Healing the Land Through Building Relationships With Native Plants
In spring 2020, I enrolled in a field ecology course, eager for nine full days of hands-on, outdoor work in a small class, practicing ecological sampling and monitoring at various field sites. Unfortunately, COVID-19 had other plans. Our course went online, and all the fieldwork activities became independent. The prospect of doing fieldwork alone at a nearby park was truly disappointing. I did not expect to develop a deep connection to the local park and build relationships with the native plants I met there.
Healing the land with native plants plays a critical role in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises. Healthy habitats support native wildlife and strengthen the resilience of the landscape.
By the end of nine days, I spent nearly 30 hours focused on a small patch of land. I set up plots, identified species, and measured, observed, and recorded. Little did I know that, at the same time, I was getting to know the native plants and beginning to see them in a new way. I remember the joy of being greeted brightly by trout lilies each morning and the privilege of meeting jack-in-the-pulpits, silent and regal in the forest. This was their space, and I felt welcomed. This solitary experience was a gift. To this day, I continue to visit them each spring on my own.
Native plants are generally known as the plants that occurred on the landscape prior to colonization. They form the basis of healthy ecosystems, supporting freshwater, clean air, food, and habitat, which become frayed, weakened, and vulnerable to catastrophic influences without them. Beyond these services, native plants are beautiful in their own right and hold stories of the land from which we can all learn.
Indigenous communities have always had strong, reciprocal relationships with native plants, embedded in ceremonies and ways of life. Through the ongoing process of colonization, native plants have been pushed off the landscape. Restoring native plants and healing the land is an act of reciprocity and reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
Healing the land with native plants also plays a critical role in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises. Healthy habitats support native wildlife and strengthen the resilience of the landscape.
Fortunately, in southern Ontario, awareness of the importance of native plants in growing healthy resilient landscapes is increasing. The problem, though, is that to grow more plants, we need more seed.
In southern Ontario, we lack the quantity and diversity of local native seed for the scope of restoration required. To address this problem, Carolinian Canada and partners have co-created a Southern Ontario Seed Strategy, which aims to provide a coordinated, ethical, and inclusive approach to scale the supply of native seed.
We can all make space for native plants in our work and hearts and minds. This practice of reciprocity supports them as they support us. It begins with learning and observing, growing and nurturing, celebrating and appreciating, and sharing and advocating. It means bringing intention, paying attention, and cherishing the relationships we share with native plants.
Siobhan Mullally works with Carolinian Canada as the Network and Communications Coordinator. She is a co-author of The Economy of Hope report and the Southern Ontario Seed Strategy. Learn more at caroliniancanada.ca/seed