The following was written by SBTH Volunteer Coordinator (and recipient of last year’s Volunteer of the Year Award), Ann McInnis.
Native prairie plants at Saving Birds Thru Habitat
Michigan native plants are defined as species that occurred prior to European settlement. They have been determined by decades of scrupulous research of an untold number of survey records made well over 200 years ago (including dried botanical specimens), museum notes, Native American knowledge as well as the scientific observation of the cascading effect native plants have in an ecosystem which highlights their complex ecological relationship within a wildlife community. Many, many experts have spent their careers determining which plant species are “native” such as Dr. Edward Voss who, over decades, has written a 3 volume definitive guide to Michigan natives. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, with input from many expert botanists, in 2001 developed The Michigan Floristic Quality Assessment which is now used as a tool to determine whether a species is native to Michigan.
The entire document can be seen at: http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/HuntingWildlifeHabitat/FQA.pdf
or just the plant list can be viewed at: http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/HuntingWildlifeHabitat/FQA_C_database.pdf
Why Are Native Plants Important?
Native species are important because they are adapted to Michigan’s climate and soils, and they have an incredible root system that rebuilds soil and works as a filtering system They are beautiful. Most importantly, they provide high quality habitat for Michigan’s native wildlife with which they share centuries of co-evolution. Non native plants do not provide habitat for native wildlife.
“Michigan’s native flora is unique to Michigan and provides us with a sense of place.” (Esther Durnwald, President, Wildflower Association of Michigan.)