You’ll be able to find native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses at the Native Plant Sale this Saturday, April 1.
Jordi Raos, naturalist at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, which is hosting the sale, said native plants are not only beautiful, but they’re also beneficial to wildlife.
"A lot of our native plants are very unusual looking, they have all sorts of colors and foliage, so just really neat to add back into your yard," she said. "A really important key component, though, is that they provide food for wildlife, particularly food that is missing as humans kind of spread out into the landscape. If you want to see more bumblebees, more butterflies, hummingbirds or other birds, really adding those native plants back can alter your yard in a wonderful way."
And if your thub isn’t quite green, you might have success with plants native to Missouri. Raos said native plants are adapted to our area — meaning they can withstand the dry periods and spring storms and frost that we experience in the state.
"And so they do better. So, when we have the severe weather events that we are used to around here like drought or flooding, these plants are adapted to handle that," she said. "They often have longer roots, and so they are the ones that are going to do best here, so you don’t have to baby them as much."
She said organizations, including the Missouri Prairie Foundation and the Grow Native program, will be at the sale to share their expertise and answer questions. The native plant sale is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 1.