Natural Resources Conservation Service

Plant Materials Program

United States Department of Agriculture

Cool Season Annual Cover Crops Benefit Wildlife

Most cover crop species make excellent forage and cool season legumes can be used to improve wildlife habitat during winter and early spring when native food sources are scarce.

Crimson clover blooms provide excellent pollinator habitat

Native Warm-Season Grasses for Mid-Atlantic Producers

Native warm-season grasses provide many benefits to producers and to improve the conservation of natural resources.

A native warm season grass filter strip at the edge of a green crop field captures sediment and nutrients.

Pollinator Week! Creating and Enhancing Habitat for Pollinators

The NRCS Plant Materials Program addresses challenges like pollinator habitat decline with studies, collaborations, and through the release of conservation plants. Check out the amazing pollinator habitat information and resources available to you!

An image of a pollinator field in California containing California poppy and Arroyo lupine wildflowers.

Sweetgrass – a historically important native grass for coastal conservation

Sweetgrass is a clump-forming perennial grass that is native to the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The leaves of this grass are used by the Gullah community, descendants of enslaved Africans in the South Carolina coastal area, as the base material for their coiled basketry.

Timing cover crop termination to meet your residue goals

Durable cover crop residue can be desirable or undesirable depending on the scenario and the specific resource concerns addressed with the cover crop. The carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the cover crop determines the durability of the cover crop residue.