Natives vs Non-natives vs invasives
Contributor: Sharleen Johnson
Visit her website: Native Plants to the People
Natives vs Non-Natives vs Invasives
What is a native plant?
Native plants are plants that have been growing in a specific region for thousands to millions of years, coexisting and coevolving with the insects, birds, and other wildlife also native to that region.
Why are native plants so important for wildlife?
Plants = the base of the food web. Through photosynthesis, plants convert energy from the sun into sugars, carbohydrates, amino acids, and other compounds
Herbivorous insects = most of the second level of the food web
Animals -- mostly insects -- eat plants, and then other animals eat them, passing energy up the food web
Over 95% of North American songbirds rear their young on insects (especially caterpillars)
Plants are chemical factories and defend their leaves against being eaten using chemicals
Over long periods of coevolution, specific insects of a region develop an ability to overcome the chemical defenses of specific plants of a region
Native plants support more native insects than non-native plants
Yards and neighborhoods with more native plants (especially native trees) support more songbirds and other wildlife than neighborhoods dominated by non-native plants
How are invasive plants different from other non-native plants?
Invasive plants are non-native plants that escape gardens (often due to birds eating and dispersing their seeds), get established in natural areas, and outcompete native plants, reducing the wildlife-supporting capacity of natural areas.
Examples of invasive plants include Chinese Tallow Tree, Bradford/Callery Pear, Elaeagnus, Chinese Privet, English Ivy, Chinese Wisteria, Japanese Honeysuckle, Japanese Climbing Fern, Golden Bamboo, Johnsongrass, and Japanese Stilt Grass.
You can view photos and range maps of invasive plant species of SC in this brochure produced by Clemson and the SC Exotic Pest Plant Council. An updated version of this list is currently under review and will be released later this year.
Interested in learning more about native plants in gardens and natural areas?
Consider becoming involved in the SC Native Plant Society!
The Charleston-based Lowcountry Chapter of the SCNPS hosts lectures (free and open to the public), field trips, and plant sales every October and March! Subscribe here to receive emails about upcoming activities.
Seeking some garden eye candy and an all-in-one resource for Southeastern-specific native plant selections? Check out this gorgeous book by Larry Mellichamp, former director of UNC-Charlotte Botanical Garden: Native Plants of the Southeast - A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden.
Visit Sharleen’s website: Native Plants to the People here.