The Lake Book

NATIVE PLANTS
Native plants, both in the water and
along shorelines, are essential to the
health of lake ecosystems. Native
plants can be part of a beautiful
landscape, often requiring less water
and maintenance than their cultivated
relatives. Because native plants share
a long evolutionary past with native
insects, they host hundreds of native
insect species. Many of these native
insects are adapted to live on just a
single native plant species.
Maine’s native plants host
many types of pollinators,
including birds, insects, moths,
and butterflies. These native
pollinators fertilize plants and
promote genetic diversity.
Native plants also host many
caterpillar species, the primary
food source for nearly all baby
songbirds in Maine.
Above: Cutleaf Coneflower; Left:
Blue Vervain; Below: Humming-bird
Moth on Rose Milkweed; Far Right:
Fragrant Waterlily
Planting new native plants along the
shoreline and encouraging the ones
already there not only sustains
natural food sources and habitats, but
also requires less maintenance -
saving time, money, and effort.
Shoreline plantings help stabilize soil
and promote infiltration of stormwater,
which reduces runoff,
improving water quality and the
quality of the lake’s littoral zone.
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© Bonnie Boatman