By Jackson Gingrich, PhD

OUR HOME TOWN, like perhaps 7 other small coastal towns along the Delaware Bay, is closely attuned with nature, its natural seasonal cycles, dramatic impacts from the Bay and the salt marshes abutting them. Because it is bordered also by rivers, streams, salt marshes, and the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, it is actually a barrier island. Many of the species we see in and around town are permanent residents, but many are also transient. We are also impacted by small, intermittent forests just to our west, and also by being along the migratory paths of some of our best-known bird, insect, and aquatic bay creatures. Some are occasional species, and others have become year-round residents.

The rivers, marshes and Bay are, of course, salt water and subject to twice daily tidal influxes. As such, fresh water from our town wells is extremely valuable and its presence is increasingly unpredictable. The island is comprised of a mix of salt marshes, tidal ditches, tidal streams, dunes, beaches, and a few low-diversity, patchy forests. This barrier island ecosystem is rare, fragile, and easily impacted by weather events from the Delaware Bay. The mostly low diversity species of plants and animals that survive here are highly adapted to this delicate, yet complex, ecosystem, and weather events surrounding the island can have an outsized impact on what lives and thrives here. Although ~75-80 percent of the island belongs to the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, our town occupies perhaps the most fragile 20-25% of the acreage. Therefore, what town citizens of the beach do with our piece of the island may be the most variable and underappreciated influence on the natural world we observe and hear. It seems obvious to me that we must make great efforts to carefully conserve this tiny piece of paradise by not taxing the ecosystem with outsized human influences.

The trees, shrubs, grasses, flowering plants, and succulents about Town greatly influence the fauna we see and hear. There is no old-growth forest around or even near Slaughter Beach (it was all cut in the 1600-1700s), and large trees in Town are uncommon. The plants and animals that live in this environment have adapted over millennia, and forcing non-native plants upon our specialized island land and dunes is nearly always a mistake, serving mostly in degrading the ecosystem. The dune plants should especially be conserved, for they protect the dune against storms and super high tides that occur in spring and fall. The birds, insects, and animals that live around our island are adapted to the plants that have lived here for many thousands of years, and not those imported from Europe within the last 300-500 years ago. There are many animal species in decline because what are called “weeds” are often essential food plants that people destroy to the detriment of the ecosystem. One person’s weeds, if native, are likely not so much weeds as they are valuable components of our ecosystem.

There is a preponderance of evergreens on our island, especially pines, junipers, and cedars, but relatively few broadleaf tree species. Moreover, the prevalence of broadleaf trees seems to be decreasing as the saline water table elevates in concert with sea level rise. This increasing salinity is having profound effects on deep-rooted trees. If not salt-tolerant, susceptible plants will eventually die out and be replaced by more red cedars, junipers, and non-native pines. It is noteworthy that coniferous trees, although valuable for shade and shelter of wildlife, support relatively few species of insects, but do provide valuable space for nesting, breeding, and feeding of birds and other fauna. Being a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation was a hard-fought effort sustained for years, culminating in Town certification in 2015. A certified property implies that we live up to certain basic needs of wildlife, including maintaining food, water, and shelter for wildlife. Having this certification status is an accolade rarely achieved by beachfront communities. If you see such a sign in someone’s yard, newcomers could consult with them to better guide them in deciding what and how to conserve or replace plants themselves. Often, just conserving volunteer plants before eliminating them is the best strategy until you’ve spent a full year or more observing the weather and how native plants interact with it. A good example of a property that has simply conserved existing native plants, thereby promoting wildlife habitat. An example is observable at 277 Bay Ave.++ There are only a handful of naturalists and biologists residing in town that have learned from years of experience what works and what doesn’t. New residents would be well-served to follow their lead.

The tallest tree in Town in recent years was an ~60-ft buttonwood (sycamore) tree, which was dying and cut down in 2019. The tallest deciduous (broadleaf) tree remaining is a ~45-feet tall black cherry. There is also a tall tamarack in the 600 block of Bay Ave. Among the tallest remaining groups of trees are, loblolly, pitch pines, and Japanese black pines (non-native), with very few over 40 feet tall. There is one small, largely evergreen, woods along Passwaters Dr., which is getting ever smaller as trees are cut down (clear cut, the worst possible way) for salable lots. On the south end (300 block), there are a handful of persimmon trees on the marsh side of Bay Ave, but they’re usually not over 25-ft. tall. Native wild black cherry (Prunus serotina) and white poplar (not a native) trees are likely the tallest among the more common deciduous trees, rarely reaching more than 35-40 feet in height. Willows, although not common, occur in a few wetter areas of town. Bayberries, beach plums, sumacs (several varieties), and groundsels (Baccharis) are among the commonest shrubs along the roadways. Beach plums, a favorite fruit of many creatures (including birds, deer, raccoons, and people) are dying back, now being replaced by more salt-tolerant red cedar and juniper trees. Our Town history group, the Slaughter Beach Historical Society, has concluded that our town name derived from the old English “sloghtre” meaning “a boggy place” which was also well endowed with beach plums, according to accounts from sea captains in the 16th and 17th centuries (se SBHS website).

It is unfortunate that some people only see the prickly spikes of the beach plums, and do not wait to see the gorgeous fruit arriving in August and September before pruning or cutting completely. They are a keystone species, meaning that they are highly valuable to our coastal ecosystem. It would be best to trim them before they flower in April or after the plums have ripened and been picked or eaten in the Fall. The combination of a higher saltwater table, and misguided human actions have decimated the beach plums. Consequently, numerous plum pickers we used to see along our Bay Ave. roads in August are now absent. Delicious beach plum jelly/jam made from their purple fruit would be an extremely rare find today (except in a handful of farm stands). Moreover, hundreds of species of insects that depend on this keystone species are also disappearing.

Some other keystone species that are native (such as wild black cherry, sumac, staghorn sumac, black willow, bayberry, American beautyberry, Virginia creeper, Joe-Pye weed, viburnum, and a handful of native tall grasses and so-called weeds (to be described later), are the primary food sources that sustain keystone species of insects, which in turn are fed upon by ~90 percent of our songbirds (see Tallamy, 2026).

You may have noticed after living here a few decades, such as I have (over 37 years of living at the beaches of Broadkill and Slaughter Beach), our songbird species (as well as small mammals, insects, bats, toads, and frogs) have rapidly declined in the past decades, to the point that formerly common songbird species, such as catbirds, seaside sparrows, goldfinches, wrens, brown thrashers and many others, have become rather uncommon. Also, monarchs, swallowtail butterflies, velvet ants, sphinx moths, selected dragonfly species, and great silk moths are now rare when they used to be common. This is mostly because of loss of native host plants or other essential food. This precipitous decline will continue as keystone species of insects and plants die off or are removed. Eighty percent of what songbirds eat are caterpillars of moths and butterflies that feed on the keystone plant species (see Tallamy, 2024). Rearing a family of songbirds requires thousands of caterpillars over a 2 – 3-week period and even continues a couple of weeks after they are fledged. A single full-grown keystone host plant species may provide enough caterpillars to feed a whole family or more of songbirds.

We are also in the early stages of invasion by numerous species, such as autumn olive, an attractive but nasty Asian invasive tree that crowds out native trees and spreads far too quickly in our sandy soil. In fact, it has supplanted nearly one-third of trees north of the boardwalk on the marsh side of Bay Ave. leading to the Cedar Creek bridge. It supports few, if any, species of songbird-essential species of insects and crowds out native plants because it is extremely thirsty and grows rapidly, displacing native trees. Other pernicious plants include Traveler’s Joy (a Clematis vine that overgrows shrubs and trees and suffocates them), multiflora rose, Phragmites, and mile-a-minute weed. If encountered, they should be extirpated as quickly as possible (see Delaware Invasive Species reference).

Perhaps the most difficult plant groups for discussion are favorites of homeowners, parks, and businesses throughout the U.S., and while green and attractive, are nevertheless not native plants, but rather are non-native grasses, including Kentucky blue grass (a marketing name), and other hybrid turfgrasses that were imported from Europe and Asia. Even now, after being imported several hundreds of years ago, they still support only a handful of native insects and are a net negative to native ecosystems because frequent mowing creates thatch which in turn mostly decomposes into carbon dioxide. They also support very few animal species (i.e. pillbugs, millipedes, caterpillars, earthworms, spiders, etc.) that are vital food sources for songbirds. Moreover, they require excessive watering in dry seasons, do not store carbon unless completely un-mowed, require copious amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, use more available space than needed, and are a net negative for oxygen production because of the thatch that accrues after each mowing, then decomposes with a sizeable release of carbon dioxide.

However, if grown in limited areas, as a border plant for streets, driveways, gardens, patios, paths, and shrub strips, turfgrass can still serve the purpose of providing an attractive street-front neatness that most neighbors would consider attractive (this is a major factor for lawn-keeping, i.e. to impress your neighbors). The transition of a full lawn to just lawn borders or strips would not be easy, so if lawns are already established, a better approach would be to create more borders or decorative circles or squares within the lawn for native plants, such as small trees, shrubs and flowers. An example of this arrangement can be observed at 545 Bay Ave.++ One group of native grasses that are natives are the fescues, especially red fescues. However, they don’t give that bright look that most lawn seekers want, because they’re not shiny and tend to lay down and resist mowing.

If you make the tough choice to substitute native plant spaces for blue-grass type lawns, you must first remove or kill grassy areas in order to plant ecosystem-sustaining plants. If you’re inclined to plant a more fully ecosystem-promoting yard, you’d want it to be attractive as well. This is a harder question than you might suppose. If the native plants are from the south, southwest, northwest, coastal west, and northern U.S., they may not be adapted to this coastal area (zone 8) of the mid-Atlantic. Also, even some plants that are native are refractory to insects because they have defensive chemicals that deter most insects or are not nutritious enough to provide good forage for insects that would be eaten by songbirds. Even plants that are attractive to butterflies and moths for nectar or pollination purposes aren’t necessarily native or eco-friendly. For example, Buddleia spp. butterfly bush is not only non-native, but also has very few insects that feed on it. Even butterflies and moths do not lay eggs on this shrub at all. Still, if they’re good for pollinators, you certainly don’t need to rip out such a non-native. Rather, just limit the yard space you allow them, and keep them out of your future planting plans! An example of a yard that is nearly all planted with native species can be observed at 519 Bay Ave.++

Overall, the best plant group for caterpillars is oaks. However, only four native species do well in our sandy soil, viz. pin oaks, scrub oaks, scarlet oaks, and willow oaks. These four species can live in our sandy soil and generally do not grow overly tall. Scrub oaks, in fact, rarely grow over 20 feet tall in sandy soil. Pin, scarlet, and willow oaks are more attractive, but can grow far taller if soil is rich in loam. Of the native species, only native red maple and silver maple are suitable for our soil types, but cannot withstand truly dry, sandy soil. Wild black cherry is the only native cherry that grows well in virtually all soils, and is also very productive for many species of caterpillars. It does attract tent caterpillars, but these can be easily dealt with by hosing with water or merely knife-slitting the tents. The birds will finish them off!

However, there are plenty of small to medium size trees that are native, including redbud, white/pink flowering dogwoods (not hybrids), basswood, hawthorns, American holly, arbor vitae, red cedar, juniper, sassafras, and seaside alders. We should also add sycamore, white ash, big-tooth aspen, eastern cottonwood, hackberry, ironwood, basswood, and hophornbeam. Considering conifers, we could include pitch pine, and loblolly pine, though they are a bit taller and support relatively few species of insects. Although magnolias are native trees (but southern in origin), their leaves are resistant to most native insects, and useful mostly as shade and shelter for songbird purposes. Only the broadleaf trees, bushes, shrubs, native weeds, and tall native grasses provide significant food for caterpillars and most songbirds. However, just about any tall tree that provides shade and wind protection will allow under stories of shrubs to flourish and are therefore of some shelter value for birds.

Many shrubs and mounding bushes are desirable as decorative plants that also feed birds and caterpillars. We could include native oakleaf hydrangeas, native (Piedmont) azaleas, staghorn sumac, smooth sumac, winged sumac, fragrant sumac, bay myrtle, elderberry, winterberry, spicebush, service berry, sassafras, chokecherry, beautyberry, Viburnum, and summersweet pepperbush (Clethra ainifolia). Other common wild native plants include common cattails (several species), chicory, yucca, Queen Anne’s lace, and prickly pear cactus. Moreover, Virginia creeper and various milkweeds (including common milkweed, swamp milkweed, and butterfly weed) are, despite being called weeds, very valuable supporters of caterpillars (one person’s weed is another person’s treasure). Some others are wild iris, marsh mallow, daffodil, skunk cabbage, tiger lily, blue marsh violet, bugleweed, smartweed, goldenrod, American pokeweed, yellow asters, purple asters, wild grape, and Olney’s 3-square bulrush, which are all valuable supporters of native insect species. (for photos, see the Delaware Wetland Plant Guide, 2018, DNREC, Dover, DE), or see the iNaturlist app, or use AI programs (judicously). These photo tools can help you distinguish natives from non-natives.

There are a wide variety of grasses and sedges, including American beach grass, American barram grass, coastal sea oats, rye grass, cord grass (found only in marsh water), salt hay grass, curly beach grass (invasive but dune protective), panic grass, broom sedge, and tall switchgrass. Of course, people have planted many flowers and other decorative shrubs and plants too numerous to mention that thrive if mixed with garden soil and added to the natural sandy soil of our island. Generally, even if they are not hybrids, non-native plants support very few insect species for songbirds’ consumption.

Of course, many decorative and non-native plants have been planted or accidentally introduced (and are hence poor food sources for insects and birds) including maidenhair (Mimosa) trees, Japanese cherry, Ailanthus spp., cucumber tree, Autumn olive (highly invasive), Japanese maple, Rose of Sharon, hybrid dogwoods, figs, forsythia, Scotch broom plants, and crepe myrtle. Japanese knotweed, knapweed (highly invasive), climbing hempweed, multiflora rose (invasive), Japanese clover, Lespedeza (Chinese bush), invasive Japanese honeysuckle, and Traveler’s Joy (highly invasive plant, see reference 6).

Keep in mind that though vegetation sets the table for most insects, songbirds will eat seeds and berries as well as some marine creatures that might live along the beach or deposit their eggs there. These creatures and their eggs, however, are generally fed upon by scavenger birds (especially various sea birds, starlings and grackles), and only rarely, songbirds.

Although we might think our limited yard areas would have little value in terms of promoting better ecosystems for cities, towns, communities, and public spaces, consider that 40-50 million acres in the U.S. are privately owned lawns. This space actually encompasses acreage the size of New England. Individual efforts could not only make a difference for those who made substantial changes, but could also encourage others to emulate. I believe we could all think of examples of great accomplishments that started with a single step.

Courtesy Request ++ Please view listed properties streetside, unless owner is contacted.

References

• Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). 2018. “Delaware Wetland Plant Field Guide.” DNREC, Dover, DE. 146pp.
• Frett, John. 2025. “Native Plants for Delaware Landscapes.” University of Delaware Fact Sheets and Publications. 5pp.
• Lentz, Austin N. 1914. “Common Forest Trees of New Jersey.” Rutgers University College of Agriculture Extension Service, New Brunswick, NJ. 79pp.
• Tallamy, Douglas W. 2026. “How Can I Help – Saving Nature with our Backyards.” Timber Press, NY. New York. (Kindle, hardback, or paperback editions).
• Williams, William H. 2008. “Man and Nature in Delaware.” Delaware Heritage Press. Dover, DE. 249pp.
• Delaware Invasive Species Council. https://delawareinvasives.net