April is National Native Plant Month
The office of Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio announced the passage of a senate resolution to designate April 2021 as National Native Plant Month.
Ohio became one of the first states in the country to have a law designating an entire month to native plants in 2019. Since then residents of the state have been working with other states to develop similar legislation, but the final goal was always bigger. After months of working with Portman’s office, Ohio had led the effort to earn the national designation.
Now the goal is to spread the word and encourage everyone to celebrate by hosting native plant educational programs, planting trees, removing invasive plants, working with school children, replacing lawn areas with new native plant habitats, supporting pollinators and pulling together as a country this April to support ecosystems.
In addition to Portman, the lead senator on the Democratic side was Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii. Because this is a resolution and not a law, it will need renewed each year, but further talks with Portman’s office will be held in efforts to make it a law.