Your Yard Is Not A Fast Food Joint For Wildlife | Aaron Palmieri

Step outside the front door and into a living network where every plant choice matters. We sit down with Aaron Palmeri from the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy to demystify what “native” really means for the Lowcountry and why local species outperform popular imports when it comes to feeding birds, sustaining pollinators, and keeping ecosystems resilient. If you’ve ever wondered whether a pretty shrub helps or hurts, this conversation gives you the clarity to choose well.

We break down ecoregions in plain terms and share how herbarium records and range maps verify what truly belongs from Wilmington to Jacksonville. From there, we trace the chain of co‑evolution: how caterpillars rely on specific host plants, why 96% of songbirds depend on those caterpillars, and how nectar, fruit, and structure fit together across the seasons. You’ll hear stark examples like nandina’s cyanide-laced berries harming cedar waxwings, and how Chinese tallow spreads to crowd out high‑value natives—proving that what’s “low maintenance” on paper can be costly for wildlife.

The practical guidance is simple and doable. Start with one bed. Ask your landscaper for natives. Choose heavy hitters: oaks, willows, and Prunus for trees; blueberries, blackberries, and native roses for shrubs; goldenrod, native sunflowers, and boneset for wildflowers. Prefer evergreen structure? Yaupon holly and wax myrtle shape beautifully and stay green year‑round. We also share how to find vetted lists, local plant sales, and trusted nurseries so you can swap invasive look‑alikes for native workhorses without sacrificing curb appeal.

We close with a wellness reflection that ties it all together: seasonal eating and being a reliable base for each other—steady, present, and consistent. Ready to turn your yard into habitat that looks great and does good? Listen now, subscribe for more nature‑forward wellness, and share the first plant you’ll swap this season.

Transcript

Welcome & Today’s Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. I'm your host, Jeff Ford, and today we're stepping just outside our front doors to talk about something that quietly shapes our health, our wildlife, and the place we call home. Native plants. What we choose to plant here at Palmetto Bluff isn't just about how our yards look. It needs to be more about understanding how our entire ecosystem functions. Joining me today is an expert on native plants, Aaron Palmeri from the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy. And together we're going to unpack what native plants really are, why they matter more than most of us realize, and how small changes in our landscaping can have a huge impact. Aaron, welcome back to the show. Happy to be back. This is episode four for you. We've done snakes, we've done alligators, we've done birds. And now we're taking a hard left turn and talking about native plants. Absolutely. Aaron, for those of us uh listeners out there who maybe are unfamiliar with who you are, what you do at the Palmetto Buff Conservancy, I know your responsibilities have changed a little bit over the last year. Give them the reader's digest version of you.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Absolutely. Yeah. Uh I am the science and education manager for the team. The title keeps changing, so you don't need to remember that. But uh I oversee most all of the programming that we do from our nature outings to uh creating our lectures. And I now the newest responsibility is overseeing the research that we do at Palmetto Bluff.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Well, Aaron, we're so grateful that you're a regular guest on the podcast. And um, let's let's not waste any more time. I want to start with helping everyone understand what native really means. So before we jump in, I'd like us to go through what people should or shouldn't be planning. I think it's important we we slow down here because the word native gets used a lot in different contexts, but it means different things to different people. So, what makes a plant native and native to where exactly?

Lowcountry Range & How We Know

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Unfortunately, there's not really a unif a universal consensus. You have some people that are a lot more lenient with what they consider native, and you have some that are incredibly strict. Um, how I tend to view it is looking at something called ecoregions. There's four ecoregions, um, and that is just areas of geospatial, geospatial areas of similar climate, topography, hydrology, and a lot of other features. Um, at an ecoregion one, it's very broad, very lenient, pretty much eastern United States is one ecoregion. So some people might go, oh, if it's native to eastern US, it's native. As you get to ecoregion four, that is very specific to pretty much for us, it'd be the barrier islands and a little bit onto the mainland here in the southeastern US. And so plants that are found that were naturally found in those habitats when European colonists arrive, those would be what are considered native. But you have some people that get stricter than that. You have some people that go, oh, anything on earth is native, which is a little too broad. Um, so the definition is not universal. For us, we view it as native plants are going to be those that were present here before European colonists and have been here for hundreds of thousands of years, millions of years, that have co-evolved with all the other organisms that were found here.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Aaron, that simplifies it quite well. The low country, where do you classify it? How do you look at it?

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Yeah, so the low country is from Wilmington, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. Uh, for me, when I look at range maps of plants, I essentially use that as my guiding factor. And I go maybe two counties inland and plants that are denoted as being found in that area, I consider native to here.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Okay. How do we actually know whether a plant belongs in our area? We we weren't here when the first settlers arrived and saw everything. How do we go about that?

Finding Lists And Regulations

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Frankly, if it was a plant that was brought over by European colonists, that's not a native plant. It was brought over from Europe or from Africa or from Asia. Um, essentially it would be a plant that was present here before the colonists. And while botany, while the definitions and lists may not have been as finite or as clear then, I mean, you still had people who were interested in plants and were documenting them. And so they would there's herbarium specimens of the plants that were found here. Now, whether or not the indigenous people brought a plant from the middle of the United States to the eastern US, that's information we don't know. But if it was found in this area prior to the arrival and shortly after the arrival, then that is likely a native plant.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Tell us more about the lists. How where do I go to find out what's native and what's not native?

SPEAKER_01 5:24

So if it makes it easier for people, you can just go ahead and reach out to the conservancy. Well, we did we've done a lot of the groundwork for you, and we're happy to talk your ear off about plants for hours. That you can go to our director Jay, our landwaffe manager Brian, or myself. Um, a source that I used heavily was um uh uh Bonap, and I'm forgetting the what that is short for, but it you can go to all the different genuses of plants and you can find the range maps for them. Again, we've done the dirty work for you. If you're curious, just reach out and ask us.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

So you've got kind of the master list, and then is it a fair assumption that our POA team regulates native plants, or is that the the decision by our residents?

Why Native Plants Matter

SPEAKER_01 6:07

So when people are building their lots, there is an approved plant list. That's fun, which uh excludes any of the known invasives. There are some non-natives on there, but they're typically benign, um, where they're not gonna be necessarily detrimental, but they're not really providing anything ecologically. Um, the one thing that is unfortunately an issue is once once a final inspection's incurred, landscaping's done, and it's signed off on, there's not really much regulation to say a couple of couple years down the road, someone brings in an invasive plant. Um to give an example, Nandina or heavenly bamboo. I've unfortunately seen that a couple places on property. You can you can technically report that to the POA. Um, but I know some people also don't want to feel like a whistleblower in that regard. But it is important to prevent invasives from spreading.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Aaron, why do native plants matter more than we tend to realize? This isn't something I'm familiar with. Right. So I really want to kind of understand where they can become harmful.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Yeah. So with native plants, they have co-evolved with the other organisms that were found in this area. Again, for thousands to hundreds, hundreds of thousands of years to millions of years. And not only have these other animals adapted to using those plants as a food source, but those plants might have an a positive impact related to how the hydrology of that area works or how that ecosystem functions. Um, it it's pretty safe to say, even on the most conservative level, every single plant that's native here has at least one relationship with some other organism, whether it's another plant or an uh an animal. Uh and so losing those native plants breaks those relationships, which can have a ripple effect. Um, if if you want an example, uh milkweed, very well-known plant. People plant it for monarch butterflies, their caterpillars have to eat milkweed leaves. The adults can go to the flowers of a lot of different plants. So if we didn't have milkweed, we wouldn't have monarch butterflies. Correct. Uh and now to take it a step further, butterflies aren't the main pollinator of milkweed. It is actually our large bumblebees, carpenter bees, and large wasps that actually effectively pollinate and create new milkweed seeds. And so to produce more milkweed naturally, we need to uh provide food throughout the year to support those bumblebees and carpenter bees. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

The interconnectedness is interesting. You know, it doesn't work without multiple organisms and these native plants all kind of working together to keep the ecosystem alive.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Absolutely. There's some relationships that began forming back during the Mesozoic era. I mean, there's flowering plants start evolving in the Cretaceous, and that's where insects really start to build those connections with them. And yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Now that we know what native really means, I feel like you've you've laid a nice foundation here. This is where I think a lot of well-intentioned people start to feel a little bit unsure. Most of us didn't set out trying to do anything wrong here, I think, with with their landscaping. And um we we sometimes like plant what looks nice, what might be affordable. Uh, we might be working with someone who tells us what to plant. Aren't non-native plants just as good if wildlife still uses them?

Are Non‑Natives “Good Enough”?

SPEAKER_01 9:43

That is a great question. And no one should feel ashamed for not knowing about native plants versus non-native plants. Uh, there's something called I would kind of call like the neighbor effect. It's like, oh, I want my yard to look like my neighbor so I don't stand out. And so, and that also kind of falls into uh landscaping companies too. They're they tend to get told, oh, I want what they have. And so they keep planting that. They just do that because that's what they're told. When we communicate when we talk with the landscaping companies, they love doing native landscaping. They're into it. They're into it. Anytime we talk about it with them, they get excited because it's it breaks the monotony of planting the same things over and over and over and over again because everyone wants what their neighbor has. But um, to go back to your question, um, well, yes, native plants, uh, sorry, non-native plants produce fruit, they can produce seeds, they can produce nuts. Um, but in that same vein, are those providing the same nutrients that the wildlife need and evolved alongside? It's like us going to a fast food joint. Yes, you are getting a meal, but is that meal providing the nutrients that your body properly needs? Um but uh and something that the non-native plants lack and just absolutely cannot compete in is the fact that they don't have the relationship with our caterpillars and insects that the native plants do. Um, that goes back to that interconnectedness. 96% of our songbirds in North America feed their young insects, and it's primarily caterpillars. To have the caterpillars, they need their food source, which is our native plants.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

I'm picking up that these caterpillars are key, and by having native plants in our yards here at Palmetto Bluff, it's going to lead to more flourishing for our ecosystem.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Absolutely. Even if you don't want to do it for the the caterpillars, do it for the birds. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

What why are some common plants in our yards considered such a problem? Can you share or reference one to two examples of plants that aren't on your master list?

Harmful Examples In Local Yards

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Sure. So I'll actually, the first example will be that Nandina, the heavenly bamboo. Looks pretty, has a pretty fall color change. It produces these bright red berries in the winter time. The problem is those berries are very similar looking to hollyberries. And we have a bird around here called the Cedar Waxwing. And come the late winter, they'll start finding all the fruiting plants and gorging on it to build up their reserves for migrating north. The problem with Nandina is those berries contain cyanide. Yikes. Yeah. And when they poor birds. Absolutely. And when they gorge on those Nandina fruits, they're just filling their body with cyanide. And there's been reports of flocks of cedar wax wings dying from cyanide poisoning. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Um I didn't understand that level of impact. It's it's basically growing the wrong stuff then leads to poison for many of our animals.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Yeah. And that's not always the the most, it's not always that directive of that's a drastic example. That is one example, but like um another invasive we have at Palmetto Bluff is uh Chinese tallow or popcorn tree. There's a huge one in the wetland right there by the classroom. Um, the birds will eat the seeds and they fly off and they disperse the seeds of the Chinese tallow all over the place. And the Chinese tallow outcompete our native plants for resources, for space. And so the number of native plants decreases as those fill in those habitats. And therefore, the number of plants that the caterpillars rely on and our native animals rely on. So you have the plants that have a direct impact, like the Nandina, but then you have those that are the indirect of slowly taking over space, like Chinese tallow or burning bush or Bradford Pear. Uh, I that list can go on and on.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Yeah. Yeah. I I definitely understand any environment, space is at a premium. And so why would that not be the same for the plants, what we're putting in the ground, what surrounds us? We we want to have the the right mix of things. I almost make the analogy towards our new fitness center, where we've got to have the right strength machines and the right space for the classes and for the bikes and all that.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Absolutely. Not everyone can do a hundred pounds.

Practical Steps For Busy Homeowners

SPEAKER_00 14:01

I mean, they gotta nice parallel there. Let's go ahead move on. We've covered what native really means, why this gets confusing for people, kind of the impact of these invasive plants, some that, you know, have been here for quite some time, some that nurseries are still selling to this day. I want to get into the practical side of this, what to do without overthinking it for our listeners. So let's make this super straightforward. Not everyone listening has time or even the desire to become a native plant expert. And that's okay. This isn't about perfection, it's about making better choices over time. Can landscaping with native plants still look just as good, Aaron?

SPEAKER_01 14:48

100%. Um, two great shrub examples that are native: uh Yopan Holly and wax myrtle. You see those used in landscaping all over Palmetto Bluff already. Um, they do great with pruning. They can be treated like box box wood and box hedging, they can be used for privacy hedging, uh, and they're both evergreen. Um, and so there's even some semi-topiaried wax myrtles I see on property. So, like if you want some more ornate looking shrubs, you can do that with a native. What do you mean by evergreen? So, evergreen are the plants that do not drop all their leaves during the winter. Um, some plants I they'll still drop leaves, but they will never go barren. That makes a nice feel year-round, so you're never left without leaves. Yep. Which is a characteristic that a lot of people want with their yard. They want it to always look green and nice and pretty.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

So yeah, it's like keeping our golf courses over seeded so they're green and pretty as well. Yep. If someone is busy, what should they focus on first?

SPEAKER_01 15:50

If they let's see, if they're busy, one flower bed. If I mean if you start small, I don't overwhelm yourself. I still have not fully converted all my yard because I have a good amount of yard. Start small, don't overwhelm yourself. One little flower bed of maybe five different native wildflowers. Um, we've created an Excel sheet too that we're happy to give to anyone of 26 different nurseries that will ship plants and then also references to native plant sales that occur in our area. So we're happy to provide that resource for you to be able to start your garden. If you use a landscaping company by next time you're chatting with them, just mention, hey, I'd like to turn this area into more native plants. Can we start that process?

Top Trees, Shrubs, And Wildflowers

SPEAKER_00 16:34

And this just feels like something we we don't always think about, and we can make a positive impact just by slowing down and making some selections that relate to uh low country native plants. Yeah. Aaron, that's a great start on actionable advice for our listeners today. I'd love to dig even a little deeper, especially for the person who's not going to hire a landscaper. What's the top three native plants that we should be buying?

SPEAKER_01 17:02

So I'll actually do you one better because not everyone can fit a tree in the yard. So I'll give a top three tree species, uh, shrubs, and wildflowers. Uh standing. This is all based on the number of butterfly and moth species in our area that use them as a host plant. Uh so our top three trees are gonna be our oaks, the prunus, which is your cherries and plums, and our willows. Our top three shrubs are gonna be the Vaxinium, so our blueberries, uh, rubis, which is our blackberries, and then our native roses, which we do have some native roses, and then for our wildflowers, goldenrod, um, our native sunflowers, and then the plants in the bone set genus, the uh Upitorium.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

The fact that you're able to rattle those off is very impressive to me, Aaron. Thank you so much. My pleasure. What's one small change that would make the biggest impact? It it sounds like definitely adding one or two native plants, you know, if you're redoing your yard. What else?

Avoiding Invasives And Finding Alternatives

SPEAKER_01 18:07

I mean, the biggest one of the biggest is avoiding those known invasives, um, which the hard thing is you don't know if you don't know, right? And so uh reach, I mean don't be afraid to ever use us as a resource and ask, hey, I was thinking of adding this plant, is this one that might be a problem? We'll we'll happily say, oh, yeah, no, that one's not a problem, or that one is kind of a problem. But you know what? Here are some alternatives that look are very similar to it that are native. Um, again, we are we are an open book, we're not trying to hide our native plants. We want people to know all about them. And while no plant matches all criteria, you can find something that's close.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

You can get pretty close to the the right menu that you select from if we were to go back to our, you know, no more fast food. Let's look at the plants that are gonna give us give the ecosystem the highest amount of nutrients.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Exactly. And there are also out there a lot of resources of just a you can go to Xerce Society and a few other different organizations and be like, oh, I want to do a native plant garden southeast. Okay, here's an example. And they give you like the plants, they show you a little mock-up and they tell you when they bloom and their colors and all that. So there's a lot of resources out there, just have to find them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

This this is a great reminder, just a great conversation to heighten awareness of asking the questions. Aaron, this is a new year, it's 2026. I know in your very first episode, you described what wellness means. And you know we like to ask that final question. So I'd love to give you another opportunity to do that today before we close out. What does wellness mean to you?

Wellness Reflection: Seasonal Eating

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Well, I believe last time I mentioned good sl uh good mental health. Uh this time I'd like to just talk about just right eating. I mean, seasonal trying to have a bit more of a seasonal diet. Everything's always available year-round now, but you know, I mean, try to get it in its peak when its nutrients might be the best. So, like blueberries in May and June, apples in the fall, like just some subtle shifts.

Closing Message: Be The Base

SPEAKER_00 20:12

That seems to match well with our conversation today. Well, thanks for your work, everything you're doing at the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy. I love having you on here for these quick chats just about everything palmetto bluff land and conservant conservation. And um, I appreciate you helping us today think more intentionally about landscapes. Uh, one of the big guiding values of palmetto bluff is is being stewards of the land. And I know our members are so passionate about that as well. So I think this is just a perfect reminder for today. And for everyone listening, this isn't about perfection. It's about one thoughtful change that compounds. Aaron, thanks again. It's my pleasure. Listeners, feel free to hang around with me for a moment and let's build some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. This week, Kendra and I hosted our first quarter all hands meeting with our team. And before these meetings, it's a it's a ton of reflection. And the reflection that I shared with my team is this idea that kept coming back to me after looking at 2025. And it's this concept of being the base. And it came to me because fitness and wellness is a part of our base membership here at Palmetto Bluff. And it's less about what's included in the membership, and it's more about what we do and how we show up. It isn't really about numbers, it's about impact. The base for our members who show up every day who live here at Palmetto Bluff. What I realized is that people don't remember every workout that we put on, or every rep that they do, or every perfect event. They remember where they felt supported when life was heavy and who celebrated them when life was good. And that's what a base is: a place you can land, a place that gives you stability when things feel uncertain. And this idea goes way beyond fitness. It's about how we live. This year reminded me that health isn't just physical strength, it's emotional, it's relational. It's knowing you're not doing life alone when your routine breaks or your world shifts. And in reality, our world is always shifting, change is always happening. I saw people walk through loss last year. What helped wasn't a perfect program. It was connection, a reason to show up, someone who noticed. I saw families celebrating being milestones and new beginnings. And what stood out wasn't the moment itself, but that someone showed up, that they had people to share it with. Those moments matter. Now let's talk numbers. These are numbers that I look forward to sharing at our our town hall. But today, let's focus on what these num this number. I'm only gonna do one today. I want to uncover what they really represent. We hosted over 41,000 classes. They weren't just reservations, they weren't 41 decisions to move, to care for health, to invest in your own well-being. 41,000 chances to connect, be challenged, and belong. Every number represented a real person on a real day in their real life. And that brings me back to this idea I shared with my team. Be the base. Everyone in your life has a base or they're searching for one. And being the base doesn't mean having all the answers. It means being steady, present, consistent. It's consistency over intensity, connection over comparison, and by all means, support over judgment. When you become a base for others, you often build a stronger base for yourself. So here's your reflection question for this week. Where in your life can you be a stronger base for your body, your habits, or the people around you? That's healthy momentum. Stick around week after week with us, show up in the classes, and let's keep building it. One steady choice at a time. I want to thank you for taking the time to join the conversation this week. We hope that you enjoyed learning about native plants. That was definitely a little curveball from our previous initial episodes this year. And remember to actively participate in life on your terms.