Welcome to the Wild Ones South Central Pennsylvania Chapter site, serving 11 counties: Dauphin, Lebanon, Cumberland, York, Adams, Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Huntingdon, Fulton, and Franklin. Join us to meet other native plant enthusiasts and learn more about supporting biodiversity with native plants. Attend our scheduled field trips, educational events, and our monthly meetings.!
Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes promotes environmentally friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities by:
- providing free, educational resources and learning opportunities that are open to the public,
- supporting the efforts of over 100+ local Wild Ones chapters and seedlings throughout the United States
- publishing a quarterly, award-winning journal for members featuring current native plant information and resources
- and offering free, professionally designed native garden templates for multiple regions in the United States.
WHY NATIVE PLANTS
Plants form the basis for the food web that supports all life, including ours!
In our local food web, native insects have evolved with native plants and many are specialists (such as the Monarch Butterfly with milkweeds). They are unable to use plants that are not native for food or shelter.
Habitat loss from development, farming, climate impacts, and lawns and gardens filled with non-native plants has caused marked declines in pollinators and other insects, as well as bird populations that depend on them to feed their young
By adding native plants to your garden, you can help reverse these declines and help protect our local bio-diversity. Our goal of 70% natives in every garden can sustain the food web for future life on earth!
In addition, with their deep root systems, native plants store carbon efficiently and help with stormwater runoff, mitigating the effects of climate change.