Montclair, N.J. moves to have native plants only on town property
MONTCLAIR, N.J. - A town in Essex County is set to approve an ordinance mandating only plants that naturally grow in our area be planted on town property.
As CBS2's Meg Baker reports, Crane Park in Montclair is just starting to sprout with greenery as we head into spring.
"In the summer, it's just alive with butterflies, lots of different species of bees, birds, we have goldfinches," said David Wasmuth of the Northeast Earth Coalition.
It was once a place of neglect, and is now an oasis of wildlife. The majority of the plants are native to the area.
Now, there's a push by the town council to do this on all township land.
"We want to make sure that we can restore native habitat for pollinators in the area," said Peter Yacobellis of the Montclair Council.
It's called the Jose German-Gomez Native Species Act, named for a town environmentalist and founder of the Northeast Earth Coalition. German-Gomez called it an honor.
The park is part of a larger project to connect pollinators from Maine all the way down to Virginia.
"We have lost about 70% of the population of pollinators," German-Gomez said.
Which breaks the food chain for birds and other species. Native plants not only attract bees and butterflies, but are more resilient.
"Because they evolved in our climate, they know our weather patterns, so they survive our harsh winters, they can deal with drought in the summer. So they require a lot less care, they don't have to constantly be watered," Wasmuth said.
"We do want to really encourage people to do this on their private property as well. Do it on your front lawns, do it in your back yards," Yacobellis said. "But we also need the suppliers to catch up. We can't go out and buy 100% of native trees for Montclair because they aren't available."
Wasmuth points out some options that can be ordered online and delivered to your home in time, such as Jacob's ladder and goldenrod.
"We don't cut it down over the winter, because the birds are still depending on it for food, for seeds and also in the spring for nesting materials," Wasmuth said.
As for the New Jersey state flower, violets, it's a host plant for butterflies.
The Northeast Earth Coalition has a list of native plants on their website. CLICK HERE for more information.