Plants native to the soils and climate of Hesston provide the best overall food sources for wildlife, while generally requiring less fertilizer, less water, and less effort in controlling pests.
Native plants may support 10 to 50 times as many species of native wildlife as non-native plants. Often, exotic plants brought from other continents for their horticultural or wildlife value spread rapidly and take over farm and woodland habitats, decimating native plants and animals. Exotic species are considered to be one of the biggest threats to biodiversity throughout North America and the globe.
Since native plantings can reduce the need for water and chemical inputs and can maintain or enhance biological diversity, wildlife gardeners concerned about conservation should strive toward incorporating native plantings as much as possible in their plans.
Here's what YOU can do!
- Buy or grow your own natives. Flora Kansas, held semiannually
at Dyck Arboretum
of the Plains in Hesston, contines to be the largest native plant
sale in Kansas! The Arboretum also provides a wealth of expertise in
planning, planting, and cultivating natives.
- Join and become active in the Kansas
Native Plant Society.
- Promote the use of native species in roadsides, schoolyards,
and commercial landscapes.
- Save native plant communities in the Hesston area. It
is much easier to preserve native habitats than it is to restore or
reconstruct them.
- Learn which native plants are widely available at garden shops in the Hesston area.
Additional Resources