Fake vs Real.
Modified vs Natural
Beautiful vs Functional
I started to think about these things.
I’ve spoken about my native garden on this blog several times. Every morning that I do not have to work, I sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee or tea and watch the activity in the native garden.
Now, native gardens can look messy. I’ve tried to incorporate plants that will bloom in each season for color, attractiveness, and food for native insects. Sometimes the flowers are inconspicuous and barely noticeable, so I also planted some non-native flowers in containers. The flowers I chose were the Wave Petunias in yellow and pink.
Then I sat back and watched.
While the Wave Petunias are showy and demand your attention, they offer little to insects in my area. No insects visit the genetically modified flowers when I’m sitting outside. But the native flowers are teaming with action. You can watch at any time of the day and in a few minutes I can guarantee you’ll see a pollinator visit a native plant.
Some may think….Well, good. I don’t want insects around. I’ll stick to my non-natives.
But insects are near the base of our food chain. They pollinate plants, feed animals, etc. And they’re rapidly dwindling in numbers over the last few decades. Right now drones are being produced to help pollinate plants because humans could not possibly hand pollinate as quickly and efficiently as insects.
I’m not against Wave Petunias, I bought them myself. But the native plants are so important. I wish they had the same popularity as the GMO plants. Maybe consider planting a native alongside a non-native? Even if it’s in a container! It can help so many native insects!
Let's Paint Nature! 