By Linda Porter with Susan Jonas

Garden Club of Danville

Photos by Betty Hall Photography

Wild temperature swings in winter are par for the course in Kentucky and our native

plants are well adapted to the fluctuations. We have been bouncing from frigid to spring-

like and back this month. Even when the earth is frozen solid, gardens are still full of life.

Underground, worms, tiny insects, and microbes are busy working to keep the soil in

balance. Above the surface there is also life, hidden from view but still managing to

hang on, emerging again in spring. Dead and dying foliage, evergreens, and lawn offer

habitat, protection and sustenance for these hidden living treasures throughout the

winter months. Two seldom mentioned heroes of this four-season habitat are grasses

and sedges.

Above the surface there is also life, hidden from view but still managing to hang on, emerging again in spring. Dead and dying foliage, evergreens, and lawn offer habitat, protection and sustenance for these hidden living treasures throughout the winter months. Two seldom mentioned heroes of this four-season habitat are grasses and sedges.

We often think of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees as the main sources of wildlife and insect habitat, but over 70 species of butterflies and moths depend upon grasses and sedges as hosts for their caterpillars. In winter, grass blades, roots, and seed heads offer cover for eggs, larvae, and chrysalises (or cocoons) that remain there to emerge as butterflies or moths with the return of warmer temperatures. In spring and summer, grasses also provide food, shelter, and homes for other pollinators, birds, and small mammals.  

Grasses and sedges play an important role in the ecosystem of a garden and the lifecycle of butterflies. Take for instance our state’s namesake, bluegrass. Bluegrass is the host plant for at least five different butterfly caterpillars. Many tiny skipper and satyr butterflies that flutter around in your garden from mid to late summer depend upon grasses for their survival. Bluegrass lawns that are mowed a little taller (4 inches is good) are not only healthier and more attractive, they also allow caterpillars to eat and grow.

There are other butterfly-friendly grasses native to Kentucky prairies and meadows. Unlike the invasive non-natives, such as Miscanthus sinensis (commonly known as Chinese silvergrass), carefully selected native grasses are well-behaved and important garden residents. They are easy to maintain and they reduce weeds by creating a mat of fibers at their base. Their roots reach deep into the earth, six feet or more. This ensures that they will sustain butterflies and moth caterpillars through long summer droughts. Stands of such grasses also provide safe nesting locations for the most efficient of pollinators, the ground dwelling bumblebees. All of them provide nutritious seeds for birds and small mammals.

While taller native grasses can be overwhelming and aggressive in a garden, medium height native cultivars, like Switchgrass “Northwind” or Indian Grass “The Blues”, tame the wildness of natives and offer a striking contrast to other native plants. There are also shorter grasses and sedges that don’t need taming. For example, prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) features a perfect cascade of leaf blade and seed head throughout the summer, fall, and well into the winter months. The lovely Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania Sedge) makes a lush woodland groundcover, while also acting as host for 36 different species of caterpillars. This is a grass that thrives in shade and makes a good groundcover in areas without much sun.

The plants you grow in your garden can make a difference for the future of Kentucky’s biodiversity. Our natural grasslands are disappearing at an alarming rate. Gardeners planting a blend of properly maintained organic lawn, native grasses, shrubs, and flowers can have a real impact on butterfly and pollinator conservation. You will enjoy the results and so will the butterflies.

If you are curious about native plants and want to learn more, you’re in luck. The speaker for the Garden Club’s Feb. 7 meeting is Alicia Bosela, owner of Ironweed Native Plant Nursery in Columbia. Join us to discover the beauty and bounty of using native plants for a sustainable garden that saves water, attracts pollinators, and helps preserve native habitats.

The Garden Club meets the first Wednesday of every month, except January and July, at 1 p.m., usually at the Boyle County Extension Service, 99 Corporate Drive. Visitors are welcome. To learn more about the Garden Club and see a calendar of meetings and activities, visit www.thegardenclubofdanville.org.  

Garden Club of Danville

Speaker: Alicia Bosela of Ironweed Native Plant Nursery

1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7

Boyle County Extension Service

99 Corporate Drive, Danville

No charge   

All photos by Betty Hall Photography