Asking this question is like asking why you should not build your house on the mouth of a volcano. Precisely because every living thing requires appropriate conditions to survive and grow, so do the ecosystems. As America gravitates towards urbanization, the obsession with perfect, velvety lawns clouds the intellects of its residents. As a result, people can’t see how their love for glamorous lawns is slowly disrupting and weakening the environment and ecosystem.
Unlike native plants, foreign candidates can't support the local pollinators and wildlife. This means, if there are no native plants in a garden, the population of pollinators also shrinks. Take native oak trees, for instance. In a conversation with the National Audubon Society, entomologist Doug Tallamy describes that these native oaks support over 500 species of caterpillars. On the other side, ginkgos, a foreign candidate from Asia, can host only 5 species of caterpillars. This information is alarming given the fact that just one brood of chickadees requires over 6,000 caterpillars to grow. Monarch butterflies also thrive on native plants.
Perfect, manicured yards have become symbols of the great American dream. To show off a tuft of meticulously trimmed grass indicates pride and social status. However, when looked at from the perspective of an environmental scientist, these groomed lawns are physical disguises for ecological disasters. Behind their stylish face, nature silently weeps to restore its balance. Without native plants, the gardens, though glossed out, are lifeless from the inside. No birds or animals love to visit them for pollination or feeding.
To reinforce the idea of bringing along native plants to the gardens, Wild Ones also shared detailed maps containing dozens of eco-regions. The map includes information about the “Hardiness Zone,” a metric that tells whether a plant, native, non-native, or invasive, is likely to survive in a particular garden environment. Each city design was created by a different landscape designer.
This Nursery Opens Once a Year to Sell Native Plants for Less Than $1 — and Helps Preserve Ecosystem
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