Native Plants
Michigan native plants are, unsurprisingly, plants that have existed in Michigan for hundreds or even thousands of years. Because they are native, they are well adapted to Michigan’s unique soils and variable climate. Many native plants have deep roots that allow them to survive cold winters, hot summers, and dry seasons.
The benefits of native plants
Because they are adapted to live in Michigan, native plants are easy to grow and maintain. Once they are established (a full growing season), they don’t need to be watered or fertilized.
Above ground, native plants offer a lot of habitat for birds and insects. Some creatures depend on specific species of plants to survive, like monarch butterflies and milkweed. Planting native plants in an area promotes biodiversity, which leads to a healthier ecosystem.
Native plants with deep roots are particularly useful near waterways, as their extensive root systems help hold soil in place and keep it from eroding into the water.
Native plant roots absorb stormwater and filter nutrients, pollutants, and sediments while also creating paths for water to seep into the soil, through which it will slowly make its way to the creek. By the time it arrives, the water is cooler and cleaner compared to the warm, polluted storm surges that come directly to the creek through storm drains. In this way, native plants are essential for maintaining healthy creeks as well as feeding and sheltering resilient ecosystems.
Using native plants to restore the watershed
Because of their many benefits, native plants are ideal for many nature-based restoration projects. Plaster Creek Stewards only uses native plants in our rainscaping and other projects. Using native plants not only helps protect our clean water, it also creates healthy local ecosystems.
Growing native plants
Each season Plaster Creek Stewards gathers seeds from over 500 species of native Michigan plants. These seeds are smart and will not germinate until they have sat through a winter season. Some seeds, especially berries, need to be digested to germinate. We mimic the natural processes of dormancy by putting seeds in the fridge, shaking them through a blender, or washing them in acid. When spring arrives, the seeds are laid out for germination and transplanted into larger pots and flats as they grow. This propagation is all done in greenhouses on Calvin’s campus. Here, the plants grow and stay until they are ready to be planted in watershed restoration projects. Our greenhouse facility includes an outdoor nursery covered in shade cloth, one heated greenhouse, and two cold frame greenhouses. These greenhouses are a hub for student and volunteer activity throughout the growing season as materials, tools, and plants are staged here for restoration work.
To learn more about finding the right plants for your restoration project, check out our rain gardens page.
Trees
Planting trees is one of the most beneficial things we can do to heal and support our watershed. From roots to leaves, trees support a healthier, more stable, cooler, and cleaner creek. For more in-depth information about the benefits of trees, check out TreeCanopyBMP.org.
The benefits of trees
Like other Michigan native plants, trees have extensive root networks that break up the soil and create pathways for rainwater to soak into the ground. Once it enters the ground, water then takes one of these two paths:
- Flowing through the tree: Water that is absorbed by a tree’s roots flows inside the tree up to the leaves. The water that evaporates from the leaves is cool and clean, and it rejoins the water cycle as a vapor. This process ensures that less polluted water drains into local waterways.
- Becoming groundwater: Some water traces the channels of tree roots downward into the soil. The soil then acts like a filter for the water, slowing it down, cooling it, and cleaning out some of its pollutants. Eventually, this water will make its way through the ground and join a stream as groundwater.
Another way trees benefit our watershed is with the power of their leaves. A tree’s leaves and stems, altogether called the tree’s “canopy,” catch rainwater as it falls onto the tree. This rainwater either drips and trickles down the tree to reach the roots, or it stays on the leaves and evaporates back into the air. In each of these scenarios, the tree reduces the amount of runoff rushing into nearby streams, limiting water pollution and flooding.
In a similar way to how urban trees protect from heat with their shade, trees planted along a stream can help shade and protect the water. Due to development, many trees have been removed from along stream banks. Streams without trees are exposed to the sun, which warms the water and makes it unlivable for some fish and other organisms. When trees are planted near a waterway, they not only provide habitat for birds, insects, and other creatures, but also shade a livable temperature for aquatic creatures.
Where to plant a tree
A tree can benefit the environment around it regardless of where it's planted. It can help cool the area in the summer, capture carbon, and provide natural green space that has proven important for human wellbeing. When looking to plant trees, here are some spaces to consider:
Along the creek
Trees can be added as part of a protective buffer between a creek and the rest of the landscape. This can be especially useful around farms, where there is limited space between fields or lots. This provides shade for the creak and prevents erosion.
In open areas
Because lawn grass has very short, shallow roots, lawns don’t soak up much water – they create runoff instead. Trees, with their deep roots, enable more water to soak into the ground.
In low areas
Trees in depressed or dug-out areas have space to mature and access to a consistent water supply. Choose a species that likes wet, soggy ground.
In your parkway
Street trees planted in the parkways of urban yards have to meet certain requirements for maintaining visibility and accessibility of the street and sidewalk, but it’s worth it to add shade and beauty to urban areas. If you’d like to plant a street tree in your yard, contact Friends of Grand Rapids Parks to apply for a free street tree.
Native plant gallery
