Rare Wildlife Gems: Native Plants that Bring Endangered Species to Your Tennessee Garden
Four native plants stand out as attracting species that are truly rare in the landscape of Southeastern back gardens․ Purple Love Grass‚ Pennsylvania Sedge‚ Gayfeather Liatris‚ and Bulrush each fill a different ecological niche‚ from dry prairie edges to wetland margins‚ to create a backyard habitat supportive of species that is rarely viewed up close․ If you're in Tennessee or anywhere in USDA zones 5 through 9‚ the four plants below‚ which do so much more than just decorate a border‚ may be a good choice․
Purple Love Grass: A Habitat for Rare Grassland Species
Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis) has loose‚ delicate clumps that assume the appearance of a sky with rosy purple clouds when temperatures begin to cool in early to mid-September․ It is a warm-season native bunch grass that performs beautifully in the poor‚ dry‚ rocky soil that frustrates all attempts to grow anything else․ It does have perfect requirements‚ though: full sun and good drainage; anything else‚ such as more fertilizer‚ merely causes the grass to flop over under its own weight․
Plant in the spring after the last frost‚ around 12-18 inches (30․5-46 cm) apart․ It will take its time establishing itself in the first year‚ putting out roots and not much else‚ then explode into growth in year two․ Once the plant is established‚ it is very prolific‚ so you may find new clumps sprouting up near the mature plants․
Other native inhabitants include the Regal Fritillary butterfly‚ whose grassland habitat has also greatly diminished‚ placing the species on the endangered species list across much of its former North American range․ The Prairie Mole Cricket‚ one of the largest crickets in North America‚ makes its home in the root mass․ Henslow's Sparrow is a very secretive bird that avoids mowed lawns and other highly manicured areas but is often found feeding on its seed and nesting material․ Frosted Elfin butterflies (Callophrys irus) feed on the nectar of flowers‚ while the Grasshopper Sparrow (a bird in decline because of habitat loss) finds cover and short-eared owls sometimes hunt over stands of this grass at dusk outside urban areas․
Pennsylvania Sedge: A Rare Refuge for Woodland Creatures
Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) is a low-growing‚ under 8 in (20 cm)‚ clumping‚ perennial groundcover with fine-textured‚ bright green foliage adaptable to shade․ It is useful as an underplanting of trees where turfgrass lawns would die from competition with roots and dry shade․ Pennsylvania sedge fills a woodland bed in 2 to 3 years‚ without becoming an invasion problem․
Plant it in the fall or early spring in partial or full shade․ Water weekly for the first month until the roots are started․ Thereafter‚ this is a no-mow‚ no-fertilizer plant‚ requiring just the occasional light raking in spring to remove heavy leaf litter․
The interesting part is what it attracts‚ such as how it provides habitat for Red-shouldered Hawks that nest in the old-growth trees above․ It is listed as threatened in several Southeastern US states․ The Eastern Box Turtle uses the cool‚ moist microhabitat under the forest floor foliage to avoid the summer heat․ The Appalachian Azure uses native sedges and spring woodland wildflowers in the understory while foraging․ Wood Thrushes forage for insects in its range‚ Spotted Salamanders lay eggs in its habitat on rainy spring nights‚ and Northern Flying Squirrels forage in its understory at night․
Gayfeather Liatris: Protecting Rare Prairie Pollinators
It produces tall spikes of bright purple-pink flowers in mid-summer to early fall (July-October)․ Gayfeather Liatris is a tall plant (2-4 ft (61-122 cm) tall depending on species)․ In a full-sun position in well-drained soil (wet feet in winter is the one thing that will kill it) tubers or potted plants should be spaced 12 inches (30 cm) apart when planted․ If planted early in the season the plant flowers at the end of its first year․
One of the best Southeast pollinator plants for common bees‚ butterflies‚ and others‚ including the critically endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee․ The latter has not been seen in most of its historical range‚ but continues to visit Liatris where it still exists in the East․ Monarch butterflies use the plant to obtain nectar during their fall migration․ This period of the year almost completely overlaps with the time during which the plant flowers in Tennessee․ The plant acts as a nectar source for the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly in its range and the small‚ endangered Dakota Skipper prairie butterfly․ Among the more unusual visitors‚ commonly seen flying erratically‚ is Leonard's Skipper‚ and the endangered American Burying Beetle‚ a carrion beetle whose role in decomposition is larger than its size‚ hunts in Liatris fields․
Bulrush: The Wetland's Answer to Rare Aquatic Species
It may not be the most glamorous of plants‚ but bulrush (Scirpus spp)‚ a tall‚ erect‚ wetland native‚ is among the best plants for ponds‚ rain gardens‚ or low‚ wet areas in your yard․ Bulrush grows to 3 to 6 feet tall in up to 6 inches of standing water‚ or wet soil that is soggy year round․ Bulrush may quickly form dense colonies via rhizomes within two to three years․
Plant in spring in wet soil or shallow water․ No fertilization is necessary‚ as nutrient-rich run off from surrounding lawns provides all you will need․ It is tolerant of full sun to part shade‚ and once established requires very little maintenance․
Bulrushes provide many wetland species with shelter and nesting material‚ unlike many other plants․ For example‚ Least Bittern is one of the smallest and most elusive of all herons and nests directly in dense bulrushes․ In addition to nesting surface‚ Black Terns use the stands to rest over water․ The King Rail is another marsh bird that is declining throughout the Southeast and‚ like the Black Tern‚ uses bulrush edges for foraging and predator cover․ Muskrats make feeding platforms from the stems‚ and the emergent stems of bulrush support some rare species of dragonfly‚ including the Rapids Clubtail‚ as they complete their lifecycle․
Building a Rare-Wildlife Garden That Works
In the wild the secret to attracting these rare species is not merely to plant a single showy specimen‚ but to create conditions for dry grassland‚ wet meadow‚ and shaded understory as appropriate․ TN Nursery offers all four of these natives as hardy‚ nursery grown specimens appropriate to Tennessee and Southeastern growing conditions to give you a real head start over starting from seed․ Instead‚ plan plantings around moisture and light needs‚ and be sure to wait for at least a full season before evaluating whether wildlife is using a planting․
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