Native Plants & Avoiding Invasives
Overview
Native plants support richer insect communities vital to birds and pollinators; many introduced species used historically for “wildlife” have become aggressive invasives that degrade habitat. Prefer native substitutions with similar attributes.
Key Guidance
- Replace Japanese honeysuckle with coral honeysuckle or trumpet creeper.
- Replace oriental bittersweet with Virginia creeper or American bittersweet.
- Replace multiflora rose with hawthorn; autumn olive with American or Chickasaw plum.
- Prefer native warm‑season grasses (Indiangrass, switchgrass) over Chinese silvergrass and weeping love grass.
Benefits to Wildlife
- Higher insect diversity
- Better seed/mast compatibility
- Reduced risk of invasive spread
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