Going Native…
June 1, 2009
By Pandra Williams and Steve Bowling
The diversity chronicled by naturalists wandering the North American continent in the 18th and 19th centuries no longer surrounds us in our daily lives. To buy a shrub or plant for our yard, most of us go to a “big box” chain or store, and select from row upon row of cloned plants that originated in Asia or South America, have been bred and engineered only to “stun” the human eye while offering little if any value to wildlife, and are frequently grown in and shipped from distant states. The amazing variety of plants and the diversity of natural environments as described by William Bartram have been degraded and reduced to shadows of what they formerly were.
Georgia’s native species are adapted to the soils, seasons, climate, and wildlife of our state. Even populations of the same species growing in different parts of the state have evolved over time to best “fit” right where they grow. Native plants grown from stock that originated in the state thrive in Georgia’s climate, require less maintenance and water, better support bird and wildlife populations, and heal the environment.
EcoAddendum is a non-profit organization whose mission is to put native plants back into Georgia’s landscape through the promotion of the use of local species in landscaping and the restoration of the state’s natural environments. Our goal is to propagate material that originated within the state and to maintain a large, diverse gene pool for each species rather than following the common practice of propagating numerous plants from a few select individuals.
EcoAddendum designs and installs public and private plantings that are both attractive for humans and beneficial to birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. As we are non-profit, these services are provided at near cost, any revenues going toward the perpetuation of our stated goals. We also give educational programs on how and why to plant native species and promote volunteer participation in their planting and maintenance. We are co-operating with Atlanta Audubon, the U.S. Forest Service, and other organizations in the National Wildlife Federation sponsored Flyway Cities Coalition, a nationwide effort to promote activities beneficial to migratory birds passing through urban areas.
The flora and fauna that are our natural history are just as much a part of Georgia’s legacy as the human history that was and still is shaped by it. We are all diminished by its loss.
If you would like any additional information about the Flyway Cities Coalition, please see flywaycities.org.
