{"id":1393,"date":"2015-04-22T01:47:22","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T01:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1393"},"modified":"2015-07-19T20:30:41","modified_gmt":"2015-07-19T20:30:41","slug":"prime-plants-for-nature-backyards-for-nature-2015-native-plant-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1393","title":{"rendered":"Prime Plants for Nature: Backyards for Nature 2015 Native Plant Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Each year we select two native plant species with exceptional ability to support wildlife.\u00a0 These plants will contribute significantly to the web of life in your yard.\u00a0 They host insects, offer nectar and pollen, and produce fruits, seeds, or nuts.\u00a0 Birds, butterflies, and other insects and animals will feed and prosper.\u00a0 The Prime Plants will provide shelter and nesting places, too.\u00a0 Our selections, all native to southeastern Pennsylvania, are easy to grow and will make attractive additions to your landscape.\u00a0 They are readily available at native plant nurseries<\/a> or native plant sales<\/a>. We offer awards in two categories: Trees and Shrubs <\/strong>and Perennials.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our selections for the 2015 Prime Plants for Nature Awards are:<\/p>\n

River Birch, Betula nigra \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"River<\/a>

River Birch (Betula nigra) is an attractive medium-sized tree. Wikimedia image – Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Wildlife Value<\/strong>: This medium-sized deciduous tree has exceptional wildlife value. \u00a0According to Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants<\/em>, it hosts 411 species of moths and butterflies whose caterpillars eat the foliage. The caterpillars include butterflies such as Mourning Cloak and moths including Luna, Io, Polyphemus, and Cecropia.<\/p>\n

\"River<\/a>

River Birch host caterpillars of the Mourning Cloak butterfly. \u00a0Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Birds in turn feed on these caterpillars, especially during spring migration and the summer breeding season. \u00a0In the fall and winter, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, and other birds eat the birch seeds.\u00a0 Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, and others search the loose bark for insects and<\/p>\n

\"Luna<\/a>

Luna Moth caterpillars eat the foliage of River Birch. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

spiders.\u00a0 The tree offers shelter and nesting places for birds as well.<\/p>\n

Growing Conditions:<\/strong> River Birch is a long-lived tree that grows in a variety of conditions.\u00a0It thrives in moist soil but will tolerate moderately dry soil, too. \u00a0Plant it in light shade to sun.<\/p>\n

\"Birches<\/a>

Birches host Polyphemus Moth caterpillars. \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Appearance:<\/strong> This deciduous tree is an attractive and graceful medium-sized tree.\u00a0 It grows quickly (1.5 to 3 feet per year) and reaches 75 feet at maturity.\u00a0 The exfoliating bark offers visual interest in all seasons.<\/p>\n

\"River<\/a>

River Birch tree trunks have attractive exfoliating bark. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wildlife Value: <\/strong>This lovely perennial is a magnet for pollinators.\u00a0The flowers produce<\/p>\n

\"Wild<\/a>

Wild Bergamot is an attractive summer-blooming perennial. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

copious\u00a0nectar and pollen, so butterflies, bees, wasps, flies, and even hummingbirds love it. \u00a0Because it blooms for many weeks with new flowers emerging continuously, it can host thousands of visits by pollinators each season.\u00a0 By growing Wild<\/p>\n

\"Eastern<\/a>

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on Wild Bergamot. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bergamot in your yard, you can introduce children to pollination and teach them not to be afraid of bees and wasps.<\/p>\n

\"Wild<\/a>

Wild Bergamot attracts a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Growing Conditions:\u00a0 <\/strong>Wild Bergamot is a trouble-free perennial that grows in sun or part shade in soil that ranges from moist to dry. It spreads underground by root-like rhizomes.\u00a0 If the plant gets oversized, the rhizomes are easy to pull up.\u00a0 Or, you can dig out clumpsand plant them elsewhere in your garden or give them to<\/p>\n

\"Bumblebees<\/a>

Bumblebees use nectar and pollen of Wild Bergamot. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

other gardeners.\u00a0 If mildew is troublesome, give it extra room for air circulation. A member of the mint family, it is highly deer resistant.<\/p>\n

Appearance:\u00a0 <\/strong>The summer flowers range from lavender to pink.\u00a0 The plant grows 3-4 feet high and spreads to 24-36 inches wide.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The closely related Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma) attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators, too. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Edie Parnum Each year we select two native plant species with exceptional ability to support wildlife.\u00a0 These plants will contribute significantly to the web of life in your yard.\u00a0 They host insects, offer nectar and pollen, and produce fruits, … 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":[118,95,60,120,5,117,119],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393"}],"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=1393"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1413,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393\/revisions\/1413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}