The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Celebrate Earth Day by planting native species
People can have a longlasting, positive impact on the environment by planting native vegetation.
Earth Day is celebrated once a year, but individuals can make this celebration matter by making a year-round commitment to a healthy planet.
Todd Bittner, director of natural areas for Cornell Botanic Gardens, says people can have a long-lasting, positive impact on the planet by planting native tree species.
“Earth Day is a great time of year to celebrate our connections to the natural world and renew our efforts to help conserve our collective natural her- itage,” Bittner said. “One small effort that pays lasting dividends is planting native tree species in backyard landscapes. A simple act, such as planting a twoinch diameter native swamp white oak, can sequester more than 12,000 pounds of carbon, and offset nearly as much carbon dioxide in energy savings from the resulting shade over a 40-year time period.”
The oak will also absorb 51,000 gallons of rainfall, Bittner said, helping reduce stormwater pulses to local waterways “while also scrubbing air pollutants like ozone and nitrogen and sulfur dioxides.”
It can also host more than 100 native species of insects, such as moths and butterflies, as well as migrant songbirds, he said.
Krissy Boys, a horticulturist and native plants specialist at Cornell Botanic Gardens, says that people can boost biodiversity by planting native plants at home.
“By using native plants in your home gardens, you are providing essential components in the landscape that support a biodiverse community of plants, in- sects, animals, and people,” Boys said. “Be adventurous and successful in your habitat gardening by combining grasses with flowering native plants.”
Native grasses and wild ryes like Virginia, riparian, and bottlebrush show up in early spring, she said. “Flowering native plants, such as pink wild geraniums, red wild columbines, yellow golden alexander’s, highlight the native grasses and attract pollinators—beneficial insects and birds.
“In May, the hummingbirds, in search of nectar, are arriving in Upstate NewYork, just as the wild columbine flowers are opening. Make them at home with native plants, for Earth Day and years to come,” she said.