California Native Plant Landscape Design | Earth and Spirit

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EARTH & SPIRIT

NATIVE PLANT LANDSCAPE DESIGN

for the Bay Area

BENEFITS OF NATIVE PLANTS

· Help the environment

· Support biodiversity

· Create habitat

· Save water

· Maintain without toxic chemicals

· Provide food & medicine

· Connect people with local nature

· Beautify & Inspire

FACTS THAT MOTIVATE & INFORM OUR WORK WITH NATIVE PLANTS

CA is uniquely diverse with more plant species than any other state in the contiguous U.S., 1/3 of which grow nowhere else in the world.

70% of CA's original habitat has now been lost due to human activities. As such a threatened center of immense biodiversity, it has been recognized as 1 of 36 global 'Biodiversity Hotspots'.

Native wildlife need native plants to survive. Millions of years of coevolution between local plants and local insects have resulted in specialized relationships that offer pollination in exchange for food. When native plants are missing, insect populations suffer. Fewer insects leads to declines in bird populations, and so on. The web of life relies on native plants at the base of it all.

Insect populations are declining at an average of .92% a year (or 9% a decade) worldwide, with causes including habitat destruction, climate change, pesticides, and pollution.

19% of U.S. butterfly species are in danger of extinction.

Western Monarch Butterfly populations are 1% of what they were in the 1980's.

There are 1500 different native bee species in CA, of which 75+ are found in the Bay Area.

More bird species breed in CA than in any other state.

1 in 3 bites of our food is the result of animal/insect- assisted pollination.

Nationwide, more than 1/3 of annual household water is used to irrigate landscapes.

Native, drought-tolerant gardens can reduce irrigation water consumption by 60% or more.

OUR DESIGN ETHIC

Earth & Spirit is committed to protecting and restoring nature through ecological native plant landscape design and gardening services. Native plants, along with healthy water and soils, are the base of a thriving ecosystem and so their well-being calls out to our hearts and inspires our work. We are passionate about helping to design and create gardens for our clients that are not only beautiful, but life-sustaining, for wildlife and people.