Again…the ‘Native Plants are better than Non-Native-Plants‘ argument iz….’Native Plants ‘co-evolved’ with the native insects and birds and animals. And thus there are evolutionary relationships among them. Ie., butterflies and bees know how to find the pollen in a native plant and they might not recognize a non-native flower. Etc.
The Native Plant folks want us to stop planting flowers that look beautiful to US, and start planting things for OTHERS. The others, being insects. The insects feed the birds. Etc.
That notion of planting for others, rather than planting for human-aesthetics is a notable shift in consciousness.
I find it a fascinating notion. Planting for Others. Its also called Radical Gardening in some parts.
I used to love the flowers and plants in my yard. Now that i know 90 percent of them are non-native….it gives me one more reason to be discombobulated. Or to quote something i read, “bumfuddled and shot to pieces.”
Plant a milkweed out there, people.
===========
w
v
“Ninety-six percent of songbirds have young that can only eat insects, and 90 percent of these insect species can only feed on native plants.”
― Benjamin Vogt, A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future
—
“Gardens have deep meaning when they are created and managed to benefit other species, even other humans….Gardening from a larger-than-human perspective can also be empowering. In this time of climate disruption and mass extinction, gardens are becoming places of activism…”
― Benjamin Vogt, A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future