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| Do your trees have “soft landings” at the base of their trunks? Soft landings are areas below trees that combine a diverse planting of native plants, leaf litter, and other plant debris that allow beneficial insects to complete their life cycles. Why is this important? Many caterpillars (the larvae of moths and butterflies) that feed on our native trees (like oaks) complete their development as pupa in the leaf litter or soil. To reach the ground, they rely on soft foliage from perennials, ferns, sedges, and more to cushion their fall and give them easy access to the duff and soil below. When a caterpillar falls on a concrete surface or a turf lawn, they may never reach accessible soil or leaf litter to continue their development. Other beneficial insects require these spaces as well. Fireflies live most of their lives as larvae who shelter and feed in the leaf litter, decomposing wood, and accessible topsoil. Bumble bees overwinter and nest in these same spaces. Lacewings (which eat aphids) overwinter in the plant debris. So, how does one create soft landings to protect these vital insects? Under any native tree in your landscape, but especially keystone species that support the most species, create a garden bed where a variety of native plant species are planted. These plants will act as shelter while they are growing and contributing to the plant debris beneath them when they go dormant in the winter. They will also help protect the leaf litter below from disturbance. Make sure not to mow these areas since mowing will eliminate the insects and compact the soil, or use landscape fabric which will prevent the wildlife from accessing the soil. |
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| At Scioto Gardens, you’ll find a plethora of plants that contribute to soft landings. Many sedges do well in the shade of oaks and other large trees. Ferns are also excellent choices and provide a different texture to the planting. To complement those species, adding flowering perennials like Heart-leaved Groundsel or Big Leaf Aster that bloom at different times will help support pollinators throughout the year. Adding keystone species like Blue-stemmed Goldenrod improves the quality of the planting even further, since they will also host a diverse assortment of moths and butterflies. Stop by this fall if you’d like our help in creating soft landings in your landscape! |
| Available plants that make great additions to soft landings: |
 PerennialsBlue Wood Aster (Aster [Symphyotrichum] cordifolius) Big Leaf Aster (Aster [Eurybia] macrophyllus) Downy Wood Mint (Blephilia ciliata) Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus ‘Lynnhaven Carpet’) Wild Cranesbill (Geranium maculatum) Heartleaf Groundsel (Packera [Senecio] aurea) Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans) Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) ‘Silver Gem’ Walter’s Violet (Viola walteri ‘Silver Gem’) Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) |
| SedgesWhite-tinged Sedge (Carex albicans) Appalachian Sedge (Carex appalachica) Creeping Sedge (Carex laxiculmis) Oak Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) Seersucker Sedge (Carex plantaginea) Low Woodland Sedge (Carex socialis) Pretty Sedge (Carex woodii) |  |
 FernsMaidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) Goldie’s Fern (Dryopteris goldiana) Eastern Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) Interrupted Fern (Osmunda claytoniana) Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) |
September 2024 Newsletter
