SOMA Living May 2025

THE NEED FOR NJ NATIVES The Importance of Native Plants:

species do (4). These plants become invasive species, as they migrate into local reservations and end up outcompeting the natives. By making the simple switch to grow native plants on our lawns, we can help preserve biodiversity and prevent the spread of invasive species into local ecosystems.

Plants are vital components of the food web - the biological structure that keeps life alive and thriving. Native plant species spend generations adapting to their environment to support the ecosystem around them. Recently in New Jersey, though, invasive species have been increasingly replacing natives, causing a severe loss of biodiversity. This negatively affects many plant and animal species and is thus consequently detrimental to humans, as we coexist with these organisms. At a Local Level: Over the summer, I shadowed Mike Van Clef, Stewardship and Strike Team Program Director at Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FOHVOS), a local non-profit land trust (3). We collected data on plant species in South Mountain Reservation and found a concerning number of invasives taking over a once abundant, and healthy, amount of native plants. For example, we saw high levels of Chinese silvergrass and Japanese barberry, invasive species that need to be eradicated immediately (1). If not eradicated, detrimental effects will continue, like Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) which rapidly kills large populations of Beach Trees (2), and the endangerment and extinction of many native plants, which provide food and shelter to hundreds of other species. The Importance of our Lawns: In New Jersey, suburban residents often choose ornamental species for their lawns, which are chosen solely for their appearance and are generally from Europe and Asia. These can result in 29 times less biodiversity than native

Source: Margaret McManus, August 22nd, 2024

Dr. Van Clef observing a large amount of Japanese knotweed, a highly invasive species in the South Mountain Reservation

The Simple Switch: The best tree species to plant in Essex County are birch, willows, native cherry, hickory, and oak trees, specifically the Northern Red Oak. Ideal herbaceous plants for lawns include goldenrod, sunflower and evening primrose. Avoid invasives like English ivy, bush honeysuckle, burning brush, porcelain berry, and callery pear. To properly make this switch, carefully dig up the ornamental invasives in your lawn, and place them in a pile. Leave them in this pile for at least a week for them to properly rot, then dispose of them, thus effectively “killing” them and preventing their spread. With spring in season, it’s the perfect time to enhance your yard with new and native fauna, and make a serviceable impact on our local reservations, saving hundreds of plants and animals.

Margaret McManus Margaret McManus is a senior at Columbia Highschool in Maplewood, where she is part of the Science Research program. She is attending Trinity College (CT) in the fall where she will major in Environmental Science. She is excited to continue researching and learning about plants and animals!

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