Beth Ayers

For the past four years or so, Mike Berst, the President of SBTH, a lifelong naturalist, and my friend, has helped me work on restoring native plants on my 16 acre farm in North Carolina. The process has been a lengthy one, and I am still nipping around the edges. We started researching reputable local plant suppliers and identifying which local ecotypes might work in the conditions here. I wanted to incorporate a number of keystone plants that would benefit the greatest number of insects, birds and other creatures, in addition to as diverse a population of native plants as I could find. Each year, I have added many native plant species here and I look forward to seeing what my local vendors have available. I have been able to divide some of the plants that thrived particularly well, and been able to share them with people who live around here. I continue to work to remove invasive plants. As a result of the introduction of a broad selection of native plants, I have essentially planted my own bird feeders - and the summer days are filled with the buzzing of many many pollinator species and the captivating song of 70 or more species of birds. The work is ongoing - slow but sure and as we start to see longer days and warmer weather, I look forward with great anticipation to making more progress, secure in the knowledge that I am doing something critically important to assist the native creatures that evolved over millennia to rely on the plants I am putting in.

I encourage all to learn about the importance of native planting for the ecosystem. Why not stop by the SBTH Discovery Center when Mike is working there as he is extremely knowledgeable, a great story teller and generous friend. Join us in getting your shovels out, and your hands in the dirt - you will be richly rewarded for the labor of love.

My favorite native plants that I have had the most success (meaning tons of pollinators) with are the members of the mint family like Virginia Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum. Pycnanthemum is a genus of herbaceous plants in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Species in this genus are often referred to as "mountain mints" and they have a minty or thyme-like aroma when crushed. These plants are also highly deer resistant, and produce masses of flowers over a long period of time in the summer. They expand prolifically and are easy to divide so they are easy to share or move to new locations.

Another highly successful plant are varieties of the Helianthus family, keystone plants. Helianthus is a genus comprising around 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers.

There was a bumper crop of butterflies and skippers here last year. It is wonderful to see their numbers and diversity grow as hospitable habitat expands, and I bring in more of their host plants.

A change I have noticed since starting to incorporate native plants in the landscape, is the return of squirrels and rabbits. I am not sure what, if any, difference, the native plants made to the increases in these populations but there may be a link.

We have had a great increase in the numbers of hummingbirds here over recent years. Last year, they were a little delayed in returning in the spring, but their numbers swelled dramatically. One of the flowers they really go for is Garden Phlox, Phlox Paniculata. This phlox has showy blooms and blooms for a lengthy period in the summer.