Call Before You Dig!!!
It takes 29 Milkweed plants to product 1 Monarch Butterfly that will survive into adulthood.
THE HEART OF THE MATTER:
PLANTS DONT WANT TO GET EATEN! This can be hard to believe when you see your favorite plant covered with munching caterpillars, thirsty Aphids, or skeletonizing Asian Beetles. Nevertheless, plants have developed ways to avoid being munched, pecked, picked, or even touched! Some plants develop obvious defenses, such as thorns or prickles. Some have "teamed up" with ants or termites to come to their aid in times of distress. But almost every plant, over the millenia, has developed their own specialized form of "Chemical Warfare", whether it's a sap, a rubber, a latex, a glue, or some sort of irritating chemical or poison (our native Poison Ivy even stops attentive humans in their tracks!). Yes, ironically, plants are actually the original producers of herbicides and insecticides! No wonder they have always been a source of inspiration and source material for agricultural, landscaping, and even military human enterprises. OK, hang in there, this is where the rubber (no pun intended!) meets the road:
Specific insects have co-evolved with specific plants over the millenia, and have adapted or adopted the chemicals that kill or drive away other insects. This is why Monarch Butterflies are able to eat the poisonous "milk" that can even harm livestock (!) and was once classified by Minnesota's farmers as a "noxious weed". In fact, the Monarch caterpillar infuses the harmful "active ingredient" from the Milkweed into their own body, which is "advertised" by the orange in the adult Monarch Butterfly, warning potential predators to not eat them (or else!). No wonder they can fly around in broad daylight with such a large noticeable bright orange outfit. Quite bold and tough for a vulnerable fragile looking creature.
-A non-native plant will not benefit native wildlife because numerous native insects can't get through its defenses (this adaptation and evolutionary process takes millions of years, not a few dozen years). Or the structure or timing of the flowers themselves can be all wrong for native insects.
-Even a cultivar of a native plant is extremely dicey (you can tell these by their spiffy names, such as Autumn Splendor or Fairy's Dream or Red Sunset, etc). It may be of no use to native insects. I've heard it said that once a flower is selected for color, one of the first things to go is the amount of nectar. Some cultivars bloom at different times of the year, some are missing thorns, some have larger flowers (bees and butterflies can no longer reach the nectar with their "tongues"), some produce more or less defensive chemicals. Some insects are generalists and can make use of any plant, but even then, the inherent dangers of invasive breakouts or interbreeding with native plants, even native cultivars are just not the best way to go. All this spells doom for native insects and the birds and other wildlife that depend on those insects for their food.
-So, if you really want to help wildlife, choose a good variety of native plants that have bloom times spring, summer, and fall, and are grown using sustainable practices, and not infused with harmful insecticides.
Focus on Pollinators and Caterpillars and Native Plants: this has the most overall benefit to the environment, and creates the most "carrying capacity" in your area. It helps move energy and nutrients through the ecosystem, and provides a strong foundation to the entire food web. Plants pull out nutrients and chemicals from the ground (and the sun). Pollinators help propagate plants. The larva from the butterflies and moths consume the plants and a whole multitude of critters eat those scrumptious soft-bodied larva - from predatory "beneficial" insects to birds and mammals. So by focusing your landscaping design on Pollinators and Caterpillars, you will also attract and sustain everything else, too! By focusing on the specialists, you also help the generalists.
You will attract and help birds.
Most birds like to eat bugs, and 95% of birds rear their young on insects, especially fat soft juicy caterpillars - YUM!!!
Pound for pound, or ounce for ounce, the protein and lipeds in insect meat has more protein than beef.
One well studied example: A Black Capped Chickadee needs 6240 to 9120 caterpillars to fledge a single Chickadee chick.
All native plant communities are imperiled these days, so any native plants you make a place for in your yard will make a difference. In the Twin Cities, focusing on prairie plants would help sustain this most endangered of biomes and native plant communities.
Barriers to (Wild)Life:
-Fences
-Roads
-Lawns and Lawnmowing
I would also add:
-Fear and lack of wildlife education
ENJOY!
This whole project is about helping wildlife and native plants, but ultimately, we are in a very human environment too, and it is just about equally important that we enjoy the process, and enjoy the fruits of our labors, and enjoy watching the flowers and wildlife in our yard. Very educational too. So be sure to invest in a hammock or a comfy lawn chair, maybe even a patio, porch, or sunroom. Then sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature!
Think about where your coffee and bananas and hamburgers are grown. And all the other food you consume. Even if you live in a condo or apartment with zero lawn, we each end up using a lot of acreage to sustain our lifestyles. I've seen the amount of land required to feed each of us estimated as high as 5.8 acres per person. Less land is used to sustain a plant-based diet, of course, but there is still a significant amount of acreage used per person. So even if we live in a city, and do not own a farm, we still need and utilize farmland. It's definitely fun to grow veggies and fruit trees in our yards, but half of the earth's landmass has already been dedicated and sacrificed to the needs of agriculture (lets face it, honeybees are also a part of Big Ag), so this is all the more reason to make room for native plants and wildlife habitat in your own yard.
Wear gloves when you garden - some plants and soils can cause skin rashes or contact dermatitis. Weeding is sweaty work, be sure to have gloves that can breathe, but are also tough enough (and wash or replace them more often than not). A good super strong digging tool is crucial too.
Pull out woody plants when they try to invade your garden - as soon as possible! Once they get a foothold, they get harder and harder to get rid of (i.e. Siberian Elm, Buckthorn, or any tree that is trying to grow where you don't want it to be growing). Your yard simply wants to turn itself back into a forest or prairie - which is fine if that's what you are trying to create. If you want prairie type plants, however, you'll need to do some weeding, possibly use mulch, and even mow it all down every few years (in lieu of a controlled burn!).
It takes 29 Milkweed plants to product 1 Monarch Butterfly that will survive into adulthood.
THE HEART OF THE MATTER:
PLANTS DONT WANT TO GET EATEN! This can be hard to believe when you see your favorite plant covered with munching caterpillars, thirsty Aphids, or skeletonizing Asian Beetles. Nevertheless, plants have developed ways to avoid being munched, pecked, picked, or even touched! Some plants develop obvious defenses, such as thorns or prickles. Some have "teamed up" with ants or termites to come to their aid in times of distress. But almost every plant, over the millenia, has developed their own specialized form of "Chemical Warfare", whether it's a sap, a rubber, a latex, a glue, or some sort of irritating chemical or poison (our native Poison Ivy even stops attentive humans in their tracks!). Yes, ironically, plants are actually the original producers of herbicides and insecticides! No wonder they have always been a source of inspiration and source material for agricultural, landscaping, and even military human enterprises. OK, hang in there, this is where the rubber (no pun intended!) meets the road:
Specific insects have co-evolved with specific plants over the millenia, and have adapted or adopted the chemicals that kill or drive away other insects. This is why Monarch Butterflies are able to eat the poisonous "milk" that can even harm livestock (!) and was once classified by Minnesota's farmers as a "noxious weed". In fact, the Monarch caterpillar infuses the harmful "active ingredient" from the Milkweed into their own body, which is "advertised" by the orange in the adult Monarch Butterfly, warning potential predators to not eat them (or else!). No wonder they can fly around in broad daylight with such a large noticeable bright orange outfit. Quite bold and tough for a vulnerable fragile looking creature.
-A non-native plant will not benefit native wildlife because numerous native insects can't get through its defenses (this adaptation and evolutionary process takes millions of years, not a few dozen years). Or the structure or timing of the flowers themselves can be all wrong for native insects.
-Even a cultivar of a native plant is extremely dicey (you can tell these by their spiffy names, such as Autumn Splendor or Fairy's Dream or Red Sunset, etc). It may be of no use to native insects. I've heard it said that once a flower is selected for color, one of the first things to go is the amount of nectar. Some cultivars bloom at different times of the year, some are missing thorns, some have larger flowers (bees and butterflies can no longer reach the nectar with their "tongues"), some produce more or less defensive chemicals. Some insects are generalists and can make use of any plant, but even then, the inherent dangers of invasive breakouts or interbreeding with native plants, even native cultivars are just not the best way to go. All this spells doom for native insects and the birds and other wildlife that depend on those insects for their food.
-So, if you really want to help wildlife, choose a good variety of native plants that have bloom times spring, summer, and fall, and are grown using sustainable practices, and not infused with harmful insecticides.
Focus on Pollinators and Caterpillars and Native Plants: this has the most overall benefit to the environment, and creates the most "carrying capacity" in your area. It helps move energy and nutrients through the ecosystem, and provides a strong foundation to the entire food web. Plants pull out nutrients and chemicals from the ground (and the sun). Pollinators help propagate plants. The larva from the butterflies and moths consume the plants and a whole multitude of critters eat those scrumptious soft-bodied larva - from predatory "beneficial" insects to birds and mammals. So by focusing your landscaping design on Pollinators and Caterpillars, you will also attract and sustain everything else, too! By focusing on the specialists, you also help the generalists.
You will attract and help birds.
Most birds like to eat bugs, and 95% of birds rear their young on insects, especially fat soft juicy caterpillars - YUM!!!
Pound for pound, or ounce for ounce, the protein and lipeds in insect meat has more protein than beef.
One well studied example: A Black Capped Chickadee needs 6240 to 9120 caterpillars to fledge a single Chickadee chick.
All native plant communities are imperiled these days, so any native plants you make a place for in your yard will make a difference. In the Twin Cities, focusing on prairie plants would help sustain this most endangered of biomes and native plant communities.
Barriers to (Wild)Life:
-Fences
-Roads
-Lawns and Lawnmowing
I would also add:
-Fear and lack of wildlife education
ENJOY!
This whole project is about helping wildlife and native plants, but ultimately, we are in a very human environment too, and it is just about equally important that we enjoy the process, and enjoy the fruits of our labors, and enjoy watching the flowers and wildlife in our yard. Very educational too. So be sure to invest in a hammock or a comfy lawn chair, maybe even a patio, porch, or sunroom. Then sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature!
Think about where your coffee and bananas and hamburgers are grown. And all the other food you consume. Even if you live in a condo or apartment with zero lawn, we each end up using a lot of acreage to sustain our lifestyles. I've seen the amount of land required to feed each of us estimated as high as 5.8 acres per person. Less land is used to sustain a plant-based diet, of course, but there is still a significant amount of acreage used per person. So even if we live in a city, and do not own a farm, we still need and utilize farmland. It's definitely fun to grow veggies and fruit trees in our yards, but half of the earth's landmass has already been dedicated and sacrificed to the needs of agriculture (lets face it, honeybees are also a part of Big Ag), so this is all the more reason to make room for native plants and wildlife habitat in your own yard.
Farmed poultry makes up 70% of all birds on the planet, only 30% are wild birds.
60% of all mammals on earth are livestock, mostly cattle and pigs, 36% are humans, and 4% are wild animals. (From an article in the Guardian).
Studies in Germany revealed they had lost 79% of the flying insects in their forests over the last 30 years. Since this is base of the foodchain type stuff, if this is an indicator of what's happening around the globe, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
Studies in Germany revealed they had lost 79% of the flying insects in their forests over the last 30 years. Since this is base of the foodchain type stuff, if this is an indicator of what's happening around the globe, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
Wear gloves when you garden - some plants and soils can cause skin rashes or contact dermatitis. Weeding is sweaty work, be sure to have gloves that can breathe, but are also tough enough (and wash or replace them more often than not). A good super strong digging tool is crucial too.
Pull out woody plants when they try to invade your garden - as soon as possible! Once they get a foothold, they get harder and harder to get rid of (i.e. Siberian Elm, Buckthorn, or any tree that is trying to grow where you don't want it to be growing). Your yard simply wants to turn itself back into a forest or prairie - which is fine if that's what you are trying to create. If you want prairie type plants, however, you'll need to do some weeding, possibly use mulch, and even mow it all down every few years (in lieu of a controlled burn!).
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