diseases and disorders that affect woody plants or the toxicity of various species to humans and animals. As one midwestern state extension agency points out, “Despite providing our trees and shrubs with all their necessities, diseases and insects can still cause problems. In most cases, however, healthy mature trees and shrubs are able to defend themselves against minor insect and fungal disease exposure without intervention by us.”12 “If you can minimize environmental stress by choosing plants suitable for your light, soil, and temperature conditions, most of them should grow reasonably well, and if not, try them in another spot or get something else,” writes William Cullina, adding, “I firmly believe that there is no plant worth growing if it must be maintained by applications of poisons.”13 Hybrids and cultivars bred for disease resistance may be less susceptible to a particular disease but not to all diseases and problems. A study notes, “It is important to note that the term disease resistance does not mean that the plant is completely immune to disease but instead refers to a plant’s ability to minimize infection by the pathogen. Unfortunately, no cultivar is resistant to all diseases.”14 In fact, like the Irish potato, because cultivars and nativars are genetically deprived of a variety of the “tools” necessary to adapt to change, “They could be considered more vulnerable by virtue of their sameness,” writes Wild Ones.15
Native woody species play an indispensable aesthetic and environmental role in midwestern urban, suburban, and rural landscaping. We encourage consumers to patronize native plant nurseries and when hiring landscapers or visiting general nurseries, to insist that these establishments provide you only with true native species.
ABBREVIATIONS USED
| NABA | North American Butterfly Association |
| NBII | National Biological Information Infrastructure |
| NRCS | National Resource Conservation Service |
| spp. | species as a plural |
| syn. | synonym |
| US | United States |
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
| USDA PLANTS | USDA NRCS PLANTS Database |
| US EPA | United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| USFWS | United States Fish and Wildlife Services |
| var. | variety |
MIDWESTERN NATIVE SHRUBS AND TREES
INTRODUCTION
THIS BOOK ABOUT shrubs and trees is a companion to The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants, An Illustrated Guide. Its purpose is to serve as a useful resource for homeowners, gardeners, and landscapers seeking to evaluate prospective woody plantings. The book covers the plant qualities that the typical gardener wants to know, such as height, color, and bloom time of the nonnative plants, and their native alternatives. To incorporate a deeper level, it explores profound connections between native midwestern woody plants and the region’s ecological community. The lives of butterflies, bees, and birds are central to the discussion. The goal is to choose the trees and shrubs that make the best use of available space. The multiple objectives of visual beauty, adaptation to the local climate and soil, and maximum contribution to native wildlife can be best achieved by choosing native species for our gardens and landscapes.
Professional landscape designers call trees and shrubs the bones of the garden. “Trees are the most permanent elements in any planting plan,” notes the American Horticultural Society. “Since a tree is probably the most expensive of garden plants and usually the most prominent, selection and siting are the most important decisions. Shrubs can form the backbone of your garden design, and with their variety of foliage, flowers, fruits, and stems, they also provide interest through the seasons.”1 The natives tend to be hardier, longer-lived, and easier to maintain and grow than introductions from faraway places. When it comes to aesthetics, the native trees and shrubs growing in a midwestern backyard, garden, or landscape, regardless of their size, produce four seasons of beauty and visual impact. Midwesterners desiring an aesthetically pleasing, ever-changing tapestry of hardy plants will choose native species instead of the usual nonnative fare offered at most nurseries.
Midwestern Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths), birds, and bees evolved with midwestern plants. They need each other to complete their life cycles. Each native tree and shrub in the backyard is a life-giving force. The huge benefits to wildlife in terms of reproduction, food, and habitat that each native plant provides cannot be duplicated by nonnative species. “Planting nonnative plants, like butterfly bush, in your yard is actually making it harder for the butterflies and birds in your neighborhood to survive.”2 Though it isn’t well known, “more than 90 percent” of our native butterflies and moths can feed only on particular native host plants during their larval caterpillar stage.3 “A butterfly’s most important relationship is with the plants eaten by its caterpillars.”4 Perpetuation of a butterfly species requires a habitat that will support the full life cycle of the butterfly, not just the adult stage.5 Importantly, many native trees and shrubs excel as host plants that benefit butterfly and moth populations as well as the birds that eat the caterpillars and feed them to their offspring.
Gardeners and landscapers can choose plants on the basis of their roles in the local ecosystem. Nonnative shrubs and trees occupy spaces in our yards, gardens, and landscapes that would be better filled by native woody species that increase biodiversity. The online USDA PLANTS Database enables us to access individual plant species, determine if they are native or introduced, and check the maps. Plants shown as introduced (“I”) are defined as naturalized, not native to the area, and, in general, “likely to invade or become noxious since they lack co-evolved competitors and natural enemies to control their populations.”6 Plants shown as native (“N”) can be checked for their distribution in the United States and Canada, classification, synonyms, legal status, data sources and documentation, and related links. Reliable information takes the uncertainty out of shopping. When we choose midwestern native plants, we attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife that add an additional layer of beauty to our yards and gardens.
Whether used as a sanctuary, a miniature nature preserve, or a playground for children, yards, landscapes, and gardens of native plants are a sound investment and provide peace of mind. Midwestern native plants have been here since the last Ice Age. For more than 10,000 years, these plants adapted to the region’s soils, seasons, rainfall, and wildlife. Native woody and herbaceous plants are beautiful and hardy, and once established they require less maintenance than conventional lawns and nonnative ornamentals. Because native plants have adapted to local conditions, they are more resistant to pest problems. Synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers have no place in the native garden, as
