Native Shrubs Help Restore Habitat

Shrubs at Magruder Park in Hyattsville, MD Shrubs at Magruder Park in Hyattsville, MD
October 26, 2011 by: Lori Baranoff

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As part of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps mini grant project, funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, volunteers helped plant 85 native shrubs this month at Magruder Park located in Hyattsville, Maryland.  A variety of native shrubs (e.g. buttonbush, common elderberry, ninebark, southern arrowwood, winterberry) were purchased from Earth Sangha for a total of 14 different species!  Diversifying the native plants provides suitable habitat for much of Maryland’s wildlife as well as many other benefits including stabilizing stream banks to reduce soil erosion.  Magruder Park’s forested areas, like many forest edges, are suffering from invasive non-native species that out-compete the native vegetation and eventually decrease biodiversity.  It is for this reason that AWS engages its volunteers in removing these invaders and then planting with native species.

Many thanks go out to all of the volunteers involved, M-NCPPC of Prince George’s County, and to the Chesapeake Bay Trust for helping to make this project a success!  Please stay tuned to our calendar if you are interested in helping us plant native species!

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