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Native Trees

16 years ago

I was going to post this in the Garden Exchange Forum, But I figured it would get a better response here. I'm looking for the seeds of any tree or shrub that is native to the Northeast as I am concerned that the nearby pasture on my property will be invaded by invasive species before the native species get established. I have plenty of boxelder seeds, Virginia Creeper Seeds/Vines, and Queen Anne's Lace Seeds to trade. I also have several cuttings of a weeping willow tree (which I took before realizing they weren't native.) Please email me at Botanydude4444@yahoo.com if you can help me. Thanks in advance!

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Comments (2)

fatamorgana2121
16 years ago
FYI, Queen Anne's Lace is a non-native as well. It is still pretty though!

You may wish to find a book like _Native Plants of the Northeast_ by Donald Leopold to do some research on what native plants you would like to encourage on your property. Another thing you could do is to determine what trees and shrubs grow in your area naturally. Go to a large park in your area (one with wild areas) and see what trees are growing there. A good field guide like Peterson would be helpful to you. These trees will do well with NY growing conditions and soils. If you can snag a couple of seeds on your hike, all the better. The resulting trees would be more suited to NY than seeds you would get from Kansas or California. I'm not saying seeds from elsewhere won't work, it's just the natural selection process has made the trees growing around you better adapted to your conditions.

Around here (western NY), I see lots of ash (green/white/black), hickories (shagbark/bitternut), oak (various), cherry (pin & black), american basswood, eastern cottonwood, witch hazel, sassafras, black locust, tulip tree, eastern white pine, willows (various) and maples (various) to name a few natives. This is by no means an exhaustive list!

FataMorgana
bdude4
Original Author
16 years ago
Oops! Sorry. I just assumed that Queen Anne's Lace was native because it is so abundant and generally contributes to our ecological succession by filling in bare soil before grasses, shrubs, and trees move in. thank you for the tree list too. It is consistent with the trees that I have observed in the area.
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The Arbor Day organization is great, but do be aware that the "trees" you're getting are going to be very small (18" I think is the tallest) and will take years to be able to provide food/shelter for wildlife. That is not to discourage you at all! Every big tree around started small, of course. However, you may also want to invest in some balled and burlapped versions of those same trees. You also may want to get more than one of some of the species, instead of 10 different things. 3 weigela are a more attractive target for birds/butterflies than 1
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I'd imagine it's Ptelea trifoliata, a.k.a. wafer ash. It's a host plant for the giant swallowtail. I've looked at this a number of times but just don't have the space for it in my yard. The main reason I can think of not to plant it is that it's not particularly ornamental. It's the sort of irregular, shrubby tree that grows at the edge of the woods. You might consider asking about it on the Butterfly Garden forum, or just doing a search there.
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