{"id":1160,"date":"2014-05-05T19:57:54","date_gmt":"2014-05-05T19:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2014-05-05T19:59:58","modified_gmt":"2014-05-05T19:59:58","slug":"prime-plants-for-nature-backyards-for-nature-2014-native-plant-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1160","title":{"rendered":"Prime Plants for Nature: Backyards for Nature 2014 Native Plant Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Edie Parnum<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>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. \u00a0Most provide shelter and nesting places, too.\u00a0 Our selections, all native to southeastern Pennsylvania, are easy to grow and readily available at native plant nurseries<\/a> or native plant sales<\/a>. Our Prime Plants make attractive additions to your landscape. \u00a0We offer awards in two categories: Trees and Shrubs <\/b>and Perennials.<\/b><\/p>\n

Our selections for the 2014 Prime Plants for Nature Awards are:<\/p>\n

Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana<\/i><\/strong><\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Wildlife Value<\/b><\/span>:<\/span> This small evergreen tree is a powerhouse for nature.\u00a0 Yellow-rumped<\/p>\n

\"Cedar<\/a>

Cedar Waxwing Eating Cedar Cones. Photo \u00a9 Howard Eskin. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

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. \u00a0Cedar Waxwings areso-named because they\u2019re 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. \u00a0Song Sparrows and other<\/p>\n

\"Juniper<\/a>

Juniper Hairstreak. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Pippen. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

birds use the dense foliage for nesting places and shelter. Don\u2019t be tempted to buy the similar-looking Leyland Cypress, a non-native that offers little for wildlife.<\/p>\n

Growing Conditions:<\/b><\/span> The Eastern Red Cedar tolerates a wide variety of soils and dry to moist growing conditions.\u00a0 It prefers a sunny spot. These trees are either male or female.\u00a0 Only the female trees produce fruits, but you\u2019ll also need a male for pollination.<\/p>\n

\"Screech<\/a>

Screech Owl in Barb’s Eastern Red Cedar. Photo \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

By planting at least three of these trees, you will enhance their wildlife value.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Appearance:<\/b><\/span> This evergreen has a pleasing conical shape.\u00a0 It grows at a moderate rate (1-2 feet per year) and reaches 15-40 feet at maturity.<\/p>\n

\"Eastern<\/a>

Eastern Red Cedar Trees.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Short-toothed Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum muticum<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wildlife Value: <\/b><\/span>This perennial is a magnet for pollinators.\u00a0 Butterflies, bees, wasps, and flies are attracted to the copious nectar and pollen this lovely plant produces.\u00a0 Because it<\/p>\n

\"Red-banded<\/a>

Red-banded Hairstreak nectaring on Mountain Mint. Photo \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

flowers over a long period of time, it may host thousands of visits by pollinators each season.\u00a0 With this plant in your yard, you can introduce children to pollination and teach them not to be afraid of bees and wasps.<\/p>\n

Growing Conditions:<\/span>\u00a0Mountain 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\u2019s easy to transplant and share with other native plant gardeners.\u00a0 This perennial is deer-resistant, too.<\/p>\n

Appearance:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Mountain Mint grows to about 3-feet tall.\u00a0 Although the numerous flowers are small and inconspicuous, the foliage is an attractive silvery grey.\u00a0 The leaves complement other brightly colored flowers in the garden and in flower arrangements, too. This plant\u2019s attractiveness is enhanced by the beautiful butterflies and other pollinating insects that visit.<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Mountain-Mint-Movie-1-published1.wmv<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Video \u00a9 Barb Elliot. \u00a0Pollinators visiting Short-toothed Mountain Mint. \u00a0To see pollinator activity, click on symbol in lower right for full-screen view. \u00a0 Then click play symbol in lower left. \u00a0May take several seconds to load. \u00a0Turn on speakers for audio.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plant these and other Backyards for Nature<\/i> Prime Plants, and nature will flourish abundantly in your yard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[27,8,48,15,72,24,74,77,73,5,46,76,43,78,75,9],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1160"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1194,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions\/1194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}