D&R Greenway Land Trust invites the public to its annual Spring Native Plant Sale, held outside the Johnson Education Center on May 16 from 3 to 6 p.m., and May 17 9 a.m. to noon. D&R Greenway’s Native Plant Nursery is a community resource for locally sourced native plants that contribute to a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem.

The Nursery is located at One Preservation Place off Rosedale Road. No registration is required.

D&R Greenway’s plants are grown from genetically local seeds gathered on their preserves and tended in the nursery by staff and skilled volunteers. Plants grown from locally sourced plugs will also be available for purchase.

Native plants are adapted to central New Jersey’s weather conditions, making them more drought-resistant than most exotic plants, and also provide essential food for wildlife. Of particular concern are native pollinators such as bees and butterflies, which depend on native plant species to survive.

A famous example is the monarch butterfly, which is dependent on the milkweed plant for its life cycle. Milkweed is in decline across the United States, largely because of agricultural herbicides, and the monarch population has also taken a negative turn. Gardeners can help by planting milkweed on their property. Several varieties of milkweed are available in D&R Greenway’s nursery.

Plants are available in quart and gallon-sized pots from $5 to $12. A full catalog is available online at www.drgreenway.org/PlantCatalog.html.

Contact Emily Blackman, nursery manager, to check species availability at (609) 924-4646, or eblackman@drgreenway.org.

D&R Greenway’s Native Plant Nursery will offer summer plant sales every Friday, June 6 through August 29, 3 to 6 p.m. with the exception of holidays.