Informational Guides
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Learn why this local Girl Scout donated her time and resources to the library's native pollinator garden.
Learn why this local Girl Scout donated her time and resources to the library's native pollinator garden.
Seven great reasons to plant natives.
- Native plants help you use less fertilizers. Lawn fertilizer run off causes excess algae growth, depletes oxygen in our waters, harms aquatic life, and can spoil human recreational use.
- Native plants help you use less pesticides. Lawns in the US are treated with 70 million pounds of pesticides each year.
- Native plants help you use less water. They have significantly deeper root structures than modern lawns which increase the soil's capacity to store water.
- Native plants help you keep the air around you cleaner. Natural landscapes do not require mowing or very much maintenance. Gas-powered garden tools emit 5% of the nation’s air pollution.
- Native plants provide shelter and food for wildlife and support pollinators. Monoculture lawns provide little to no support to the local food web.
- Native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage. Landscaping with native plants is an opportunity to reestablish natural diversity and support the birds and butterflies who get little benefit from non-native species and acers of lawn.
- Native plants have been shown to save money by reducing maintenance costs.
Adapted from a list by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.