pheromones) a female emits to attract a mate. Polyphemus males can detect and fly to females that are miles away. The moths survive for about a week, living only to mate and lay eggs. In fact, the adults don’t have mouthparts and can’t eat or drink.

A Polyphemus caterpillar, however, is an eating machine.

: Polyphemus moth late stage caterpillar (buglifecycle.com)

In the five to six weeks it takes until it is ready to pupate and spin its cocoon, it increases its weight by more than 10,000 times and grows to three inches long and ¾ inch in diameter. The caterpillar then wraps itself in a leaf and encases itself in silk thread spun from its mouth or it may crawl down and spin its cocoon on the ground. A cocoon wrapped in a leaf may stay on the tree or shrub all winter as “mine” did, or it may fall to the ground in the autumn. This is an important reason not to rake up the leaves that fall under your trees and shrubs.

As a result of their nocturnal habits and since so few make it to adulthood, not many of us ever get to see these beautiful creatures. Birds and mammals search out the protein-rich caterpillars, and few caterpillars escape the many parasites that prey on them. If you provide host plants that the caterpillars eat, you can increase your chances of seeing one and help to increase their chances of survival. Polyphemus moth caterpillars eat the leaves of a variety of native trees, including Oaks (Quercus), Maple (Acer), Birches (Betula), Hickories (Carya), Walnut (Juglans), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), and American Elm (Ulmus americana). I’m not sure which of these plants “my” caterpillar ate, as I have five of these species in my yard.

The Polyphemus moth is in the family of large showy silk moths native to southeastern Pennsylvania. Others species include the Cecropia (the largest moth in North America), Luna, Io, Imperial, Promethea, Tuliptree, Rosy Maple, and Royal Walnut Moth. These moths also eat a variety of native trees and shrubs that would make great additions to a yard.

One last thing you can do to help the Polyphemus and other moths survive and reproduce successfully is to keep outdoor lights turned off as much as possible. Any lights at night can “capture” moths, interrupt their search for mates, exhaust them, and make them easy targets for predators.

: Newly emerged Polyphemus Moth with cocoon, 5/20/12

I hope you too may have the exciting experience of seeing a Polyphemus or one of the other showy silk moths in your yard!

Create a Living Legacy: Plant an Oak

Posted on May 17, 2012 by barb

By Edie Parnum

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Planting an oak is the single most important thing we can do to support wildlife.

As a birder who loves spring migration, I have long noticed that my beloved warblers and other colorful birds prefer the native oak trees. On May mornings, just when their foliage is emerging, I scan the oaks. That’s where I find American Redstarts, Blackburnian Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers and other favorites in their resplendent spring plumage. Only recently have I learned why these birds are in the oaks. I credit Doug Tallamy, Professor of Entomology at the University of Delaware and author of Bringing Nature Home. Oaks, according to Tallamy, support 534 species of lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) caterpillars– more than any other native tree or plant. These caterpillars are not only the primary food source for migrating and breeding birds, but are essential food for baby birds. Other native plants support caterpillars, too, but non-native plants host very few at all.

Double-lined Prominent caterpillars can be found on oaks. Photo by Jon Rapp

I’ve always known that acorns are important food for turkeys, woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches, squirrels, chipmunks and other animals. However, birds and other animals are even more dependent on the insects that munch on the oak leaves. According to Tallamy, in addition to myriad lepidoptera species, oaks host aphids, leafhoppers, thrips, and other bugs–all target foods for animals throughout each growing season.

Professional landscapers may try to dissuade you from planting an oak. They’ll tell you it grows too big for the average-sized yard, though most yards are big enough to support a full-sized mature oak.

Eastern Bluebird with caterpillar to feed its young. Photo by Jake Dingel, PA Game Commission.

Perhaps, without any sense of irony, they will say that an oak will grow too slowly. Certainly most oaks will be small for many years, but even young trees will support lots of insects.

While there are many local, native oaks to choose from, the handsome White Oak (Quercus alba) is my personal favorite. From my childhood days in Salem County, NJ, I have fond memories of a nearby magnificent, ancient White Oak. John Fenwick, an early settler, signed a treaty with the Lenape Indians in 1676 under this tree, now approximately 425 years old. This species grows slowly (about a foot per year), but can live for centuries.

White Oak, Quercus alba, Edie's favorite oak

Other recommended oak species include Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea), Chestnut Oak (Q. montana), RedOak (Q. rubra), and Black Oak (Q. velutina). These oaks are available at native plant nurseries and native plants sales. Since oaks have long tap roots, choose a small specimen (4’ or less) or grow your own from an acorn. Because they are adapted to our soils and climate, no fertilizer or other amendments are needed. However, regular watering during the first year helps the root system get established.

An oak is your personal legacy. Your oak can live for centuries. It will host an inestimable number of birds, insects, and other wildlife during your own lifetime and for generations to come.

Sources of Native Plants

Native Plant Sales

How to Help Pollinators

Provide Food

Plant:

¨ A variety of nectar- and pollen-rich native plants. Strive for 8 or more species.

¨ Perennials in clusters, preferably 5 or more of a single species, so plants are easily found.

¨ For a succession of blooms from early spring through late fall.

¨ Natives with different flower shapes for pollinators or varied sizes, shapes, and tongue lengths.

¨ Host plants for butterflies and moths.

Buy plants at local native plant retailers or where sellers identify whether plants are pre-treated with systemic pesticides such as neonicotinoids.

Remove invasive plants so they crowd out natives

Provide nesting and overwintering sites

Leave:

¨ Areas of bare soil in sunny, well-drained spots.

¨ Stumps, logs on the ground, dead branches and trees.

¨ Leaf litter for over-wintering butterflies, moths, beetles and their larvae or pupae

¨ Stems of perennials standing from fall through late winter

Provide artificial nest sites, e.g., a wooden bee block or a bundle of stems or paper straws. Every 2 years replace or clean with a 3:1 water-bleach solution. Click here for more info.

Build a “pollinator condo”. Click here for “how to info” or here for inspirational examples.

Provide water

Add a shallow dish with sloped sides for easy entry and exit

Keep an area of soil moist or muddy for butterflies and other pollinators that forage for minerals and salts in soil

Prevent pesticide poisoning

Don’t use pesticides, but especially avoid neonicotinoids. Click here for a list of common brands containing neonics.

Don’t apply herbicides or fungicides to lawn or beds with nest sites or pollinator plants

Other Ways to Help Pollinators

Make a commitment to protect pollinators by getting your yard certified as a pollinator habitat and posting a sign. See The Xerces Society’s “Bring Back the Pollinators” campaign

Become a citizen scientist to help scientists track pollinator populations, such as by reporting sightings of bumble bees to Bumble Bee Watch or other species to Project Noah

Bloodroot

Sanguinaria canadensis

White

April

6-8”

Dry to moist

Part shade to shade

Golden Ragwort

Packera aurea

Yellow

April-May

1-2’

Moist to wet

Part shade to shade

Host plant. Deer resistant

Jacob’s Ladder

Polemonium reptans

Blue

April-May

8-15”

Moist

Part shade to shade

Deer resistant

Wild Geraniium

Geranium maculatum

Pink – purple

April-May

1-3’

Moist to dry

Part sun to shade

Host plant. Deer resistant

False Solomon’s Seal

Maianthemum racemosum

White-cream

May

12-24”

Moist to dry

Part shade to shade

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

Polygonatum biflorum

White -light yellow

May-June

2-4’

Moist to dry

Part sun

Deer resistant

Wild Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

Red

May-June

1-3’