Saving The Natives

I'm often amazed by the plant diversity I see in areas about to be developed. Even pockets surrounded by suburbia can have a good mix of plants. Protecting this local biodiversity is important. Although a species may be widespread alocal population of plants may have some adaptation to a local environment that adds to the overall gene pool for the species. This little difference may have a big significance, as in the case of the stand of Chestnut trees recently discovered in Georgia that seems somehow to have withstood the Chestnut blight that wiped out most of these trees in this country. Whether its from a genetic advantage or just the fact that this relatively isolated population was allowed to survive by us it illustrates the importance of keeping as much of our native flora intact as possible.Modern development practices generally scape clean all native plants and most often the little landscaping that is done on new constrution is with non native plants. We must demand more from developers. When I bought a house I sought out one that had a yard with much of its natural landscape intact. Homes I have owned or rented in the past which were more typically landscaped (barren) I have collected native trees from sites I knew were going to be developed locally and planted in my yard. Sometimes if I collected too many plants for my yard I have left them labelled in pots on the side of the road in my neighborhood with a sign saying free native plants and found them picked up by neighbors very quickly. For the less adventurous Native Plant societies will often do this type of thing and sell plants occasionally.