I have a passion for gardening. Specifically, native plants. That could set off alarm bells for some readers (is this going to be preachy? Will this be educational?) Preachy? No. Educational... heck yeah! That’s what we’re here for!
What’s the big whoop about native plants? Wait for it...they support native wildlife. If we flip the scenario around, replace native plants with non-natives, what will the animals eat?
Sure you think you’re cultured, but if I brought you to the native Inuit and you sat down to a meal of seal blubber, you’d need to acclimate for a bit before you’d find the meal appealing. (If you’re native Inuit and reading this, kudos for you for having a varied diet!) And, don’t forget, Inuit eat seal blubber for the specific properties that help humans cope with the harsh winter environment.
So now think about the animals in your neighborhood looking at a foreign food source. We all can imagine their animal brains and bodies are not as cultured as ours. They’re not cool with having new foreign-to-them food. (By the way, humans love plants that don’t get eaten. What beautiful untouched ornamentals we’ve planted! But if it’s not getting eaten, that plant doesn’t...belong in our environment. Mind blown? I have to admit, every time I hear it, mine is.)
Here’s where I point out the connection between non native plants and your ideas. Some ideas are great-- but they don’t belong. When you have a problem and just snap to a solution… take a moment to think if it really fits your environment. Perhaps you need to keep looking (and thinking) until a solution appears that fits better. Takes some time to find yourself a solution you can feed off of. Not an ornamental band-aid but a real keeper.
PS In the native plant world there’s a phrase that I love (and I think you will too) RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE. Plants will thrive if you put it in the environment it is meant to be in.
Has some similarities to answers, eh? I think so. Right answer, right place.
If you’d like to see how this fits in to your ecosystem Try me.