Pamphlet to Promote at Earth Month Events

[Erin Johanns]

Greetings Biodiversity Working Group, 

I just finished my first draft of a Pamphlet we could handout during Earth Month Events like Radix South End Earth Day and Giffen Elementary's Garden Party. I will be tabling both events as Love Your Block but I'm more than happy to put them on my table or if another member of the working group would like to table at these events I can put you in touch with the event coordinators. 

Please share your thoughts and any edits you think I should make to the content or design. I'm still working on the Native Garden Proposal while I balance my other work tasks. 

Looking forward to hearing some feedback soon and for our next meeting in April! 

Best, 

Erin Johanns 

Love Your Block Program Coordinator

She/Her/Hers 
ejoh...@albanyny.gov
518-434-5281

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[Erin Johanns]

Hi Skye, 

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. 

I appreciate you sharing more accurate standards to base our native garden criteria off of. I initially put that definition and milkweed meadow example to make it more accessible to a wider audience that might not have as much knowledge. In addition, Zack had made the point that even a garden that's essentially a monoculture of native plants like milkweed is a more reliable food source and better habitat than most yards which are full of ornamental plants and invasives. Nevertheless, I'm going to make those edits as you suggest. 

Again, that's good information to know and I'm sure that as with most environmental issues it isn't so cut and dry as to say that species ever stick to a specific rule 100% of the time. Again, I agree with your suggestions and will make those changes. I will have to cut down on the wording to make it fit in the section. 

Gotcha, thank you for providing more details. Most of the propaganda that I've heard around native plants pushes the longer root system model as compared to turf grass. In this case, should I remove the "Longer Root System" section all together? I changed the title to "Land Management" since maybe that's a better descriptor and I think that the general points of holding soil in place and storing CO2 still apply. 

Yeah, I can see your point with novice gardeners trying to introduce southern plants and I also think there's a difference introducing Paw Paw trees from Ohio or Goldenrod from Pennsylvania than something further south like in Georgia or Missouri. I've edited the wording a little bit in this section. Let me know what you think. 

Again, you are correct. There are wet and dry native plants and I should more mindful about a novice resident getting the wrong impression. I altered it so it would just say "low nutrients". This is to prevent gung-ho gardeners throwing fertilizer on everything as they're want to do and I do know that most native plants will produce an abundance of leaves and fewer seeds if the soil is too rich. 

I changed the last section to your wording and added "including those that produce fruit, seeds, and nuts". I've attached a new updated draft to this email for the rest of the group. 

I so appreciate your valuable feedback and hope you're able to attend our zoom meeting this Thursday at 6! 

Best, 

Erin Johanns 

Love Your Block Program Coordinator

She/Her/Hers 
ejoh...@albanyny.gov
518-434-5281

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From: Skye van der Laan <skyevan...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 5:09 PM
To: Erin Johanns <ejoh...@albanyny.gov>
Subject: Re: [ASC-Biodiversity] Pamphlet to Promote at Earth Month Events

 

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Hey Erin, 

Here's my thoughts, I am sharing just with you but feel free to forward to the group if you want. Please don't take my critiques personally. 

1) What is a native flower garden?

-WHat you have said here is not really accurate, having one or more native species in a garden does not make it a native garden. The usual target is 80% native plants, and a mix of species. The eco region thing is complicated and debatable, and only really important for plants that are specialists and grow only in certain habitats. Native to the county is probably a better way of saying it. Referencing the New York Flora Atlas or BONAP might be good. My suggestion: "An intentionally planted space with 80% or more plant species native to the region that attracts pollinators...etc"

2) Provides Habitat & Food

-Many native insects can and do recognize and digest plants from other continents, it is rather more complicated. Many non-natives are fine sources of pollen and nectar, some evidence suggests that certain plants do not provide adequate nutrition for certain pollinators, but in general that is not the problem. The problem is that the caterpillars and other offspring of native pollinators often require native plants as their only food source. And there are generalists and specialists among both the plants and pollinators, some depending on each other for survival. Co-evolution. 

-The last statement "Bees able to..." I'm not exactly sure what you are getting at there. Native bees are often specialists and depend on one plant, for example the springbeauty miner bee, which feeds its young exclusively pollen from springbeauties. Also honeybees are part of the problem for native bees. Could say something about how native insects pollinate a majority of our food crops.  

My Suggestion: 

Provides habitat and food:

-Host plants and food for specialist insect larvae like caterpillars: Many native insects like native bees and some butterflies rely on a single species or group of plants to feed their young. 

-Food for insect populations and other wildlife: pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies, birds, and more, fruits for birds and other wildlife 

-Insect populations provide pollinators for the plants and food for birds and other wildlife. 

-Shelter, cover, and nesting material

3) Longer Root Systems

What you have said here is not necessarily true, it depends on the plant. Some native plants, many warm season grasses for example, have long root systems, but many do not and there are plenty of non-native and invasive plants that have long root systems and are as or more drought tolerant than native plants. Root length is also very dependent on soil conditions; in the sandy pine bush big bluestem has 10 foot roots but on the shale shores of the Mohawk it does not. 

4) Climate Resiliency

Not sure about this section. I am not in favor of assisted migration of plants in a willy-nilly manner. There are studies ongoing into the issue but it is a bad idea to start bringing southern plants north because we think it's the right idea. One reason is that plants from not too far south can enter into a novel environment and become invasive, another is that we have no real clue how the climate will change here or if that change will be consistent. I might just say something like: A healthy ecosystem can help prevent invasive species from taking over an area and native plantings can help restore the natural balance. 

5) Pick your location 

Many native plants thrive in low nutrient dry sandy soil, but many do not, certainly not most, and many like wet boggy soil too. 

6) Planning bloom time

I wouldn't recommend a single species planting, and that is not really a native garden nor does it promote diversity. I would say "Choose many varieties of plants with different bloom times so there are flowers throughout the season." But also that the fruits are also beneficial. 

That's my quick run through, feel free to contact me with any questions. 

Skye

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