Sunny-Space Gardening with Native Species: Finding the Right Plants for the Place

February's talk recounts the story of a 13-year effort to populate an abandoned pasture on well-drained, clay soils with colorful, native wildflowers.  Along the way, the gardener realized that there are relatively few native species adapted to this disturbed, man-made ecosystem.  Why were most of the grasses and forbs at this northern Vermont site not native, and why by comparison, are there comparatively more native grasses and forbs for many of our naturally occurring ecosystems?  Why haven't more North American native species evolved to succeed in our anthropogenic grasslands?  Possible answers to these questions will be explored, and suggestions offered for which colorful, showy native wildflowers would be suitable for planting in naturally-occurring areas of our region, such as open wetlands and sand plains