<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1LEWOe_1H5Dt6LU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1LEWOe_1H5Dt6LU00" width="900" height="598" ><h2>TL;DR</h2><ul><li>Native plants can do surprising things, like switch between male and female, rely on ants to spread their seeds, or stay hidden underground for years.</li><li>Many insects depend on specific native plants. One bee turned up at Mt. Cuba 365 miles from where it was known to live, feeding on big patches of Jacob’s ladder (<i>Polemonium reptans</i>).</li><li>Smooth hydrangea (<i>Hydrangea arborescens</i>), a native shrub, blooms even after a hard cutback, which makes it an easy choice for beginners.</li><li>Every native plant you grow, even one in a pot, adds food for local wildlife.</li></ul><p>Native plants are even more amazing than you might think. One woodland wildflower can switch between male and female from year to year. Another counts on ants to carry its seeds to a new home. And one tree hasn’t been seen in the wild since 1803, yet it still grows in gardens today. Native plants are full of small surprises like these, and many of them are easy to grow in your own yard.</p><p>Native plants are the ones that naturally occur in and evolved to thrive in an area without human intervention. Local insects, birds, and other wildlife evolved together with them and depend on native plants for food and shelter. At Mt. Cuba Center, staff have spent years growing and studying these plants. They also count the bees and moths that live among them. Here are 10 interesting facts about native plants from that work, each with a tip you can use at home.</p><h2>10 Native Plant Facts From Mt. Cuba’s Gardens and Research</h2><h2>1. Jack-in-the-Pulpit Can Switch Between Male and Female</h2><p>In spring woodlands, look for jack-in-the-pulpit (<i>Arisaema triphyllum</i>), a plant with a hooded flower. It can change from male to female and back again. Small, young plants make male flowers. Bigger, well-fed plants make female flowers, which turn into clusters of red-orange berries. After a big year of making berries, a female plant may go back to making male flowers. So if yours had berries last fall and has none this year, it may simply be taking a break.</p><h2>2. Trilliums Get Help From Ants</h2><p>Large-flowered trillium (<i>Trillium grandiflorum</i>) has a clever way of spreading. Each seed comes with a small, fatty attachment that ants can’t resist. The ants carry the seeds back to their nests to eat that snack, and the seeds end up in a new spot. Ants help spread the seeds of Virginia spring beauty (<i>Claytonia virginica</i>) and many other native plants, too. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=07p9Pf_1H5Dt6LU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=07p9Pf_1H5Dt6LU00" width="1407" height="887" ></figure><h2>3. Some Wild Orchids Can Hide Underground for Years</h2><p>Native orchids grow wild in Delaware, but they can be hard to spot. Some go years without coming up at all, then reappear. They also depend on fungi in the soil, so most wild orchids die if they’re dug up and moved. By 2018, Mt. Cuba’s volunteer Orchid Scouts had found 30 new spots where native orchids were growing, nearly doubling the number known in the state. If you ever find one in the woods or your own backyard, enjoy it right where it is.</p><h2>4. A Bee Turned Up 365 Miles From Where It Was Known to Live</h2><p>Jacob’s ladder (<i>Polemonium reptans</i>) is a spring wildflower with small blue flowers, and one bee depends on it. The Jacob’s ladder miner bee (<i>Andrena polemonii</i>) is a specialist, meaning it collects pollen from only one or a few kinds of plants. Before Mt. Cuba’s native bee survey, this bee had only been recorded west of the Appalachian Mountains. Then researchers found a large, healthy group of them at Mt. Cuba, 365 miles from where they were known to live. The bees were feeding on the big patches of Jacob’s ladder in the gardens. If you plant several of the same native flower together, picky bees like this one have an easier time finding food.</p><h2>5. Some Moths Look Like Bumblebees</h2><p>Bluestar (<i>Amsonia</i>), a native plant with blue spring flowers, has a surprising visitor. Mt. Cuba staff have spotted snowberry clearwing (<i>Hemaris diffinis</i>) caterpillars feeding on its leaves in the garden. Once grown, this moth resembles a bumblebee. Unlike most moths, clearwings fly during the day, hovering at flowers to sip nectar. Mt. Cuba’s moth survey found clearwing moths (<i>Hemaris</i>) on its grounds, too, and you can see them in the full report. The next time you see a “bee” hovering at a flower, take a second look.</p><h2>6. Smooth Hydrangea Blooms Even After a Hard Cutback</h2><p>Pruning a hydrangea at the wrong time can mean a summer with no flowers. Smooth hydrangea (<i>Hydrangea arborescens</i>), a native shrub, takes the worry away. It blooms on stems that grow the same year. Even if you cut it back in winter, or a cold snap kills it to the ground, it should still flower in June and July. Its flower color also stays the same in any soil, unlike bigleaf hydrangea (<i>Hydrangea macrophylla</i>), which can turn pink or blue. In Mt. Cuba’s native plant trials, Haas’ Halo smooth hydrangea (<i>Hydrangea arborescens</i> ‘Haas’ Halo’) earned a perfect score and was a hit with pollinators, so it’s a great one to start with.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3Sbkek_1H5Dt6LU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Sbkek_1H5Dt6LU00" width="1232" height="816" ></figure><h2>7. A Phlox Found Growing Wild Drew the Most Butterflies</h2><p>Garden phlox (<i>Phlox paniculata</i>) is a tall summer flower with big clusters of pink, purple, or white blooms. One standout, Jeana garden phlox (<i>Phlox paniculata</i> ‘Jeana’), wasn’t developed by a plant breeder. It was found growing wild along a river in Tennessee and named for the woman who spotted it. In Mt. Cuba’s phlox trial, volunteers counted 539 butterfly visits to it over two years, more than any other garden phlox. George Coombs, then Mt. Cuba’s research manager, called it “far and away the most popular for butterflies.” If you have a sunny spot, ask for Jeana garden phlox (<i>Phlox paniculata</i> ‘Jeana’) by its full name at the nursery.</p><h2>8. Red- and Purple-Leaved Cultivars Feed Fewer Insects</h2><p>Many native plants come in cultivars, versions picked for a special feature like a smaller size, striped or spotted leaves, or extra fruit. In a 2018 study with the University of Delaware, Mt. Cuba found that leaf-eating insects such as caterpillars fed on most cultivars about as much as they fed on the wild forms. The exception was cultivars bred for red or purple leaves, which insects ate less. If feeding wildlife is your goal, choose green-leaved forms.</p><h2>9. The Largest Edible Native Fruit Grows on a Small Tree</h2><p>Pawpaw (<i>Asimina triloba</i>) bears the largest edible fruit native to the United States. The fruit tastes a bit like banana and has a soft, custard-like texture. Its leaves also feed the caterpillars of the zebra swallowtail, a butterfly with black-and-white striped wings, and the pawpaw sphinx moth. If you’d like fruit, plant two different varieties or two seedlings, since one pawpaw usually can’t pollinate itself.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3cw3fY_1H5Dt6LU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3cw3fY_1H5Dt6LU00" width="1280" height="721" ></figure><h2>10. A Tree Last Seen in the Wild in 1803 Still Grows in Gardens</h2><p>Franklinia (<i>Franklinia alatamaha</i>) grew wild only in Georgia, and no one has seen it in the wild since 1803. It survives today thanks to the Bartram family, early American botanists in Philadelphia. Every Franklinia in gardens now traces back to their plants. It has white flowers in late summer and orange, red, and purple leaves in fall. If you want to try one, give it acidic, well-drained soil and steady moisture.</p><h2>There’s Always More to Discover About Native Plants</h2><p>Even after years of research, Mt. Cuba’s staff and volunteers still find something new every season. A wildflower turns out to switch between male and female, or a “bee” at a flower turns out to be a moth. Those moments never get old, and you don’t need a research garden to have them. Plant one native in a pot or a sunny corner and see who visits, or simply look a little closer on your next walk. Each plant you add makes a difference, an idea we call conservation by addition.</p><p>To see how hundreds of native plants and cultivars performed side by side, browse the reports from Mt. Cuba’s Trial Garden. When you’re ready to pick your first plant, try the Native Plant Finder.</p><h2>FAQs</h2><p><b>Do Native Cultivars Help Wildlife as Much as Wild Plants?</b></p><p>Many do. A cultivar is a plant selected for a special trait, such as flower color or height. In Mt. Cuba’s 2018 study, insects ate most cultivars as often as wild plants, except those with red or purple leaves. Mt. Cuba’s trials also found double-flowered coneflowers (<i>Echinacea</i> species) and mophead hydrangeas (<i>Hydrangea</i> species) less attractive to pollinators.</p><p><b>Why Do Showier Flowers Sometimes Support Fewer Pollinators?</b></p><p>Many double flowers, the extra-full kind, grow extra petals where the pollen and nectar parts would normally be. Smooth hydrangea (<i>Hydrangea arborescens</i>) has a similar trade-off. Its mophead forms are mostly big, showy flowers with little food for insects, while lacecap forms have hundreds of tiny flowers that offer food. Simpler blooms usually feed more insects.</p><p><b>Which Native Plants Support the Most Caterpillars?</b></p><p>Some native plants, called keystone plants, feed far more wildlife than others. Goldenrods (<i>Solidago</i> species) and asters (<i>Symphyotrichum</i> species) each support the caterpillars of more than 100 kinds of butterflies and moths. One tree, river birch (<i>Betula nigra</i>), hosts hundreds. These caterpillar host plants are some of the best choices for a wildlife-friendly yard.</p><p><b>Why Are Some Native Plants Hard to Find at a Garden Center?</b></p><p>Many natives are easier to find than they used to be, but some are still hard to track down. Some plants are slow to grow from seed, so nurseries need longer to raise them and charge more. Trilliums can take years just to bloom. A nursery that focuses on native plants is often your best bet, and Mt. Cuba keeps a list of nurseries that sell natives.</p><p><b>Does One Native Plant in a Pot Really Help?</b></p><p>It does. Many bees and caterpillars rely on a few kinds of plants. Mt. Cuba’s bee survey found 23 kinds of native bees that gather pollen from only a small group of plants. A pot with the right plant can give those bees a meal, and give moths and butterflies a place to lay eggs.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=13m1cb_1H5Dt6LU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=13m1cb_1H5Dt6LU00" width="1280" height="853" ></figure></div></body>

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Native plants can do surprising things, like switch between male and female, rely on ants to spread their seeds, or stay hidden underground for years. Many insects depend on specific native plants. One bee turned up at Mt. Cuba 365 miles from where it was known to live, feeding on big patches of Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans).

10 Surprising Native Plant Facts

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Native plants can do surprising things, like switch between male and female, rely on ants to spread their seeds, or stay hidden underground for years. Many

10 Surprising Native Plant Facts

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