David Swank and John Zettner spoke to the club from The Plant Advisors.
The Plant Advisors is a new venture that brings on-site advice to metro Detroit homeowners who are learning about biodiversity and native plants. They provide a twohour initial visit to assess a homeowner’s plants, understand their goals, and then provide a detailed list of plants to fit their needs.
80% of the homes in America have ornamental plants that are not functional. For example, hostas do not support any butterfly or moth caterpillar species, while native plants such as dogwoods support 115 species. These and other bugs are needed to support the bird population. Birds like Chickadees, which require 6,000 bugs to feed their babies over a three-week period, will not build nests if there are no bugs available.
They are huge proponents of Doug Tallamy, a University of Delaware Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, who is promoting a grass roots call-to-action to plant native plants. www.homegrownnationalpark.org “If you plant them, they will come.” www.theplantadvisors.com