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Ecological Gardening: Native Plants and Pollinators

How gardening with native plants can help SUSTAIN the environment – and be a whole lotta’ fun!

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Ecological Gardening Presentation Outline:

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A. Preview of native plants! B. Overview: native, exotic, etc. C. Weeds D. Gardening for native pollinators E. Gardening with native plants

• What are some of our locally native plants?

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Locally Native Trees

Conifers:

• Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) • Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) • Incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) • Grand Fir (Abies grandis)

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Hardwoods: • Oregon White Oak & California Black Oak (Quercus

garryana & Q. kelloggii) • Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) • Pacific Willow (Salix lasiandra var. lasiandra) • Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia) • Black Cottonwood (“Poplar” in East Coast lexicon;

Populus trichocarpa) • Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana) • Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata var. mollis) • Red and White Alder (Alnus rubra & A. rhombifolia) • Suksdorf’s Hawthorn (Crataegus suksdorfii) • Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)

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Locally Native Shrubs

• Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa)

• Tall Oregongrape (Berberis aquifolium aka Mahonia aquifolium in nursery trade)

• Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana)

• Vine Maple (Acer circinatum)

• Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)

• Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum), etc.

• Scouler’s Willow (Salix scouleriana)

• any more! See NPSO booklet.

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Locally Native Herbaceous Plants

• Forbs

• Graminoids

• Ferns, Horsetails, Clubmosses

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Herbs, con’t.

• The next series of slides shows some of the lesser-known native herbs that have potential for landscaping/gardening use.

• Many are not yet obtainable. Start asking for them!

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Pacific Houndstongue Cynoglossum grande

Lupines Many-Leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus);

Riverbank Lupine (Lupinus rivularis)

Checkermallows Rosy Checkermallow

(Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata)

Cusick’s Checkermallow (Sidalcea cusickii)

Milkweeds Asclepias speciosa

& A. fascicularis

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Rosy Plectritis Plectritis congesta

Blue Gilia Gilia capitata

Wild Onion Allium amplectens & A. acuminatum

Oregon Geranium Geranium oreganum

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Woodland Phacelia Phacelia nemoralis

Lovage Ligusticum apiifolium

Fernleaf Lomatium Lomatium dissectum

Western Waterleaf Hydrophyllum occidentale

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Blue- or Purple-

Eyed “Grass” Sisyrinchium bellum,

S. idahoense

Yarrow Achillea millefolium

California Tea

Rupertia physodes Clarkia or Farewell-to-Spring

Clarkia amoena

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Tall & Oregon Larkspurs Delphinium trolliifolium & oreganum

Oregon Sunshine Eriophyllum lanatum

Narrow-leaved

Milkweed

Asclepias fascicularis Showy Daisy

Erigeron speciosus

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Hooker’s Catchfly Silene hookeri

Large-flowered Collomia Collomia grandiflora

Thermopsis Thermopsis gracilis

Canada Goldenrod

Solidago canadensis

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Douglas’ Aster

Symphyotrichum

subspicatum Blue-eyed Mary Collinsia grandiflora

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Mad Dog Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora

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Pacific and Sessile Trillium Trillium ovatum and T. albidum

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Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa

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Scouler’s Corydalis Corydalis scouleri

B. OVERVIEW

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OVERVIEW

• What do “ecosystem,” “habitat” and “ecology” mean?

• What is an “ecoregion” and why does it matter?

• What are examples of “habitats” and how does it apply to my garden?

• What do “native” and “non-native” mean?

• How do I find out what is native?

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• What do “ecosystem,” “habitat” and “ecology” mean?

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• An “ecosystem” = all living things in a broad, similar vegetation type (e.g., a “coniferous forest ecosystem”); could be world-wide!

• “Ecology” = the study of those relationships

• “Habitat” = several meanings, but most often a specific place where certain wildlife species live

• “Habitat” can be applied as a gardening term, e.g., “I created a meadow habitat in my garden.”

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What is an “ecoregion” and why does it matter?

• A geographical area with unique soils and climate, and because of that, unique “assemblage” of vegetation and wildlife

• Oregon has 9 ecoregions

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Each ecoregion has numerous ecosystems within it. For example, “conifer forest.”

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Ecoregions are different from this widely used Plant Hardiness Zone Map, based solely on minimum winter temperatures.

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If you landscape with plants that are native to your ecoregion, you provide those plants a place to continue to exist and you provide sustenance to native wildlife that evolved with those plants. In other words – you sustain your ecoregion’s uniqueness!

What do “native” and “non-native” mean?

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• Lots of synonyms:

• Native = indigenous

• Non-native = exotic, introduced, alien

• Endemic = native to a certain area only

• Every plant is:

• native to somewhere, or

• native to somewhere, then modified through horticulture, or

• so modified that it has no specific geographic origin

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• A plant of a place that has naturally evolved in that place.

• SCALE: native to large area vs. locally native

• FUNCTION: a locally native organism has co-evolved functional roles with partners over many thousands of years (e.g.: Kincaid’s Lupine/FBB; hummingbirds/flowers, truffles/flying squirrels)

• HABITAT: site-adapted or site-appropriate native

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Native – concepts:

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Native plant + horticultural manipulation = aesthetically pleasing, convenient, addresses specific need

-BUT- Can also mean loss of ecological function (e.g., loss of nectar, change of color)

• brought to new areas deliberately (for ornamental use or pasture); some “hitchhiked”

• have not co-evolved, so lack functional interdependence

• may (usually)offer some benefits

• may tolerate (or even thrive) in new climate/soils

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What are non-natives? • The distinction between “native” and

“non-native” in a few cases is not clear

• Plants moved historically as climate changed; what will happen in the future as climate changes and plant movement now is blocked?

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• Native or non-native in Lane County? Bedstraw or Cleavers, Galium aparine)

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• Native or non-native in Lane County?

Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea

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• How can I find out what is native?

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• The Oregon Flora Project online Gallery or downloadable Checklist are the best sources to consult for nativeness to Oregon

• The OFP Atlas is the best source for any native or naturalized species distribution in Oregon

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OFP occurrence map of: Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena ssp. lindleyi)

• For local, Southern Willamette Valley nativity, consult this table:

Native Plants of the Southern Willamette Valley: a Resource List for Homeowners and Professionals

• This table is on the MG web site (or Salix Associates/Resources) as a download; large; best suited for use electronically

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Southern Willamette Valley Native Plant Data Table

Names follow Vascular Plants of Lane County: an Annotated Checklist

(Simpson et al. 2002), and the Oregon Flora Project (Cook & Sundberg eds. 2011).

Bold font plants highly recommended.

© Bruce Newhouse: Ver. 2012-09-06 Light Moisture

Gro

wth

Eve

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en

Values

Pro

pag

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n

Scarce, Occasional, Common, Abundant - by

Native Habitats

Latin name Common name SN PS SH D A W Birds Hummer

s B-fly

Nectar B-fly Host

Native Poll.

Flowers /Fruits

Leaves Ground Cover

Tall Grd. Cover

Fore

st, U

plan

d

Fore

st, R

ipar

ian

Fore

st, W

etla

nd

Fore

st G

aps

& E

dges

Sava

nna,

Oak

etc

.

Prai

rie,

Upl

and

Prai

rie,

Wet

land

Shru

b U

plan

d

Shru

b W

etla

nd

Mar

sh

Aqu

atic

Roc

ks &

Cob

bles

Rock

Out

crop

s

Dis

turb

ed

TREES

Abies grandis Grand Fir PS SH D A A E H S S S S

Acer macrophyllum Bigleaf Maple SN PS SH D A F B N H P S C A S

Alnus rhombifolia White Alder PS A F H ? C S

Alnus rubra Red Alder SN PS A F H ? C O S

Arbutus menziesii Madrone SN PS D A A E B H N H P F L S O S S

Calocedrus decurrens Incense-Cedar PS SH D A A E H L S O O S

Chrysolepis chrysophylla var. chrysophylla Golden Chinquapin SN D A A E B H ? L U S S S

Cornus nuttallii Pacific Dogwood PS SH A A ? H ? F C O S O

Crataegus suksdorfii Suksdorf's Hawthorn SN PS A W A B ? ? S O O S O S

Fraxinus latifolia Oregon Ash SN PS A W A H S O A S O O

Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa Ponderosa Pine SN PS D A A E H L S O S O S

Prunus emarginata var. mollis Bitter Cherry SN PS A A B ? N H ? F S S S S

Prunus virginiana var. demissa Chokecherry SN A A B N H P F S,C? O S S S S

Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii Douglas-Fir SN PS D A A E H S A C O O O

• Get familiar with these sources, get to know your local area.

• Take your time.

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C. WEEDS

*BREAK?*

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B. WEEDS

• What are escaped, waif, naturalized and

invasive plants?

• What are the differences between “garden weeds” and “ecological weeds?”

• How are invasive, ecological weeds dealt with?

• How can I avoid accidentally introducing an invasive species from my garden that might invade native habitats?

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• What are escaped, waif, naturalized and invasive plants?

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• “Escaped” refers to any exotic plant

that moves out of a cultivated area into an uncultivated area. Can be into an adjacent area (e.g. Periwinkle, Vinca major, spreads vegetatively); or distant area (ex.: English Holly, Ilex aquifolium, spread by birds); or one of the Giant Knotweeds (Fallopia spp.: bird, wind or water spread).

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• “Waifs” are plants that escape but do not survive long outside of cultivation. E.g., Jimson Weed, (Datura stramonium) in highway construction areas [NOTE: CHANGING!], or Bull Thistle, (Cirsium vulgare), in clearcuts.

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• “Naturalized” plants are non-native

plants that escape cultivation and persist. They reproduce successfully, and become long time residents. They cannot “become” native, as they did not co-evolve over thousands of years with all the native plants and other kinds of life around them and do not have the full range of functions that native plants do. But they may have some.

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• “Invasive” plants are escaped plants that outcompete native plants and they change habitat

• “Invasion” by native species is uncommon, and often is called “encroachment”

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• What is the difference between a “garden weed” and an “ecological weed?”

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• Garden weeds are unwanted plants that affect cultivation. They are incoming to a garden, and usually are non-native.

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• Ecological weeds, in relation to gardening, are cultivated, ornamental plants which affect native habitats when they are outgoing from a garden to a natural area.

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• Escaping garden plants almost never are seen escaping from the source because they are controlled on site by cultivation.

• Escaping invasives also may cause economic damage: recreation, commercial fishing, etc.

• See the online Emerald Chapter NPSO Invasive Ornamental Plants List.

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Emerald Chapter, Native Plant Society of Oregon invasives list criteria

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Emerald Chapter, Native Plant Society of Oregon invasives list sample

• Many escaped ornamentals that became invasive were not invasive originally, but became so later because they found a better habitat, changed genetically, or simply went slow before increasing fast. Many become weeds quickly because of “enemy release.”

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• If they produce seed (reproduce sexually), non-invasive plants may change (mutate) & become invasive

• Some invasiveness is predictable,

some is not.

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Invasiveness – concepts:

• How are invasive, ecological weeds dealt with?

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• EDRR (Early Detection, Rapid Response)

• In natural areas, where habitat values decline, invasives are treated in many ways

• Use of herbicides often is necessary

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• In publicly-owned natural areas, control of ecological weeds requires use of public funds (tax dollars).

• On private lands, landowner money and work is required.

• Prevention is least costly.

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• Government regulation often is too late: reactive, not proactive.

• Regulation can conflict with business interests.

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• How can I avoid accidentally planting an invasive species in my garden that could impact wider areas?

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1) Use locally-sourced native plants (source = origin = provenance);

2) Sourced from within same ecoregion;

3) Use plant from elsewhere, or horticulturally-derived plants, that are not invasive

4) Watch carefully if plants reproduce

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In order of importance:

What are some of the plants known

to escape from local gardens and invade native habitats?

• Consult your copy of the Emerald Chapter NPSO invasive ornamentals list

• Some are listed by the ODA, and some of those listed plants are quarantined (cannot be sold); generally happens after a plant has become problematic. See: http://cms.oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/WEEDS/Pages/index.aspx

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• In what ways can native plants be used?

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• “Restoration”

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UO ELP students on Mohawk River 86

Floodplain restoration: Pisgah

• Farming, to produce natives for restoration or landscaping uses

• Farming, on borders or between rows where natives may be planted to provide a boost to pollination (go to the Oregon Field Guide web site, and search for the show on “native bumblebees”)

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• Parks and schools, public gardens, stormwater features, rooftop gardens

• Native landscaping and gardening

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Native garden tour sign

D. GARDENING FOR POLLINATORS

*STRETCH!*

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C. GARDENING FOR POLLINATORS

• What is pollination?

• What kinds of native animals pollinate native plants in our area?

• What about European honey bees?

• What about native bees?

• How are pollinators and native plants connected?

• Who are some of our local pollinators?

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Visit The Xerces Society web site & buy this great book!

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• What is pollination?

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• Pollination is transfer of male pollen to female stigma/ovary.

• Some plants do this within a single flower without “help” = selfers.

• In contrast, “outcrossers” need a pollen-mover.

• Successful pollination = fruits/seeds.

• Insects pollinate because they seek nectar, pollen, or both (or occasionally other flower parts); hummers seek nectar.

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• What kinds of native animals pollinate native plants in our area?

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• Native bees, flies, moths and butterflies, and beetles; and birds such as hummingbirds and occasionally other birds or wildlife.

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Red-flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum

Hummingbird plants Red Columbine Aquilegia formosa

Tall Larkspur Delphinium trolliifolium

Orange Honeysuckle Lonicera ciliosa

• Bumble, Carpenter & Honey (Apidae)

• Mining (Andrenidae) • Sweat (Halictidae) • Leafcutter & Mason (Megachilidae)

• Polyester (Colletidae) • Cuckoo

Primary Pollinators: Bees!

•European Honey Bees

• Well-known here

• Imported over 400 years ago to N. Am.

• Important as agricultural pollinators and honey producers

• A few other bees also imported

• European Honey Bees are not functional natives in the Willamette Valley (or N. America) – i.e., like any other introduced species, they did not co-evolve here with other species (National Research Council 2007; Mader et al. 2011).

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• European Honey Bees best when many pollinators needed in a very short time

• Necessary when honey is desired; no native bees produce extra honey as honey bees do

• The closest relatives in N. Am. to European Honey Bees are bumble bees

• European Honey Bees can supplement native plant pollination if in small numbers.

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• European Honey Bees escape (“swarm”), and can naturalize (aka “go feral”)

• Feral European Honey Bees are expanding from lowland areas into mountain meadows

• Feral European Honey Bees occupy tree cavities

• Some swarms caught by beekeepers; an occasional call comes to the MG Hotline seeking help with a swarm. Collection by beekeepers can help prevent the above from happening.

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• Previous beliefs being modified somewhat by recent research

• Native pollinators can decline from European Honey Bee competition if a new hive or swarm settles nearby (National Research Council 2007; Goulson 2003, Goulson & Sparrow 2008).

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Feral European Honey Bees in bird box

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• Bumble bees are the major pollinators of blueberries and used commercially in tomato greenhouses.

• Blue Orchard Bees more efficient at pollinating apples: 250 Blue Orchard / Mason Bees can do an acre, vs. 1 to 2 European Honey Bee hives (around 40,000 – 100,000 bees) (Mader et al. 2011).

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• Because European Honey Bees live in large colonies, they are more subject to pathogens (e.g., Verroa mites; Mader et al. 2011).

• Colony Collapse Disorder still being worked on: may have a pesticide element, and may be complex.

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• What about native bees?

• There are about 4k species of native bees in N. America; locally, hundreds.

• Many local, native bumble bee species live in small colonies for one season.

• The other 3/4 of native species live as solitary nesters.

• 2/3 of those nest in ground, 1/3 nest in holes in wood.

• Some are managed as pollinators but not in hives: Orchard Mason Bee, several bumblebees, etc. See: Managing Alternative Pollinators (Mader et al. 2010).

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Mining Bee (Andrena sp.)

Orchard Mason Bee (Osmia sp.)

Yellow-faced Bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii)

Metallic Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens)

Solitary Bee Ground Nests

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Metallic Green Sweat Bee Agapostemon virescens

Nesting hole of Metallic Green Sweat Bee

Illustration: USDA

What it might look like underground…

Blue Miner or Orchard Mason

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The next time you have 10 minutes available, go on line to Oregon Field Guide and search on “Native Bumblebees.” Great video!

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• How are pollinators and native plants connected?

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• About 1/3 of food plants require insect pollination.

• About 2/3 of native plants do.

• Some native plants need certain pollinators. And vice-versa.

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• Some native plants may just “hang on”

for years and not reproduce without their pollinators (Moldenke, OSU, pers. comm.)

• Some pollinators (i.e., butterflies and moths) are specialists in their need for larval host plants.

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Who are some of our local pollinators?

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• In general order of importance: bees, bee flies, wasps, moths and butterflies, beetles and ants, hummingbirds, other birds

• Pollinators can be generalists (many flowers), intermediates (e.g., concentrating on a plant Family) or specialists

• European Honey Bee is a generalist pollinator

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• Generalists more adaptable to wide range of species, including non-native plants

• Specialists more directly tied to certain native plants

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Yellow-faced Bumblebee Bombus vosnesenskii

California Bumblebee Bombus fervidus

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Green Metallic Sweat Bee Agapostemon virescens

European Honeybee Apis mellifera

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Black-rumped Bumblebee Bombus melanopygus

Fuzzy-horned (or Mixed) Bumblebee Bombus mixtus

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Bee Fly Bombylius sp.

Flower Fly Serphidae

E. GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS

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D. GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS

• Why garden with local natives, and how can it enhance my garden?

• How can I get started gardening more ecologically?

• What are some of our locally native plants? • Where can I buy native plants, and are there

other ways I can get them? • What kind of care does a native garden need? • Can native plants and non-natives coexist in a

garden, and why might somebody want that?

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• Why garden with local natives and how can it enhance my garden?

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• Locally native species are the “nature” of the southern Willamette Valley

• Helps to maintain local, viable populations

• Locally native pollinators can provide excellent pollination for farms and gardens

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• Locally native plants can provide maximum food for invertebrates (Tallamy 2009).

• On up the food chain, invertebrates provide maximum food for birds and other vertebrates (Tallamy 2009).

• Locally native species are adapted to our climate and soils (if planted in right habitat).

• Non-native species are not as good in these regards (although some may be good at a particular one), and may present a risk of invasion.

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• Can be diverse, exciting to look at

• Can be water-wise (drought-tolerant), especially if drought is tolerated by you!

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How can I get started gardening more ecologically?

• Learn the native plants in your area (the southern Willamette Valley).

• Observe your garden growing conditions

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Read this great book by

Douglas Tallamy

• Make a garden plan:

- Minimize lawn

- Think diversity of native plant patches

- Increase native host and nectar plants

- Plan for full season flowering

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Flowers throughout the season!

• Buy and plant the locally-propagated, locally native plants that will attract pollinators in your area.

• Don’t cut back dead stems of native perennials until spring; if you do in some areas, bundle and set aside

• Rethink tidiness

• Don‘t use pesticides in your garden!

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Bundled plant stems 136

Where can I see and buy native plants, and are

there other ways I can get them?

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• Look at the public native gardens: - Hendricks Park (native garden portion) - UO Mus. of Cultural & Natural History • Buy them at native plant sales or from

native plant vendors • Always ask where they were obtained

(origin, provenance); not what nursery, but the actual place

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• Some of the best sales: Friends of Buford Park/Mt. Pisgah (very local); Mt. Pisgah Arboretum (varying sources and no records for their large, sale tables; ask vendors the origin)

• Native plant nurseries here, and up

the Valley to Salem (Doak Creek, Trillium Gardens, etc.)

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• You can collect native seed, but best to hire someone who knows where to find plants and how to obtain permissions

• If you collect seed, or have it collected, you may wish to have someone experienced start perennials; annuals start well just tossed on open soil in winter, scratched in

• A few perennials better started from stolons or rhizomes (e.g., Broadpetal or Woods strawberries)

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What kind of care does a native garden need?

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• It can vary a lot; it mostly depends on “the look” you want

• Plants need some “babying” to get established: water through the first season

• Then let them follow natural cycles, “tough love” with little water, fertilizer needed

• If you want longer flowering and longer green seasons, irrigate, but understand where the water is coming from and the impacts

• If you want perennials to be more compact, some may need pruning

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• Our locally native plants are adapted to

“browning out” in the summer, but our tastes are not

• Unwanted weeds will infiltrate, so weeding is needed (like any garden!)

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… means nothing to offer pollinators, or

any wildlife other than crows or starlings!

Too tidy…

Tidy, but almost no values for pollinators

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…a feast for pollinators!

In contrast…

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Are we out of time? This is a good place to end! THANK YOU!

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With a sign, explain to the neighbors what you are up to!

Can native and non-native plants coexist in a garden, and why might you want that?

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• They often do: Vine Maple and Tall Oregongrape occur fairly regularly in local gardens with exotics.

• You might want some specific benefits of some native or non-native, but not necessarily want all native.

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Whitey Lueck’s yard

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Aryana & Bart’s yard 156

Peg & Bruce’s yard

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Think holistically: you can create a natural system, a small “ark” of local vegetation and wildlife in your own

garden. Learn. Brush off discouragement. Seek like-minded

folks. Have fun. Go for it!

Thank you!

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158 From: Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden Using Native Plants: USDA