Native Plants

Saturday consisted of two highlights, one right after the other. The first was the annual plant sale at Ithaca high school, the second was the first-annual Migration Celebration at the Lab of Ornithology. The Migration Celebration is fodder for another post, here I want to highlight the plant sale.

The Finger Lakes Native Plant Society's offerings are a must stop. © Mike Powers 2007

We are members of the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, and even if we weren't their tables would still be our favorite. We've been re-scaping (did I just coin a word, or does that already exist?) our 4 acres, eliminating as many exotic and invasive species and supplementing the natives, all the while reducing the size of our lawn. Perhaps needless to say, but I would like to point out that a predominant goal is to provide food in the form of berries for fall migrants and wintering birds. Naturally, wildflowers that produce nectar for hummingbirds (and insects of all types) and seed-producing wildflowers (coneflower, sunflower, etc) are also part of the big picture.

So many choices . . . . © Mike Powers 2007

We've had a pretty specific target list of plants over the past two years, and this year, when all was said and done, we came home with a nice variety of flowers, shrubs, and trees, including Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Northern Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis).

Is this it? They took up so much space in the back of the car!
What will they cover in the yard? © Mike Powers 2007

I can't wait to get them all in the ground, then sit back and wait for the birds to come to me!