Native plants can aid in Florida’s fight against climate change
Spring is my favorite time of year in Florida. Every day something new is blooming in our gardens, along the highways and on our hikes.
Recently the lyreleaf sage beautified my yard, adding purples to the already colorful pallet of the orange flame azalea, red salvias and yellow groundsel. Besides color, these native plants enrich our garden’s power to survive a changing climate.
Natives can adapt easier than exotics or hybrids. Exotics and hybrids need babying to survive drought, or they require irrigation changes to face heavier rains. But natives can survive droughts and rains much more easily.
Hybrids have been bred for specific reasons, such as color or specific water conditions. But as our climate changes, our weather becomes far less predictable. This past winter was rainier than usual while early last summer produced drought conditions. Such change causes problems for exotics and hybrids.
The ability for native plants to adapt means they are healthier for our yards. Once established, the native plants flourish without additional watering, fertilizing or spraying to flourish.
Native plantings lower water bills and need far less fussing in other ways. I can abandon fertilizer, an action good for everything downstream. Fertilizer has been identified as one of the primary causes of increased nitrogen in our waters; it promotes algae in our lakes and ocean.
Not spraying my yard with chemicals is a direct benefit to me, my family and the pollinator population. Pesticide personnel wear tall boots for a purpose. Those sprays don’t just kill the unwanted bugs around the property but also kill bees and other beneficial insects including lady bugs and butterflies. Although those who spray believe that sprayed pesticides are only dangerous for 24 hours, insects that pollinate our food supply can quickly succumb to these poisons.
Natives in our landscapes also provide food for wildlife. Research shows that some hybrids do not produce the nectar, pollen or fragrance of natives. But our bees rely upon pollen and nectar, birds raid the berries on trees and deer browse nearly every plant they find.
As we face the challenges of climate change, native plants assist us in several ways – from adapting to unpredictable weather and requiring less fertilizer to lowering our water bills and adding to Florida’s beauty.
Meeting the standards of the Florida-Friendly Landscape guidelines requires that gardens must have 25% native plants. All of us would benefit if we set a native goal for our landscapes.
Susan Nugent is a Climate Reality Project leader from Gainesville. This opinion piece was distributed by The Invading Sea website (www.theinvadingsea.com), which posts news and commentary on climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida.