Recently, Audubon Pennsylvania and Valley Forge Audubon Society teamed up with The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC), Kennett Township, Kennett Borough, and Kennett Trails Alliance on a native plant project, that benefits not just birds, but people as well. 

On Saturday, September 19th, volunteers from Kennett Township and Kennett Square along with members of the project committee planted a permanent demonstration native plant garden next to a pedestrian footpath near the local YMCA in Kennett Square. VFAS financed this garden with grant funds. The committee is now working on developing interpretive signage for the site. Kennett Township Supervisors passed a Native Plant Resolution and thanked Audubon for encouraging this action.

The Kennett-Audubon-TLC Bird Planting is designed as a landscaped destination along the Kennett Trail that provides a pleasant resting spot while demonstrating the value of native plants. This streamside planting highlights plants that help to keep our water clean and provide critical food sources that birds need. The plants used are readily available for purchase at local nurseries for use by residents in their own gardens and landscapes.

Many of the birds we’re used to seeing in our backyards are increasingly threatened by climate change, meaning as temperatures fluctuate and environmental conditions rapidly change, birds are experiencing dramatic shifts in the availability of suitable habitat. By providing native plants, we can help ensure that the birds that give us so much pleasure have access to the resources they need now and in the future.

If you want to learn more about the use of native plants in your garden, visit our Backyards for Nature pages.