The week of April 20, 2020 has been proclaimed “Native Plant Week in Hot Springs Village” by Leslie Nalley, CEO of HSV Property Owners Association.
Native Plant Week recognizes the importance of native plants in bird-friendly communities and beyond. Similar proclamations were made by Governor Asa Hutchinson for the state of Arkansas, and the mayors of Little Rock and Texarkana. The timing is not accidental, as April 22 will mark 50 years of Earth Day.
Male cardinal eating Hop Hornbeam seeds - Photo by Dan Olson
Plants for Birds
Plants for birds is a program of the National Audubon Society. HSV Audubon invites nature enthusiasts to grow bird-friendly native plants at home.
Gardens are outdoor sanctuaries for birds, insects and other wildlife. Birds visit our yards looking for nourishment and places to raise their chicks. By adding native plants to your yard, anyone can attract more birds and give them the best chance of survival.
A nesting Carolina Chickadee will collect more than 400 caterpillars each day. The bugs are packed with nutrients like carotenoids that growing chicks need to thrive. Photo: Douglas Tallamy - permission to use from Audubon Arkansas.
You can support wildlife by planting bird- and butterfly-friendly plant species for year-round food, cover and shelter. Native plants are food for our native insects, which are in turn food for birds. More than 96% of all land birds feed their young insects, and native plants are the real feeders that birds need.
Landscapes composed of Arkansas’s native plants conserve water, save energy, and reduce pollutants and pesticides. Many landscaping plants are from other areas and are not good sources for food for our wildlife. They generally require more chemicals and water to thrive, increasing maintenance time, costs and environmental hazards. Some can even become invasive.
If you plant it, birds will come.
By growing native plants, you can help protect birds while turning your home into a private wildlife paradise.
Female cardinal eating Hop Hornbeam seeds - Photo by Dan Olson
“Birds and native plants are made for each other thanks to millions of years of evolution,” says Dr. John Rowden, Audubon’s director of community conservation.