First, what is a native plant?
A native plant is a plant species that occurs naturally in a specific region or ecosystem without human intervention or introduction. Native plants of North America have adapted to our land's climate conditions, soil structure, and naturally occurring microbes and pathogens. These plants are genetically better suited to survive the conditions of our immediate region compared to introduced and exotic species. Additionally, our native flora have co-existed with local fauna over spans of thousands, tens of thousands, and millions of years, evolving a web of inter-connected plant-to-animal relationships that forms the foundation of our local ecosystem.
“Knowledge generates interest,
and interest generates compassion.”
― Douglas W. Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
The James River watershed; Chickahominy River flood plain, Henrico County, Virginia. Many areas of the Chickahominy possess pristine wetland and lowland forest ecosystems where specific native species and wildlife thrive, untouched by human influence. Going back in Google Image history can show the flood plains are steadily being filled in and converted to commercial or residential land.
Why are native plants important?
Every creature on Earth derives nourishment from plants. Herbivores such as insects eat plants. Birds, amphibians, and small mammals eat insects, berries, and seed. Carnivores eat other animals. This forms the basis of the food web.
Because they existed together, pollinating insects form intricate symbiotic relationships with the plants that co-evolved around them, only reproducing by laying eggs on specific "host" plants. Many will recognize the Monarch butterfly—another native insect—that needs milkweed (the Asclepias genus) as a host. Monarch larvae (caterpillars) are adapted to only survive by hosting on those plants; they can't eat anything else to complete their life cycle. The loss of milkweed means the loss of Monarchs.
Specialized dependency extends to countless unique regional insect species: bees, moths, beetles, butterflies, and other invertebrates relying on specific native plants to survive and exist in an ecosystem.
Why natives?
Many local butterflies and moths rely on native plants as their host species. From upper left to lower right: Spicebush swallowtails (Papilio troilus) host primarily on Spicebush, white sassafras, and sweetbay magnolia. The Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) hummingbird moths host on Amsonia, Symphoricarpos and Lonicera (honeysuckle). The Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) hosts on wild violets (Viola genus) such as the common blue violet (Viola sororia). Zebra swallowtails (Eurytides marcellus) host on the Asimina genus, including Pawpaw trees. Explore more native Virginia butterflies and their host plants.
A founding block of the food web exists with insects, and their relationship between native plants. Many families of plants have evolved to depend on insects for pollinization—the exchanging of pollen to produce offspring—by attracting nectar and pollen-seeking animals to their blooms. Just as many animals (lizards, frogs, birds, and small mammals) rely on those insect populations for sustenance. When native plant populations decline, insect populations decline with them, and as a result wildlife begins to struggle.
Across North America, native species face an alarming downward trend, with many experiencing shrinking habitats, dwindling populations, or even localized extinction. This crisis is driven by a combination of human-induced pressures that disrupt delicate ecological balances. The widespread use of pesticides in industrial agriculture and residential landscapes indiscriminately harms pollinators, beneficial insects, and the plants they depend on. Simultaneously, habitat destruction—through urban expansion, deforestation, and infrastructure development—continues to fragment ecosystems, leaving wildlife with fewer resources and disconnected corridors for survival.
Adding to these challenges, invasive plant species rapidly spread across dwindling natural landscapes, outcompeting native flora and altering entire ecosystems. These aggressive invaders, many still sold by commercial retailers, reduce plant diversity of wild spaces, alters soil chemistry, and disrupts the food web that sustains wildlife. Surging deer populations—with no remaining natural predators—consume native vegetation at unsustainable rates. Overbrowsing adds pressure to already declining wild spaces, preventing forest regeneration and diminishes the availability of essential food sources for native herbivores.
“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.”
― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Construction site, Henrico County, Virginia, 2024. Prior to 2024 this uninhabited area was wetland and moist hardwood forest with a surprising diversity of native plants. An abandoned agricultural field had been reclaimed by nature into a spread of goldenrod, asters, ironweed, and milkweed. The land was cleared and wetlands filled for commercial use.
Bringing Conservation Home
The crisis lies in relentless loss of habitat—one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Across the continent, untended land is rapidly converted for agricultural, residential, and commercial purposes. Wetlands are drained, forests are cleared, and grasslands are plowed under and converted to cement and asphalt, leaving little room for the rich biodiversity that once thrived in these spaces. A prairie turned into a parking lot will never again be a prairie, without human intervention.
Conservation doesn’t need to be limited to national parks and wildlife refuges—it can begin right in your own backyard. By eliminating use of insecticides and incorporating native plants into home gardens and landscaping, homeowners can create vital habitats for local wildlife while also supporting a healthier environment. In a time when habitat loss is a major contributor to species decline, planting natives is an impactful way to make a difference, and can influence the return of wildlife.
Beyond wildlife, native plants provide benefits for private landowners:
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Native plants are naturally adapted to the conditions of our land, not requiring fertilizer, and often require less maintenance than exotic and imported species, making them a practical and sustainable choice.
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The deep root systems of native plants improve soil, help prevent soil erosion, improve drainage, and sequester carbon, contributing to climate resilience.
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Native gardens reduce chemical runoff, which can harm waterways and aquatic ecosystems. By replacing conventional lawns with native plantings, homeowners create landscapes that work with nature rather than against it.
Bringing conservation home is a simple yet powerful way to contribute to environmental restoration. Every native plant added to a garden strengthens local ecosystems, supports wildlife, and reduces ecological harm. Whether through a small pollinator garden, a rain-friendly meadow, or reducing lawn, incorporating native plants is an investment in the future of our planet.