By KATHLEEN LOFTUS
Organizations like the Wildflower Association of Michigan encourage the use of native flowers like wild lupine. Photo: Steve Moses via Flickr.
LANSING — Many people are looking to wildflowers and native plants for environmental and economic reasons.
Jean Weirich, treasurer of the Wildflower Association of Michigan, said education about wildflower planting and seeding has recently become popular.
She said insects are more attracted to native plants for nutrients they need. When insects consume those nutrients, birds feed on them for protein.
For example, 600 types of insects feed on oaks while non-native trees attract only three types.
Another important thing for gardeners to know is that insects cannot adapt to plants, Weirich said. Insects and plants have already adapted to their environment.
With native wildflowers, there is no need to constantly water the plants. And prairie grass provides better habitat protection for animals, unlike weeds that flatten in winter weather, she said.
Esther Derwald, owner of the Michigan Wildflower Farm in Portland, said important native plants are disappearing and should to be reintroduced to keep the environment healthy.
She said animals need native plants for nectar, cover and food not available from non-native species.
Weirich said starting a wildflower garden is an investment, but in the long run, saves money on maintenance, lawn mowing, fertilizer and time.
Specialty sources for seeds and plants have developed in Michigan and promote the importance native plants.
The back-to-native-plants movement in Michigan began in Ann Arbor and expanded elsewhere in the Southern Lower Peninsula, she said.
Not only do I agree with Harold, there are further examples of statements that are simply wrong: that insects cannot adapt to plants (completely false, there are examples of native insects using non-native plants); the laughable claim that insects and plants have already adapted to their environment (in which case, no non-native insects or plants would be able to live here!); the implication that all non-native plants need to be watered constantly, or that non-native plants don’t need as much water — obviously it depends on the plants; or the notion that non-native plants do not provide nectar, food, or shelter (they do, although some may not be as high quality).
I’m a very strong proponent of native planting, but to present these falsehoods as facts just makes the native plant movement look suspect. Something really went awry in this story. Either the wildflower rep doesn’t know her facts, the reporter misunderstood them and did not do her research, and/or the editor did not fact check.
Although native plants and trees are clearly better for insects, to say that only three types of insects are attracted to non-native trees (as opposed to 600 for natives) is simply erroneous and cannot be substantiated. There is no need to exaggerate the benefits of native species.