Project overview
This project helps stormwater professionals easily select different native plant species and seed mixes for vegetated stormwater practices that could be successful in a variety of site conditions and regions across the state. The Blue Thumb Plant Finder, a commonly used Minnesota native plant search tool, was updated to include all commercially available species of native plants in the state, to add information contained in the Plants for Stormwater Design, and to pull in other available and relevant data (drought tolerance, erosion susceptibility, etc.) where possible.
Research questions
- What plant species need to be included in a tool meant to help stormwater practitioners as well as the general public plan successful projects?
- What information do stormwater professionals need for individual plant species to help them plan successful GSI projects with diverse site conditions throughout Minnesota?
- How can the plants we choose when answering Question 1, and the data we gather about them to answer Question 2, be best displayed, filtered, and searched?
Research findings
- For the species selection tool to be useful for stormwater practitioners and the general public, the species included need to be native to the project location’s region, ecologically equipped to survive at the project site, and commercially available.
- In order to plan successful GSI projects that will thrive when exposed to a variety of site conditions, stormwater professionals said they need to know about a species’ native range, its pollinator forage value, its ability to stabilize erosion, how it spreads (aggressively or weakly), its ability to tolerate salt, and its functional utility in various types of BMP designs.
- The final tool provides 23 filterable categories that planners can use to “describe” their site and their project goals. The resulting list will contain species that are likely to thrive at the project site and accomplish the project planner’s goals.
Key innovations/contributions
This project produced an online, searchable, native plant species database for Minnesota stormwater practitioners and residents, incorporating search terms that empower project planners to develop site- and project-specific lists of plant species.
What does this mean for Minnesota?
This project will help stormwater management practitioners and designers better select native plants for new or maintenance projects that will be more successful at establishing and thriving under a variety of conditions and locations in Minnesota.
Tools and guidance documents
Reports and Presentations
- Final Report 2024