Native Plants Make a Debut at Adams County Farmers Market

by Sarah Gilsoul, September 24, 2021

Horticulturalist and “certifiable tree-hugger,” John Maciolek, set up his stand at the Adams County Farmers Market in Gettysburg, PA, this past Saturday, not only to sell native plant species but also to educate the public on the ecological benefits these plants bring to the environment.

John Maciolek, a graduate from Hood College with a Master of Science degree in Environmental Biology, spent much of his life working on native plant restoration and invasive species control.

“I gravitated to native plants for their ecological benefits,” he said as he stood amongst dozens of pots filled with native flowering species like the New England Aster and Dwarf Blazing Star.

In 2018, he began selling shirts and tote bags with artistic renditions of butterflies on the native plants they need to survive. The art resembles that of naturalist and author of “Metamorphosis,” Maria Sibylla Merian, who was one of the first to recognize the ecological relationships between insects and other animals and plants through art.

Similarly, in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of native plant species to insect populations, John Maciolek made sure to emphasize these essential interactions on his products.

“Whenever I can, I try to educate people about why it’s better to plant these plants,” he said as he gestured to the pots and merchandise surrounding him.

Many butterfly and moth species rely on a singular plant in their habitats to lay their eggs on or eat. This is because animals, insects, and plants in specific ecosystems have adapted to coexist with one another over thousands of years.

Take Monarch butterflies, for example. Adult butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed plants because the caterpillars have adapted to tolerate the toxins present in milkweed leaves (Agrawal, 2017). Removing native plants and replacing them with ornamental and exotic species disrupts this relationship and leaves pollinators like butterflies and bees without the necessary sources of food that they rely on (Agrawal, 2017). 

The health of pollinator populations is essential in agricultural communities such as Adams County, which relies heavily on the produce from flowering plants that make up the region’s famous orchards.

The public is beginning to understand the importance of these relationships as major issues come to light, such as massive bee die-offs and major decreases in Monarch populations. As a result, the native plant movement is beginning to gain popularity in the United States. However, John stated, “there is still some progress to be made. While the cosmopolitan areas are more progressive, rural communities like Gettysburg are only beginning to see signs of the movement.”

This delayed participation may have to do with accessibility and the price tag attached to many native plant species. As John Maciolek said, “a lot of what you’re paying for is the labor.”

Native plants are not typically mass-produced. Some growers, such as John, physically collect the seeds and propagate them themselves (Skinner, 2019). Additionally, big-box stores, which are taking over the garden center market, often do not want to put in the effort or funding it takes to purchase and propagate native plant species (McCargo, 2021). This makes native plants harder to find and, therefore, more expensive.

For John, though, “it’s about more than making money; it’s about sustainability and social activism.” 10% of his company’s profits, Native Plant Apparel, LLC, are donated to environmental organizations. His participation in the Adams County Farmers Market also provides a platform to educate patrons.

The Adams County Farmers Market has taken many strides towards making the market more accessible to low-income individuals and families, giving John the opportunity to broaden his audience. The market not only provides local food security through food assistance programs (“Increasing Access to Healthy Foods,” 2021) but also makes environmentalism more attainable through the extension of these programs to stands like John’s. This approach allows families to purchase typically expensive native plants for much more affordable prices.

Some programs, such as SNAP which is one of several programs offered to help make food more affordable for low-income families and individuals, only work at John’s booth when he sells native produce.

However, other programs at the market allow patrons to use tokens and vouchers for additional purchases at John’s stand. Reducing the overall price for low-income families and individuals makes them more inclined to buy plants. It also increases the likelihood that native plants will be present all throughout Gettysburg rather than exclusively in affluent communities, resulting in an overall more balanced ecosystem.

“If we don’t have the insects to pollinate primary producers, then we won’t have anything.”

This story was updated on 10/8/2021. The primary changes included grammar, spelling, and the addition of one source.

Bibliography

Agrawal, A. A. (2017). Monarchs and milkweed : a migrating butterfly, a poisonous plant, and their remarkable story of coevolution. Princeton University Press.

Gilsoul, Sarah E. “John Maciolek.” 11 Sept. 2021.

“Increasing Access to Healthy Food.” Adams County Farmers Markets, 2021, www.acfarmersmarkets.org/our-outreach-programs.

McCargo, Heather. “Navigating the Nurseries: How to Find Native Plants.” Wild Seed Project, 15 Sept. 2021, wildseedproject.net/2016/05/navigating-the-nurseries-how-to-find-native-plants/.

Skinner, Anne. “Native Plants in the Home Garden.” UC Master Gardeners of Tulare & Kings Counties, UCCE, 9 Feb. 2019, ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/268-795.pdf.