BOSTON -- There are at least 1,000 rare and endangered New England species of plants and efforts are under way to preserve them.

NewsCenter 5's David Brown reported that a tour of Framingham's Garden in the Woods highlights thousands of native shrubs and plants that have thrived in New England for centuries. But of the thousands of plants featured, many are rare, endangered and some face extinction.

The plant known as the Dutchman's Britches was a familiar spring bloomer to New England's early settlers, but because of climate change and development, the plant and others are fading. If you lose native plants, animals and insects will follow, experts said.

"If the monarch butterfly's caterpillar stage does not have the asclepias milkweed to eat, it will not finish its life cycle. And therefore, with the asclepias plant, if the plant completely goes away, the monarch butterfly goes away. We are losing two species -- not just a plant, but also an insect," said Scott LaFleur, of the Garden in the Woods.

While some plants are endangered, others are unfortunately thriving. Invasive plants are choking natives out and disrupting nature's balance.

"We are talking about totally taking over. We are talking excluding the native plants that would normally be found there and changing the ecology of the entire system," said Bill Brumback, of the New England Wild Flower Society.

The burning bush is a prime example. It is not native to New England but has taken over many wooded areas threatening the biodiversity of the northeast. This also becomes a financial issue because it costs money for control and eradication.

Using native plants is not only good for nature but it's also good for your bottom line. Garden in the Woods has many money-saving ideas that will help your garden grow. For example, they shred all of the fallen leaves to make a natural mulch that returns nutrients back to the soil to nourish native plants.