COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio General Assembly sent a bill to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk that would allow people and conservation organizations to collect and share native plant seeds with other like-minded people.
House Bill 364 is hoped to encourage people to plant more native plants, which would create native plant habitats to ensure Ohio's natural species thrive, according to a statement from The Nature Conservancy.
HB 364 passed unanimously the Ohio House in June 12 and unanimously in the Senate on Dec. 18. The bill also eliminates certain weeds from the list of those that a manager of a road or railroad must remove.
It's the native plant provisions that have conservationists excited.
"Once signed into law, this will have a significant impact on efforts throughout the state to remove invasive plants and replace them with plants native to Ohio, provide more habitat to threatened insects and even help individuals who want to create their own pollinator garden," said Mary Turocy, director of policy and government relations for The Nature Conservancy Ohio, in a statement.
The organization has collected native seeds on its preserves throughout Ohio to replant on other areas its preserves to replace invasive plants or restore fields previously used for farming or pasture.
"Native plants have an impact across the ecological food web," said Peter Blank, Northwest Ohio program manager for The Nature Conservancy. "Native plants provide sanctuary for pollinators, like bees and butterflies, and a habitat for beneficial insects like beetles, dragonflies and wasps, which prey on people pests -- like mosquitoes -- and pests that damage agricultural crops. More insects mean more food for small mammals and birds, which then benefits hawks and owls. And it all starts with native plants."
Two examples of native plants that could become more prominent across Ohio are milkweed and Blazing Star. Monarch butterflies love milkweed. The Blazing Star Moth only eats the Blazing Star, which sprouts tall stocks of purple or pink flowers. Without these plants, neither species could survive.