Tony DeSantis shows hikers a Jack-in-the-Pulpit flower for Pennsylvania's Native Species Day. The flower gets its unusual name because it sort of looks like a preacher standing at a altar. DeSantis is an environmental education specialist with the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Isabela Weiss / WVIA News | Report For America
Isabela Weiss / WVIA News | Report For America
Tony DeSantis shows hikers a Jack-in-the-Pulpit flower for Pennsylvania's Native Species Day. The flower gets its unusual name because it sort of looks like a preacher standing at a altar. DeSantis is an environmental education specialist with the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Nature lovers learned how to help native plants bloom on a springtime hike.
Tony DeSantis guided hikers for Pennsylvania’s third annual Native Species Day through Lackawanna State Park’s trails. He is an environmental education specialist with the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Native Species Day started two years ago to teach people how to identify and protect Pennsylvania’s native plants and wildlife.
DeSantis pointed out a sprinkle of ferns beside one of the park’s trails.
“So, ferns are a fun challenge to try to ID which is which,” said DeSantis. “The one thing I see with this fern is that it’s very expansive. So, that gives me a clue right there. Another clue is if I pick it up and smell it, if I crush it and smell it. Has a bit of a hay scent to it. So, that would be aptly named Hayscented Fern.”
DeSantis explained the way they multiply. It sounds a bit out of this world.
“They’ll reproduce by these spore-producing organs that can be attached on the bottom of the structure, the frond, or be in a structure all to itself … the spores kind of float through the air, kind of like pollen does,” said DeSantis. “But when it lands on suitable habitat, it then produces a gametophyte. So, think of a little heart-shaped leaf that will then produce the reproductive cells.”
Hayscented Ferns are native to the Northeastern United States and along the Appalachian Trail, according to PennState Extension. They cover huge swaths of Pennsylvania’s forests.
Michele Davis, a volunteer master gardener with Penn State said that’s not an accident. Native plants do better in their native areas.
“They’re acclimated to our climate, our soil and our seasons. So, they’re less work,” said Davis.
A plant is ‘native’ if it was here before settlers colonized America, she explained. However, not all plants that are native to the U.S. are native to Pennsylvania.
She hopes more people will plant Pennsylvania’s native plants in their lawns. They are vital to local ecosystems.
“One of the reasons we plant natives is not only because they support our wildlife, but they help with maintaining our soil systems,” said Davis. “And for those up in the country, kind of the Abingtons area, we’ve had all kinds of water issues. And water will be absorbed by the plants.”
However, she worries about the rise of invasive flora and fauna species in Pennsylvania, like the notable spotted lantern fly. Invasives “take over and crowd out” natives.
“Part of the reason we have so many issues with natives is that we’ve had so much urbanization and economic development. So much of the United States has disturbed soils. And invasive species thrive in disturbed soils,” said Davis.
Davis added that a lot of native plants aren’t considered as valuable as invasive or exotic plants. Many are treated as weeds, and pesticides pollute lawns across the state.
Some invasives can destroy entire ecosystems.
DCNR’s DeSantis taught hikers about the blight that wiped out the American Chestnut tree.
“If you’re not familiar with American Chestnut, it’s a tree that prior to 1900 would’ve been a dominant species here. One in four trees would’ve been a chestnut. Unfortunately, a fungus made its way to the United States from Asia from the Chinese Chestnut trees that were brought over. And being that our chestnuts didn’t coevolve with that fungus, they had no immunity and they were decimated,” said DeSantis.
Surviving chestnuts in the U.S. rarely live past shrub-height, said DeSantis. The fungus lies dormant in their roots until coming back through the telltale sign of bright orange splotches. DCNR is experimenting with a potential hybrid American Chestnut that could survive the blight, added DeSantis.
It’s not an easy fix though.
“It’s tough,” said DeSantis. “By the time you’ve realized what’s happening, it’s usually too late where they’ve established a population. And then you have to figure out okay what is it, how can we treat it, is there, y’know, something we can do mechanically to control them? Or [does] it have to be chemically? Does it have to be some other means? So, it’s not easy. So, that’s why it’s kind of an unending field of study.”
However, DeSantis is hopeful that another species may make a comeback: the ash tree. The invasive emerald ash borer destroyed most of Pennsylvania’s ash trees, but the species is still growing new saplings.
“So, the big question is what will the forest look like in 20 years or so,” asked DeSantis. “When all those mature trees have been decimated, will these young ones survive and the emerald ash borer population drop? Or will they also be infected?”
Pennsylvania’s third annual Native Species Day was on May 16. For more information on the state’s native plants, visit DCNR’s Landscaping with Native Plants webpage. It has links to native plant sellers, invasive species information and other advice.
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