There’s an old gardening saying that states, “There’s a plant for every place and a place for every plant,” and for the most part, that’s true in nature too.
The southern United States boasts an incredible diversity of “places” that are perfect for a wide variety of plants. Over eons, our native plants have found just the right niches – places where all their environmental requirements are met and where competition is low enough to allow them to flourish.
Some of these plants are so adapted to a specific environment that any alteration to their habitat causes stress to the population. Think of it in houseplant terms. You are an avid grower of African violets. You’ve set up a place in your home that meets all their specifications. You provide the absolute perfect amount of light, you water from the bottom, feed them regularly, and keep them at an even temperature. You’re an amazing grower!
But what happens when a storm knocks out the electricity? Or you go visit your sister and forget to get a plant sitter? Your plants have become so accustomed to perfect conditions that any alteration – a change in light, moisture, or nutrients – is going to have an immediate and detrimental consequence.
Which is what’s happening to so many of our specialized and endangered native plants these days. Each habitat has developed in a unique way and the plants in it have evolved to thrive in those exact conditions.
When those conditions change, the ability of these plants to thrive or even survive is compromised. What if your world is a tree in a Florida rockland hammock that is cut down to build a condo? What if your world is a puddle on a granite outcrop and someone throws an old tire into your puddle?
While it’s still true that there is a plant for every place, it’s no longer true that there is a place for every plant. Habitat degradation and habitat loss are two of the main threats to our vulnerable and endangered plants.
While we can’t provide for these wild plants as we would for African violets, we can work together to save their habitats and make sure that their place in the world is secure.
Yay! Let’s do what we can to keep tires out of puddles and trees flourishing. Here in my back yard, we just lost a three-year fight to prevent logging on one of our most precious environmental niches, Pipe Fork. It’ll take all of us, constantly vigilant, to prevent habitat degradation and loss and keep our precious plants and wildlife.