What are native, non-native, and invasive plant species? Native species have co-evolved in specific ecosystems for thousands of years. Native plants are anchors of healthy, biodiverse communities. They have adapted to local soils and climate conditions. Each species plays a necessary role in the delicate web of life and preserves the balance and beauty of…
Over the past weekend, thousands of people have taken to Twitter to showcase why #WeAreBaltimore and #WeLoveBaltimore. Residents from all walks of life are sharing positive stories about their lives in Charm City. The outpour of pride and love for Baltimore has taken the world by storm. From world-class seafood to Edgar Allen Poe, there…
One of the easiest ways to make your Baltimore yard a healthy and attractive place for wildlife is to increase the number and variety of native grasses you use. Thankfully, the many indigenous grasses we grow and sell at Herring Run Nursery are just as lovely to look at as they are valuable to our…
Having just returned from the very exciting New Directions in the American Landscape conference, I posted on the Herring Run Nursery Facebok page a quote famously attributed to Jack Ward Thomas – the controversial chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1993 to 1996. The problem is, the quote actually belongs to Frank Edwin Egler. Egler…
In the United States we are blessed to have tremendous protections afforded to us by the Clean Water Act and other Federal and state environmental laws. Citizens of other nations lack the most basic legal protection preventing sewage or untreated industrial waste from contaminating their drinking water and natural resources. However, great legal protections do…
Have you ever wondered where those blue and white barrels come from, those “rain barrels”? You may have heard that they’re recycled, but what does that mean? And how about “food-grade”? Come along for a trip from start to finish in…The Life Of A Rain Barrel! Let’s start with one of our most consistent sources…
Last week, in the first part of this two part series on water pollution, I explored the connection between energy, water, and pollution. This week my focus is on the home: how water and pollution are connected to where we rest our heads. You’ve likely heard the terms stormwater and urban runoff (if you’d like…
[Note: This post was written by Dana Puzey, program manager for the Water Audit program, and is the first of a two-part series on how you can reduce your ecological footprint as an individual.] When you are tuned into local environmental issues, you hear the rallying cries against water pollution all the time: Save the…