Speaking Up for Non-Native Plants

I love native plants, and the many, well-documented services and benefits they provide, including increased habitat for birds, insects, and wildlife, adaptability to local conditions, and limited fertilizer and water requirements. These benefits, among others, are certainly worthwhile and valuable.  I have many native plants throughout my yard (the purple cone flower was beautiful in July, followed by the black-eyed susans coming in strong in August) and in my shady rain garden (the red osier dogwood seems very happy).  However, I get concerned when native plants are specified as the only acceptable choice for use in bioretention and related stormwater [...]

2017-09-18T06:47:51-04:00December 13th, 2013|

Advocating for a System-based Approach to Stormwater Management

When considering the question of using native vs non-native plants in bioretention and other stormwater management practices, I find myself struggling a bit.  First off, I am not one to militantly state that “native plants should ALWAYS be used in a bioretention facility.” I think my bigger struggle with this question is that it seems very reductionist and perhaps instead, we should be asking ourselves, “How can we incorporate a more systems-based approach into our stormwater designs?” With stormwater management practices in urban and suburban environments, one of the primary goals is to mimic pre-development hydrology.  Using native plants facilitates [...]

2021-02-04T12:22:17-05:00December 13th, 2013|

Carrots, Sticks, and Dog Poop

While working on a recent study of Cost Effective Stormwater Management in the James River Watershed for the James River Association, I found myself thinking a lot about dog poop.  Although the supporting research is admittedly limited, one of the findings of the study was that pet waste programs are by far the most cost-effective management practice for reducing nutrients in runoff. The cost to remove a pound of nitrogen was estimated at just $0.44, which is 700 times more cost-effective than a bioswale and 1,200 times more cost effective than a pond retrofit. The cost to remove a pound [...]

2021-08-02T08:43:21-04:00October 15th, 2013|

Spiral Wetland

Spiral Wetland is an eco-art project supported by the Walton Art Center as part of the Artosphere Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Spiral Wetland is made with native soft rush, Juncus effusus, growing 
in a closed-cell foam mat anchored to the lake’s floor. The plants help remove excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from the lake water, and the mat adds shade for fish habitat.  Inspired by Spiral Jetty (1970), Robert Smithson’s famous earthwork sited in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, this spiral is a working earthwork floating on the surface of the lake. When the installation is taken down in [...]

2017-09-18T09:14:31-04:00September 11th, 2013|
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