Native plants are found naturally in a specific region and have adapted to that unique environment. After many generations of adapting to this environment, the native plants are more equipped to survive in this specific ecosystem.
The most important type of native plants that you will see on a walk are called keystone plants, which are used to describe plants useful for maintaining biodiversity and providing support to many other plant, animal, and bug species, according to Dr. Carol Bokros at Mercer University who is involved with the Fringed Campion Chapter of Georgia Native Plant Society.
Bokros said that if keystone plants were not here, “a lot of insect populations would collapse.”
Since, Keystone species of plants are so important to the ecosystem Bokros shared a list of the five most important keystone plants in Georgia, in no particular order.
1. A very common and important keystone species is the Oak tree. According to Bokros, all types of oak trees are keystone species. The most common type of oak tree in Georgia is the American White Oak. The NC State’s Extension website, which has a large database of plant information that is widely used, says that the American white oak is large, with an average height of 80 to 100 feet, and is a slow growing hardwood tree. The flowers bloom in the spring, appearing in April. The wildlife that this tree supports are the Imperial Moth, Banded Hairstreak, Edward’s Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace’s Duskywing, and the Juvenal’s Duskywing. Different animal species also eat the acorns of this plant, such as woodpeckers, blue jays, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, black bear, and other small mammals.
2. The second keystone species Bokros listed is the Maple tree. The most common maple tree in Georgia is the red maple, and NC State’s Extension website says that this plant typically grows to about 40 to 70 feet tall. It is a faster growing tree that is also tolerant to more urban conditions. The Red/Burgundy flowers of this tree bloom around winter to spring time, anywhere from January to March. Although this plant doesn’t produce as much sap as a sugar maple, the red maple does produce edible sap that can be harvested. The tree attracts pollinators and supports many different types of wildlife, such as bees, which are attracted to the nectar in the flowers, and Imperial Moth larvae. The seeds are also enjoyed by birds, and the fruit and buds are a predominant food source for gray squirrels in the winter to spring months.
3. The third keystone species is the Hickory tree, with one of the most common types being the shagbark hickory. According to NC State’s Extension website, the shagbark hickory is a large 60 to 90 foot tall tree that has a 50 to 70 foot spread. It can take this tree up to 40 years to produce nuts, but it can live around 200 to 300 years. The fruit produced by this tree is edible to humans, and is harvestable in fall, and the flowers of this tree bloom in spring, around May. This tree is valuable to wildlife, such as being a host plant for Banded Hairstreak butterflies and many types of moths. Being a host plant to butterflies and moths means that it provides housing for the moths and butterflies during their larvae stages, as well as food. The nuts of this tree are eaten by squirrels, chipmunks, and black bears.
4. The fourth keystone species, and only non-tree species on this list, is the Goldenrod. The most common type of goldenrod in Georgia is the Tall Goldenrod. NC State’s Extension website says that the tall goldenrod is a wildflower that can grow from two to six feet tall, and one plant can have as many as 1,500 small yellow flower heads in the cone shaped wildflower. This gold/yellow flower is fragrant and beautiful and blooms in fall to summer time, for about three weeks in August to November. This plant supports many different bug species, such as the Wavy-lined Emerald larvae, and the nectar-rich flowers attract many types of bees, butterflies, and beetles.
5. The fifth keystone species is the Cherry Tree, with the most common being the black cherry tree. NC State’s Extension website describes the black cherry as a rapidly growing tree that can grow 60 to 80 feet tall, and 30 to 60 feet wide. This tree grows edible black cherries that can be harvested in the late summer. The flowers of this tree bloom in spring time, in late April to May. This tree is a very useful wildlife resource and provides nectar for pollinators, and is a host plant for the larvae of many butterfly species. In addition, the fruits are eaten by different types of animals, such as songbirds, wild turkeys, quail, white-tailed deer and small mammals.
