Give nature a little breathing room, and what comes back may surprise you.

Along the trails at Skipper Horton Park in Greenport, native plants have begun reclaiming ground after invasive species were removed, bringing benefits for everything from bees and butterflies to birds and the North Fork’s groundwater.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, ReWild North Fork and Group for the East End will take visitors into that recovering landscape for “Where the Wild Things Grow: A Native Plant Discovery Walk,” a free, hourlong tour led by Taralynn Reynolds, outreach director for Group for the East End.

The walk is the latest green shoot in the North Fork’s growing native-plant movement, which is spreading beyond backyard gardens into schools, vineyards, preserves and other public spaces to rebuild habitat and reduce the environmental demands of conventional landscaping.

The Peconic Bay to Long Island Sound Integrated Trails Initiative is a network connecting trails through different ecosystems and open-space preserves, including Arshamomaque Preserve, Skipper Horton Park and Pipes Cove Preserve. The work being highlighted during the walk is part of Phase 5 of the initiative, funded by the New York State Department of State.

Participants will get to see the restoration firsthand, learn to identify what’s growing along the trails and hear why those plants matter to the surrounding ecosystem.

Taralynn Reynolds photos

More than plants

That means looking at both the plants themselves and what depends on them. Native plants provide food and habitat for native bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects, which in turn support birds and other wildlife. The organizers describe the relationship as an ecological multiplier: restoring native vegetation helps support the insects that evolved alongside those plants, which then supports wildlife farther up the food chain.

During a ReWild garden tour last summer, a scarlet and green hummingbird hovered over the brilliant red blooms of a native cardinal flower, as master gardener and ReWild North Fork co-founder Nancy DePas Reinertsen described the close ties between native plants and wildlife.

“Hummingbirds have evolved with lobelias,” Reinertsen told the Sun. “They can see red really well. So a thousand feet up, they spot this red flower, this particular tubular flower, and their beaks are these long, narrow beaks which fit perfectly well inside the little tubular flowers. For thousands of years, these two have evolved together. Isn’t that cool?”

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The same tour showed how North Fork homeowners are beginning to rethink the traditional suburban landscape. In Greenport, Beth Haskell and Hilary North had converted part of a clipped lawn into a wildflower meadow. In East Marion, Tyler Armstrong allowed portions of his formerly mowed one-acre property to become meadow and native habitat, attracting dragonflies, turtles, snakes and songbirds.

The Sept. 12 walk will take that lesson out of the backyard and into a nature preserve, where some of the restoration is happening on its own. After invasive vegetation is removed, organizers said, native plants already present in the landscape can have an opportunity to emerge and reestablish themselves. Participants will learn to identify both common and less familiar native species while seeing the process firsthand.

What happens underground

The program will also connect native plants to another issue of particular importance on the North Fork: groundwater.

The extensive root systems of native plants can stabilize soil, reduce erosion and help filter stormwater. They also allow rainfall to infiltrate the ground, contributing to aquifer recharge rather than simply running off the surface. Because the North Fork depends on groundwater, organizers argue that decisions about what grows above ground can have consequences for the water below it.

That adds another dimension to an argument native-plant advocates have increasingly been making across Southold Town.

Traditional lawns and ornamental landscapes can require irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides and substantial maintenance. Established native gardens, by contrast, generally require little to no irrigation and can provide habitat without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, according to advocates interviewed previously by the Sun.

Taralynn Reynolds photos

Over the past two years, ReWild North Fork has worked to put examples of that alternative landscape in places where residents can actually see them.

The chapter grew from a single community native garden in Southold into a network of roughly 15 gardens by this spring. Its work has included a native garden at Custer Preserve, a project with the botany club at Mattituck High School and plans for a garden behind Southold Town Hall. The group has also partnered with Group for the East End on educational programs and with other local organizations and businesses.

“The whole idea of the program is you walk past the garden and see the butterflies, see the bees, see how it looks,” Reinertsen said earlier this year. “And you say, ‘I can do that on my own private land.’”

At Skipper Horton, participants can see those relationships for themselves and pick up some practical ideas for bringing more native plants into their own yards.

RELATED: Why fall, not spring, is planting season on the North Fork

By learning what native plants look like in a preserve – and understanding why those plants matter to insects, birds, wildlife and groundwater – organizers hope visitors will begin looking differently at what grows in their own yards.

“The more we know and value our native plants, the better equipped we are to protect the places – and the web of life – that make our communities home,” the two groups said in a statement announcing the program.

How to attend

“Where the Wild Things Grow: A Native Plant Discovery Walk” will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Skipper Horton Park, 72250 Main Road in Greenport.

The event is free, but advance registration is required and space is limited, according to organizers. Participants are encouraged to wear long sleeves and long pants, with pants tucked into socks, because the group will be walking through vegetation. Organizers also recommend light-colored clothing, a hat and insect repellent. The walk will proceed in light rain but will be canceled in the event of heavy rain.

Registration and additional information are available through ReWild Long Island.