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National Bird Day

Native Plants and Habitat
Posted on 01/02/2020
Native Plants and Habitat

On this National Bird Day, Sun, Jan 5th, we want to take a second to the share the valuable habitat native plants provide.

City staff and the Putnam Museum and Science Center field many inquiries about the “tall weeds” on the "Putnam Hill" throughout the year, what many don't realize is that the hill is planted with native plants and grasses.

Native plants are used in a variety of landscapes to help stabilize soils and reduce and clean stormwater run-off.  But these are not the only benefits of native plants. They provide valuable habitat for birds, insects, and a variety of other living creatures and organisms.

Native plants are not regularly maintained like turf grass. In fact, regular mowing can adversely impact growth and the benefits the plants provide.

The hill was planted with native vegetation in 2014 to primarily reduce the impacts of stormwater run-off, including erosion that was occurring. Piping and other gray infrastructure fixes would have cost three times that to plant with native materials. Native plants were the obvious choice not only due to the cost, but for their environmental benefits.

Six years later, the habitat has become home to a variety of animals, including ground-nesting bird varieties.

Look for more news on this habitat in the coming years as the City and the Putnam work to improve this area.

Learn more about native plants at this link.