Defining Native

We have witnessed a major shift in thinking on gardening. Visitors to our nursery want to support wildlife and contribute to a healthier ecosystem.

At Natural Themes, we grow species native to the Quinte area as well as species native to northeastern to central North America with consideration of the migratory paths of wildlife. So, in addition to historically native species, we also grow species with native ranges to the south, east and west of us that benefit our local environment and thrive here. This includes species from the other side of the St Lawrence River and Great Lakes.

Climate change is evident; our climate and landscape are not what they used to be. This doesn’t mean we should stop trying to reintroduce plants historically native to the region. However, if these plants struggle to survive, it may be because they are not well adapted to our changing climate and landscape. Species from the south may actually be better adapted, and our winged friends recognize them. For example, the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) has started appearing in our region in recent years. This butterfly’s host plants are Prickly Ash, abundantly found here, and Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata), a threatened species found in scattered populations around Lake Erie. At our Nursery, Hoptree seems to be their preferred larval food plant.

It is up to us as stewards of the land we inhabit to decide what plants best suit our site and the wildlife that needs support. In our opinion, there is no right or wrong answer—we’re pretty sure the wildlife would agree with us.

In our plantings on the farms, in our gardens, and in naturalized meadows, we use range maps as a guide but, more importantly, we observe the wildlife, study the ecosystem benefits, listen to our visitors, and grow native plants that are native to this extended region and hardy to this zone. You can find range maps online for many species at VASCAN (Vascular Plants of Canada) and North American Native Plant Atlas, and one our favourite resources for current distribution maps is iNaturalist, a crowdsourced species identification online platform where people share plant and animals sighting. This gives us a current view of species distribution across the landscape. You can also use iNaturalist or Seek (made by iNaturalist) phone Apps to help identify plants on your property. iNaturalist allows you to submit your findings and contribute to distribution maps for various plant and animal species.

It is clear that our environment is not going to return to what was “historically native”. As a species, we have created so much change in such a short period of time, geologically speaking, that natural balance has been seriously disrupted and will take considerable time to re-establish. The best we can do as individuals is to ensure a place for the species that have lived and coevolved here for thousands of years so that they have a chance to be part of the biodiverse community of the future. Nature will take her time as there are so many variables at play. Let’s make sure that Homo sapiens, in all humility, will be part of that future. Nature will ultimately prevail.

Above: The beautiful Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) is one of the more recent arrivals from the most southern parts of Ontario and the USA. One of its favorite larval host plants is the Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata). These photos were taken at Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery in Frankford, Ontario.

The Hop Tree grows up to 8m tall. It can tolerate moist to dry sites and well-drained soil. It prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade.