Restoring native plants
As rural landscapes in Connecticut have been increasingly transformed in recent decades by commercial and residential development, the state has seen a precipitous decline in native plants—335 species, or 19 percent, are on the state’s list of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern. A decline in bees and other pollinators that rely on these species has ensued.
The decrease in pollinator populations threatens the state’s remaining ecosystems and food and timber production. Now in its third year of operation, the Ecotype Project, an initiative of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA), is growing native plants from seed with local genes to support pollinator health, farms, and food crops, and to restore ecosystems. The project is working with scientists, farmers, seed savers, nurseries, landscapers, homeowners, and conservationists to increase the number of native plants in the region.
