Native Plant Summer Spectacular Sale

“We will help match your sun and soil properties with the plants that will do best in those conditions,” states Symon Cronk, manager of the tree nursery. “You don’t want to plant shade plants in the sun, or plants that like it dry in a wet area. They just won’t thrive, and may even die. We want to make sure your plants grow healthy and happy.”

* What are native plants? Native plants are the indigenous species, both on land and in the water, that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat. Species native to North America and Michigan are generally recognized as those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement, according to the USDA Forest Service Website.

* Big Bluestem Farm is a wholesale native plant nursery near Bitely, Michigan. Envisioned, owned and run by Ken Hoganson, Big Bluestem Farm focuses on Michigan native plant “genotypes”.

* “Michigan native plant genotypes mean these are the plants that developed here in our area for thousands and thousands of years. These are the strongest, healthiest and best plants for our ecosystems in Newaygo County,” states Ken. “Once established, local native genotype plants don’t need watering or fertilizing to thrive like other perennial plants from nurseries do. And who doesn’t want that?”

* Why are native plants important? “Native plants evolved along with our native bees, insects, butterflies, moths, birds and bats. In other words, they grew up together over thousands of years here in what is now Michigan,” explained Sally Wagoner of the Newaygo County Environmental Coalition. “The plants depend on our native animal and insect species for their pollination. The animal and insect species depend on the native plants for their food and habitats.”

“The ongoing existence of our native pollinators and animals depend upon our native habitats and plants. As we destroy native ecosystems to build houses, roads, towns, industry and farms, our native insects and animals lose their ability to thrive. We have lost many to extinction, and many more are endangered,” adds Ms. Wagoner.

* Ms. Wagoner continues, “For example, the caterpillar of the Karner Blue Butterfly, which is endangered in Michigan, evolved along with the wild native lupine (lupinous perennis). This is the only plant that this caterpillar is able to eat. They are not able to eat the introduced lupines that are sold in nurseries and often grown in gardens. We have eliminated a vast majority of the wild lupine habitats in our area. And so the Blue Karner Butterfly has been drastically reduced in numbers, almost to the point of extinction.”

* “Imagine if we had corridors of wild lupine throughout Newaygo County in peoples’ gardens, along electric line corridors, in business and municipal landscapes, in school yards! We could help support a healthy population of Karner Blue Butterflies. This is just one example of what ‘going native’ can do.”

* Property owners and homeowners, and even municipalities, businesses and schools, can help provide the food and habitats needed by native bees, butterflies and birds by growing native plants, and avoiding non-native landscape plants. Popular invasive species nursery plants like burning bush, periwinkle, non-native bittersweet vine, and others over run the forests, meadows and lakes, replacing the native plants. Many of these do not support native butterflies, bees, insects and birds.

* Ken Hoganson of Big Bluestem Farm and Symon Cronk of the Newaygo Conservation District will be on hand to consult with guests about the plants that will do best on their property. Pollination kits will be available for purchase to “kick start” your butterfly and bee garden.

* The Newaygo County Environmental Coalition is the “Environmental Resource Hub for Newaygo County.” Information about conservation, restoration and recreation activities can be found at www.nc-ec.org. “I encourage people to sign up for the NCEC e-news so they can be informed of events and programs that our local environmental organizations and departments provide,” states Sally Wagoner, NCEC Board Chair.

* For questions about the Native Plant Summer Spectacular Sale, contact Symon Cronk: symon.cronk@macd.org, 231-652-7493.