YOU’LL SAVE TIME, MONEY, AND NATURAL RESOURCES. Plants that have evolved to thrive in the varied soils and habitats of Maine need less TLC. “A plant that’s adapted to grow here needs far less care than what you’d need to accommodate a plant that doesn’t belong here,” Topper says. So you’ll spend less time on maintenance and less money on synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers that can leave a toxic legacy on the environment. And since native plants require less watering once established, you’ll conserve an important natural resource.



YOU’LL HALT THE INVASION. Some exotic species are downright destructive. Bittersweet and knotweed, for example, spread aggressively, crowding out and literally growing over other plants. And some plants come with tagalongs. Winter and browntail moths — which have decimated tree canopies throughout the state — gained a foothold in Maine after hitching rides on perennial flowers and shrubs brought here from Europe. “So many of these problematic species get introduced when plant materials are moved around,” Topper says.

YOU’LL FEED THE FOOD WEB. From blueberries to apples to corn, food-producing plants depend on pollinators like butterflies, bees, and moths. And those pollinators depend on native plants for nectar and other needs throughout their life cycle. When they can’t find them, Topper says, “it’s like going to the store and not finding any food that your children can eat.” Lawn grasses, exotic trees, and modified plants are not good host plants, and butterflies and moths won’t lay eggs on them. They will lay eggs on native milkweed, for example, because its leaves provide food for their caterpillars. And caterpillars are a critical food for nestling birds like black-capped chickadees. No milkweed = no caterpillars = no chickadees = no lovely singsong serenades from the Maine state bird. “Whole ecosystems start to fall apart when you start replacing plants at the base of the food web,” Topper says. “If native plants are rare in our landscapes, then birds will become rare, and that’s what we’re trying to prevent.”