Why Plant Native Mast-Producing Trees?

Native mast-producing trees and shrubs are almost always the best choices for wildlife and the environment, because they are well-adapted to local conditions and the local wildlife is well-adapted to them. Although there are exceptions, many native wildlife species show a marked preference for native mast species.

Planting native mast species is especially important for people interested in attracting butterflies and birds to their yard. Plants produce toxins in their leaves to discourage insects from munching on them, and caterpillars and other insect herbivores are often highly specialized to resist only one type of toxin. Caterpillars are rarely able to use non-native plants as host plants.

Maintaining healthy populations of caterpillars and other insect herbivores is important for butterfly and moth enthusiasts for obvious reasons, but why should bird lovers care? The fact is that caterpillars make up the most important component of the diet of baby birds thanks to their high energy content. Even birds that are strictly seed eaters as adults feed their nestlings insects. Caterpillars and other insect herbivores are also popular food sources for many small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and beneficial insects, which in turn are eaten by larger mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, and so forth.

To learn more about the vital role native plants play in maintaining healthy populations of wildlife, the Mast tree Network recommends Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, by Douglas Tallamy.

Of the top 20 tree families Tallamy, a caterpillar specialist, recommends for supporting the greatest levels of caterpillar diversity, all are mast-producers and most are excellent mast producers:

Related posts:

1. The Best Non-Native Mast-Producing Trees and Shrubs
2. Attracting Orioles To Your Yard With Mast-Producing Trees
3. Using Mast-Producing Trees in Riparian Buffer Zones
4. Mast Producing Trees and Shrubs Native To North America
5. Why Plant Mast-Producing Trees?