The Native Species Commission developed a simple informational card that lists suggested native replacement plants to consider.

The Native Species Commission developed a simple informational card that lists suggested native replacement plants to consider.

These days it’s hard to miss the reports of the decline of species around the world.

In July, the monarch butterfly was newly classified as endangered. The monarch joins the plants, insects, fish, amphibians, and birds in Delaware whose populations have seen significant declines.

In 2017, to address the problem of Delaware’s disappearing natural landscapes, the Ecological Extinction Task Force was formed. Comprised of ecologists, botanists, legislatures, educators and other stakeholders, the task force developed a list of goals or actions to be taken. In 2018, the Delaware Native Species Commission was formed to implement those goals. The first was the enactment of legislation banning the import, export, sale, transport, distribution, or propagation of any plant considered by the Department of Agriculture to be invasive.

Delaware’s invasive Plant Law went into effect on July 1. As a result of this legislation, if, on June 30, 2022, you walked out of your favorite garden center with a flat of Japanese pachysandra to plant at home and then returned the next day to get more, you would have found that pachysandra is no longer available for sale in Delaware. This is because pachysandra and 37 other plants have found their way on to Delaware’s invasive plant list.

The list of invasive plants was compiled based on data collected in Delaware by experts and assessed through an established and widely used protocol. An invasive plant is not native to North America, grows quickly, spreads easily and out-competes most other plants.

At risk are the plants native to Delaware, which are the foundation of our natural ecosystems. At this point in time, 40 percent of our native plants are gravely threatened or gone.

Many of the plants listed as invasive plants have been accidentally introduced from other parts of the world. One such accidentally introduced is Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum), but 13 of the 37 other plants are commonly available and have been widely used for decades.

Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), having been established as a desirable landscape plant was brought to North America intentionally to be cultivated and sold. The characteristics that make Japanese pachysandra so popular in a garden landscape are that it grows well in shade and poor soil, grows thickly enough to prevent other plants from growing and persists as a ground cover through the winter.

Landscapers and homeowners may be wondering, “If pachysandra has been in wide use in North American gardens for decades, why is it now appearing on a list of invasive species?” The characteristics that have made pachysandra hugely popular are the same characteristics that make it a problem for Delaware’s natural lands. Once established it spreads quickly.

One key to understanding the problem is to look at Delaware and its unique circumstances. Delaware, once covered in forests, is now a patchwork of cities, farms, expanses of suburban housing and relatively small patches of isolated wooded natural lands. Some of those natural areas are publicly owned and are managed by the state, but most of our remaining native ecosystems of plants and animals are privately owned and vulnerable to change.

One of the changes taking place is inundation by non-native invasive plants competing for water, sunlight and space. Due to their vigorous growth and ability to spread, those plants “escape” from the managed areas and invade unchecked into natural areas. There they out compete the natives thus reducing biodiversity and degrading the ecosystem.

This is easily observed on the edges of woodlands, bisected by roads, where it has become common to see trees covered with vines of oriental bittersweet, honeysuckle or English ivy, three of the most invasive species introduced to North America for horticultural uses. Less easy to see are the low-growing ground covers, such as pachysandra, periwinkle and English ivy, that simply grow beyond the boundaries of home landscapes and, as is often the case, into the woods behind the houses.

In a short time, where there were violets, ferns, mosses or orchids, there will be just a blanket of a single species of a non-native plant. The loss of the plants means the loss of food sources for insects, fish, amphibians, and birds. When smothering invasives are removed, the natives are given a chance to reestablish.

It was not unforeseen that the disappearance of old favorites, such as pachysandra, would confound garden centers and their customers. In order to ease the transition, The Native Species Commission developed a simple informational card that lists suggested native replacement plants to consider. Every garden center in the state, including Lowes and Home Depot has been supplied with these. If you don’t see the cards at your garden center ask for one. You may discover a new plant and a beautiful way to benefit our native wildlife.

The Conservation Advisory Commission was created in 1977 to advise the city of Newark in the development, management and protection of its natural resources, with appropriate consideration of Newark’s human and economic resources. It meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in council chambers. The public is invited to attend and provide input. Commission members provide this monthly column to inform area residents on conservation issues.

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