The charismatic monarch caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) is a joyful sight for any gardener. This one, in its fifth instar stage— the largest and most vividly colored— has undergone its… Read more
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- Meet Our New Partner
Homegrown National Park
This initiative, co-founded by Doug Tallamy, is dedicated to catalyzing the collective efforts of individuals and communities to create habitat where we live and work. With a goal of 20 million acres of native plantings, it is the largest cooperative conservation project ever conceived or attempted.
Want to join the movement? Add the land you steward to the Homegrown National Park map today! You can also help spread the word about HGNP and Grow Native by sharing this brochure with your family and friends, and displaying this sign next to your native plantings.
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The Lovely and Adaptable Gray Birch
Gray birch (Betula populifolia) is an underutilized tree with a lot of potential for greater use in managed landscapes. A beautiful tree that is well-adapted to urban and suburban landscapes, it also has significant wildlife value as a host plant for Lepidoptera and as a source of seed and nesting sites for migrating birds. A common sight along roadsides, gray birch is a fast-growing pioneer species that will thrive in sunny, dry sites and in poor soil.
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Planting Trees to Sequester Carbon?
Native species are a must!
There are a growing number of ambitious tree planting initiatives being undertaken by public and private entities with the goal of increasing carbon sequestration. As reported in the New York Times, while reforestation efforts are one important strategy for fighting climate change, too many of these operations are installing plantations of non-native tree species, with significant negative impacts on biodiversity. This and other decisions that disregard local ecology result in plantings that, in some cases, can actually increase carbon emissions.
To chart a better path forward, conservationists from around the world came together to advance “Ten Golden Rules for Reforestation,” that can be used to create long-term strategies that tackle both the climate change and biodiversity crises. Whether you are seeking to reforest your urban tree canopy, a small suburban lot, or a much larger landscape, always remember that what you plant matters!
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New And Noteworthy 
From the Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust.
This new guide to plant selection keeps the ecological imperative for gardening with native plants front and center, with details on wildlife value included in most plant descriptions. The explanations of landscaping essentials in early chapters are a must-read for new gardeners. Uli also highlights many promising but relatively unknown species for plant aficionados to discover.
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