Cool urban heat islands. A big shade tree can lower its surrounding temperature by 10-15 degrees.
Clean our air and water, creating oxygen and capturing pollutants. Children are less likely to have asthma if they live in leafy neighborhoods.
Play an important role in combating climate change. Urban forests remove enough carbon to offset 10 million cars’ emissions per year.
Reduce flooding, filter and absorb stormwater. Water evaporates more slowly through leaves and cools our neighborhood.
Save us money: Shading homes and blocking winter winds. They increase home values.
Are good for business. Shoppers travel farther for tree-lined streets, linger, and spend more.
Lower stress, help us relax and quiet streets. Seeing trees reduces blood pressure, helps hospital patients recover, increases worker productivity. People drive more slowly.
Make cities safer. People spend more time outside. There are fewer property and violent crimes, and less aggressive behavior.
Take many years to develop. Loss of a mature tree can mean a gap of decades before regaining the benefits from a new planting.
More Info: See The Morton Arboretum Link below on the benefit of trees.
Paw Paws
Trees for Wildlife Value
One way to choose a tree species is to see which hosts the most caterpillars (larval hosts). Doug Tallamy, entomologist from the University of Delaware has classified native plants according to how many species of caterpillar they host. The North American plant with the most wildlife value: Oaks!
Why measure in caterpillars? Because caterpillars are a foundation for the food chain. What eats caterpillars? Spiders, beetles, wasps and other insects, but also mammals (like chipmunks and opossum), amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, even fungi.
Plant an oak, cherry, willow, birch, hickory, elm or other top native tree for wildlife. These trees help the most species of native caterpillars, and that helps birds too.
Think of birds as well, choosing the larval hosts that also provide berries, nuts and seeds year-round.
Keystone native trees from Tallamy's List of Woody Plants
Bur Oak. Oaks are larval host to the most species of caterpillar.
Local Native Sales that often include Trees
Keep an eye out or join our newsletter for info on local plant sales, often in Springtime.
Shady Grove Wildflower Farm, Evanston. shadygrovewildflowerfarm.square.site Also at the Evanston Farmer’s Market: Allison Sloan <allisonlynnsloan@gmail.com
Red Buffalo Nursery - Richmond, IL - 815-678-4848 redbuffalonursery.com
Walnut Creek Nursery, 35910 Polk Road, Marengo, IL 60152 312.925.7467. wcnursery.com
Tree Suggestions
Note: Numbers refer to how many native caterpillar species require these plants as their larval host. (Not available for all species.) Remember though that berries or other benefits for birds are in addition to larval host values.
* signifies plant more than one.
+ signifies can take more shade
What's in a Native Food Forest?
Trees: Cherry or Plum (Prunus serotina or americana) (429), Pecan* (Carya illinoinensis) or other hickories (233), Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis, canadensis or arborea) (119), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) (123; away from vegetable gardens but ok for most native gardens), Persimmon* (Diospyros virginia) (44). These tolerate more shade: Hackberry+ (Celtis occidentalis) (41), Pawpaw*+ (Asimina triloba) (12), Red Mulberry+ (Morus rubra).
Shrubs: Hazelnut* (Corylus americana) (127), New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) (43), and Elderberry* (Sambucus canadensis) (40). These tolerate more shade: Chokecherry+ (Prunus virginiana) (429 – sour but makes a good jelly), Blueberry+ (Vaccinium corymbosum) (286), Blackberry+ or Raspberry+ (Rubus allegheniensis, odoratus or occidentalis) (151), Currants+ and Gooseberries+ (Ribes missouriense or americanum, others) (92), Grape (Vitis riparia (riverbank grape+) or aestivalis (summer grape) (72).
Planting for Birds: Fruits and nuts add value to trees that are also larval hosts for caterpillar species.
Nut and seed trees and shrubs: Oaks (White, Bur, Pin, Swamp white, Black, Red, Hill’s, Chinquapin, Scarlet) (518), Birch (River, Paper, Yellow) (400), Maples (287), Elm (206), Linden (142), American Hazelnut (124), Beech (124), Sycamore (42). These understory trees tolerate more shade: Ironwood+ (Ostrya) (91), Hornbeam+ (Carpinus) (66), Witchhazel+ (62).
Fruit trees: Black or Sand Cherry, Chokecherry+ or American plum (429), Iowa Crabapple (358), Hawthorn (150), Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis, canadensis or arborea) (119), Dogwoods (Pagoda+, Flowering, Red Osier, Gray+) (115), Hackberry+ (41), Eastern Red Cedar (37), Red Mulberry+ (6).
Conifers provide habitat, winter protection and seed or nut forage: White or Jack Pine (191), Hemlocks+ (89), Red or White Cedar (37, 48).
Fruit shrubs. Raspberry or Blackberry+ (Rubus spp.) (151), Viburnum (Blackhaw+, Mapleleaf, Arrowwood, Nannyberry, American cranberrybush) (97), Wild Currant or Gooseberry+ (Ribes spp.) (92), Wild Strawberry+ (ground cover) (86), Smooth or Staghorn Sumac (54), Black chokeberry (46), Elderberry* (40) Ninebark+ (40), Spicebush+ (9), Spikenard+ (7), Wahoo+ (6).
Seasonal or interesting features
Bur Oak (gnarly shape) (518), native Roses (simple pink blooms) (122), Witchhazel+ (yellow in fall) (62), Serviceberry (119) or Flowering or Pagoda Dogwood+ (115) (white flowers, berries), Red Osier Dogwood (115) (red stems in winter), Sweetgum (bright red fall color) (33), Snowberry+ (small pink blooms followed by big white berries) (24), Redbuds+ (covered in pink in spring) (19), Buttonbush (white puffballs fora wet area) (19) or Tuliptree (straight upright form with blooms like tulips) (19), Spikenard+ (7), Spicebush+ (yellow in spring) (9), Yellowwood (waterfalls of flowers).
Planting natives is one of the six items in the Pollinator Pledge
Improve habitat for birds and pollinators when you Take the Pollinator Pledge.
Resources
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You're Needed! Here Are Some Involvement Opportunities
Donating to Climate Action Evanston and earmarking your donation for Natural Habitat Evanston. You can further earmark your donation to one of our initiatives.
$25/bag to local residents (pickup; no shipping). We also have some $5 seed packets of bottlebrush and little bluestem grass. While supplies last. Emails should include your phone number and which species you are requesting. Pay by check payable to Citizens’ Greener Evanston at pickup.
Volunteer at plantings and invasive removals: parks and schools
Northwestern students Petition for Bird-Friendly Films at Mudd Library. Mudd Library accounts for over 14% of bird deaths and injuries on campus each year. Applying patterned window film to a portion of the building would dramatically reduce collisions that are fatal to birds.
Share out brochures, doorhangers, or flyers.
Collect a bunch of materials on the 5th Ward Tree Giveaway, Pollinator Pledge, Eco landscaping, Yard care,
Light pollution,
Leaf blowers are an eco-disaster, or Buffalo Grass.
Provide Food, Water, Shelter, Places to Raise Young and Sustainable Steps for wildlife. It helps Evanston maintain its NWF Community-wide Wildlife Habitat certification.
