Plant Native - They Grow In Any Economy

Remember these names: Pyrus Calleryana, Bradford Pear, Callery Pear. They are the same, and wanted for murder of anything that surrounds them. Why do we plant them? Because they are cheep and easy to produce. In fact, they are so easy to produce that birds eating the seeds will populate the tree wherever the birds travel. They are uncontrolled. They are invasive. They steel from our native plants and trees. This is probably because they are early bloomers in the season, taking in all of the nutrients from the soil, taking a bigger root/grip on the land, hindering/preventing other native beauties from growing or flourishing. "Terrestrial Plant Rule: The Terrestrial Plant Rule (312IAC 18-3-25) designates 44 species of plants as invasive pests. This rule makes it illegal to sell, gift, barter, exchange, distribute, transport, or introduce these plants in the State of Indiana."  (Unkown1) So, why is this invasive tree not on the Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule list? Let's face...

Figure 1 Are there plants that attract ticks? There is at least one I found that does, and that is the Japanese Barberry. There may be others. So, if you know of any please let me know. The Japanese Barberry is an invasive non-native plant. This particular plant attracts ticks because it can can stay humid, creating the perfect place for ticks to reproduce in exponential numbers. Rodents also find a safe haven under this plant, resulting in the transport of ticks throughout the forest and your yard. So, it brings to question are there areas under plants that can create a similar environment as the Japanese Barberry? Perhaps. More research is needed on my end before I can say. Still, be cautious. What can we do? For humans and pets we can use tick repellants. A cedar oil spray is a natural repellent. Cedar contains an essential oil that ticks do not like. The CDC has suggested to make your yard "less attractive to ticks". (CDC) The CDC also suggests using pesticides. I would c...

Grandmother Earth knows a lot. You just have to listen, learn, then make it part of your lifestyle. One case in point is mushrooms. Did you know there are certain varieties of mushrooms that can break down plastics? Plastics can take 20 plus years to decompose. "Certain species of fungi use the natural process of mycoremediation to degrade plastics. How long does it take for a mushroom to eat plastic? It depends on the mushroom species. The time it takes for a mushroom to bread down and consume plastic ranges between 2-weeks to several months." (Gallagher) What if we were to buy a small plastic grinding station. A plastic shredder if you will, to make the plastic "bite size" for the mushrooms to easily consume the plastic. But what mushrooms do you need? Well, that seems to be a bit difficult for me to answer right now. More research is needed. Lets just say I can imagine selection would be based on regional climate. Then what would you do during inclement winter mo...

This first blog entry is just to get my feet wet, to allow whatever direction this takes. There is so much to learn, so much we can do. And I am no expert by any means. Not even close. It will be up to you to do your own backcheck on what I provide. So, do your research to come up with your plan to become stewards of our planet. Planting native has so many benefits. Non-native has the opposite affect. For now I cannot state in my own words the importance or how this all happens within the ecosystem. Later, I hope that I can. So, why be so concerned about native only? They adapt to our local climate. They grow in our local soil. They provide life to local insects, butterflies, and birds. They provide cover for insects and animals from predators. They help with rain water. They are low maintenance. Basically, non-native does little to none of the above. Non-native does its best to destroy native. The following images are from postings found on the Internet. Some may state who authored, o...