And although we're not hating anyone or anything, the native things tend to have a bad public perception as shown in the Edge City comic below.
And it's not necessarily a good thing... Because native plants have benefits. There's a reason why they flourished where they were -- why nature allowed them to be. Many reasons in fact because native species for...
- Increase biodiversity. And biodiversity is very important. It allows the gene pool to be larger and increases the possibility of finding a cure to currently incurable diseases and problems. With increased biodiversity, there will also be great genetic diversity, allowing more beauty in the world as more individuals live and dazzle the world.
- Prevent invasive species from flourishing. Which is pretty important when you know that invasive species can be troublesome and harmful since they're not natural in the local area. Invasive species may hurt not only the local native plants, but also the animals as well.
- Need low maintenance. AKA low economic costs because native species are already in their native biomes. You won't need to irrigate much fresh water into their systems, use pesticides, or tend the soil because they already adapted to where they are with centuries of evolution within their genes. Also, they will lower greenhouse gas emissions because there will be no need for transportation from foreign countries or lawn maintenance equipment like lawnmowers or fertilizers.
- Preserves native heritage and provides a sense of home. Native plants speak a lot for the community. They are the basis of traditional medicine and rituals for Native Americans who worshiped the land. They symbolize culture and pride upon the land we live on.
- Shelter local native species and attracts wildlife. Native fauna are meant for native flora. They lived together and thus perhaps it makes sense that they wish to die together as well as eternal friends and rivals in the evolution of life. Also, songbirds that migrate love to come back to habitats that haven't changed, which means habitats that are native. Insects are the same.
Native plants are important. Although short term sustainability for your family is important in the family garden you make, native gardens are important in the long term sustainability of the entire world for future decades. It'll never be too late to go native. It'll never be too backwards to go native.
Because natives are the reason why we can go forward.