Many folks don’t know anything about the West Georgia Chapter of the Native Plant Society, but those of us who are devoted to the mission of protecting our native plants are working to change that.  We installed a display at the Neva Lomason Library yesterday, explaining exactly what we do.

We are very involved in education of the importance of our native plants to our well being.  From food for people and wildlife, to habitat for wildlife, to medicinal uses, our native plants are incredibly important to our quality of life.

Our second mission is to rescue native plants that might otherwise be destroyed by bulldozers or flooding for reservoirs.  We go on rescue from Sept. through May, and dig a tremendous number of beautiful natives.  Some of these we plant on public lands, such as walking trails and parks.  Some we put in our own yards to propagate for new plants.  Others we sell at our meetings to allow more people to enjoy these beautiful plants.

Thirdly, we work to restore habitats in areas that have been devastated by storms, erosion, or poor land use.  An example of this is the Buffalo Creek Nature Trail at the ag center.  When finished, this trail will be several miles long, with examples of almost every habitat found in Georgia, except for the ocean  .  We have cleared a portion of the trail, labeled trees with educational signs, and planted dozens of rescued plants along the trail.  We will be establishing a native azalea trail over the next year or so.

We hope that you will join us at a meeting or for one of our workshops.  You just might find your new passion!

Here are some pics of plants that I have rescued and planted in my own yard.  Some are taken from the native plant web site, as mine are still too small to bloom, but this is what I’m shooting for over the long haul.