Growing Hope: Soft Landings

July 20, 2024
By Michelle Hill, POL Contributor

 What do you think of when you look at a tree? Many are likely to respond- “fresh air”, “summer shade”, “fall beauty”, “lumber for homes and goods”, “kindling for a fire”- most would not respond with “host plant to numerous lepidoptera” (moths and butterflies), but that is truly one of the most magical things that our trees do!

Our native trees, as well as regionally native perennials and shrubs, serve a crucial role as host plants for caterpillars of moths and butterflies. As hosts they nourish them through their life cycles; the leaves are the food the caterpillars require. In addition, often the leaves are used in the creation of their chrysalis to provide camouflaged shelter.

In our region, oaks support 477 different types of caterpillars making them a keystone species or a heavy hitting species of trees of utmost importance! When preparing to pupate, caterpillars do not reside exclusively within the canopy region of the tree, many of those 477 different types of caterpillars spend a portion of their life cycle, pupating at the ground level within the fallen leaves and importantly within the soil itself. 

Now imagine in your mind a tree growing in a suburban landscape. Is there anything growing underneath? Maybe some scraggly grass? Has it been treated with pesticides and fertilizer in an attempt to improve its appearance? Inexplicably Is there enough mulch to snuff out a volcano? Likely the space has been mowed to within an inch of its life leaving the soil compacted. 

With the discouraging reports of worldwide dwindling insect and bird populations, what these falling numbers mean to our local ecosystems and the overall food web spells out a dire situation. Upwards of 96% of North American terrestrial birds rear their chicks on a diet almost entirely made up of insects, primarily caterpillars. Who at a rate of 90% can only be hosted by native vegetation. Our landscapes, each and every part is linked together. When we break a link, we smother life. But we can repair and regenerate, too.           

 

Now imagine that same tree in a more natural landscape of the not-so-distant past.  It is lush. It is full. Our native trees would have had neighbors in the form of other trees of the same and different varieties, companions in shrubs and perennials, and visitors in the form of annuals with a symphony of colors and textures. The soil is rich in life and function. Below and around the trees there was a Soft Landing for the descending caterpillars which were far more numerous and diverse. 

Our trees deserve an understory. 

Thankfully this is something we can accomplish within our lifetime- leaving our trees with a brighter future for our children and their children. Enabling them to enjoy the songbirds that will confidently nest where nourishment will be readily secured. With a healthy habitat the food web is intact. Kiss soil compaction good-bye. You can and should improve this space and here is how:

Form a ring as wide as you are willing with fallen branches, a larger rock or two, and other organic materials. Fill this ring with leaves this fall. Leave the Leaves. Our trees have always counted on these natural parts of themselves which as an added bonus offer many other benefits: weed suppression, increased moisture permeability, wildlife habitat, fertilization, and important soil improvements. 

An important note from Heather Holm when creating a Soft Landing, “We do not recommend [a layer of] rocks, adding additional soil or organic material (other than leaves).” Please be mindful to not place material up against the tree itself and to not bury any exposed roots. Please remember no mulch volcanoes, ever. 

    

 

Choose a shape that is irregular and flowing. Expand the ring over time if interested adding more fallen debris each fall. Reducing your lawn and increasing your native habitat. 

This following spring and fall you will begin planting regional natives such as my personal favorites: 

  • Consider adding an understory shrub and herbaceous layer to your soft landing which will support many more insects including- butterflies, moths, bees and more. 
  • Strongly consider planting to have color and interest throughout the seasons. 
  • This is an excellent opportunity to plant a keystone themed bed- pairing your tree, a native keystone shrub, and top 4-5 keystone herbaceous perennials and some annuals for more immediate color.
    • 43147 Tree- Swamp oak (477), Shrub- Mapleleaf Viburnum (101), Small woodland sunflower (76), Woodland strawberry (71), Common Blue Wood Aster (12), Zigzag goldenrod (122), violet (29).
  • You will want to consider the plant’s ultimate size, but go ahead and plant more closely and more diversely than you might have in the past. Part of the tree’s understory involves supportive plant friends, neighbors, and even families. Be sure to consider mature size, bloom times, and potential to host even more wildlife by planting diversely.
  • Refrain from “winterizing” going forward. Reserve seed heads. Do not cut down hollow and pithy stems, and please do not attempt to mulch or otherwise hasten the decomposition on the leaves within your Soft Landing. 

Ecological gardening is truly function first and foremost.

Our agricultural and cultural landscaping practices have and are undermining these natural processes much to our own detriment. Thankfully scientists such as Heather Holm and Conservation Gardener and founder of Neighborhood Greening, Leslie Pilgrim, have researched this topic and proposed a solution.

Per Heather Holm “Creating a Soft Landing under a keystone tree will provide important habitat for pupating butterflies and moths, and the flowering plants in the planting will provide food (pollen and nectar) for pollinators.”

Beauty inherent in the ecosystem function provided by the relationships between herbaceous and woody ornamentals and their insect counterparts.

“In addition to the ah-ha moment that comes with a better understanding of life cycles, the insect/host concept is key.  People are often surprised to learn that the host concept goes beyond the lepidoptera/host relationship (such as no Milkweed, no Monarch; or no Wild Lupine, no Karner Blue butterfly). When people learn that there are also flower-associated insects that need a specific genera or species for survival, it becomes much clearer…regionally native vegetation is so important in our landscapes”, Leslie Pilgrim continued 

“The story-map takes people through the concept of a Soft Landing step by step so that, as the reader goes through the story-map, each piece of a Soft Landing is explained. A Soft Landing has a lot of “moving parts” and this story map tries to bring the reader along so that concepts like host, keystone, life cycle are explained”. 

This work undertaken by you now ensures that the next generation of moths and butterflies may safely access the soil within.

Interested in learning more including accessing a wonderful list of suggested native plants perfect for your new Soft Landing? Click the link for a plant list and more. 

There is so much beauty and value in healthy ecosystem function. Let’s meet some of the wonderful moths your Soft Landing will support:

Spotted Apatelodes. Photo by Jim McCormac

Interested in learning more about installing a Soft Landing on your property? Would you like to help bring more native plants to our landscapes here in Fairfield County? Do you want to help support pollinators and other wildlife in our area?

Stop by Coyote Run in Pickerington, Ohio on August 8 at 6pm for Wild Ones of Fairfield County Ohio’s first Community Meeting. Guest speaker Michael Keeler will be presenting on Soft Landings. The meeting is free and open to the public. Please sign-up today to indicate interest. 

  • View the Soft Landings map0 Entomologist Heather Holm and Leslie Pilgrim’s excellent scientifically based resource on Soft landings
  • Learn more about conservation gardening from Leslie Pilgrims on her website- At Home With Nature 
  • Get on the Map Homegrown National Park
  • Head to the library or local bookstore to pick up a copy of Douglas Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope. 
  • Check out Wild Ones of Fairfield County Ohio 
  • Wild Ones Native Plants, Native Landscapes– longtime national organization promoting the use of native plants within our landscapes. 
  • Visit the National Wildlife Foundation’s website to discover the Keystone species within your zip code. Learn how many of these crucial insects are supported by what exists in your landscape and what you can plant to support their lives throughout their life cycles. 

To read previous editions of “Growing Hope”, please click on the links below.

 

Michelle Hill is the founder of the local Pro Pollinator Initiative which is a group working to plant pollinator gardens throughout the Pickerington area. Last year, they planted native flower beds at Toll Gate Elementary School, Lakeview Junior High School and the main branch of the Pickerington Public Library.

She is also the acting president of Greener Violet, a newly-formed Pickerington-based environmental organization combining a variety of ecological interests including invasive plant remediation and watershed protection.

To learn more about either organization or to ask a question specific to your situation, please email Michelle at pro.pollinator.initiative@gmail.com.

Growing Hope logo created by Dawnette Fleischer