I enjoy taking photos of my garden at all times of the year, but the winter is an especially interesting season. Conventional thinking is that this is when everything is “dead” and resting while it waits for spring, but when we think of the ecosystem benefits of native plant gardening, the action doesn’t stop with […]
Caterpillars
Should You Raise Caterpillars Indoors? A Guide for Native Plant Enthusiasts
In our last article, we talked about enjoying one of the most important relationships you can find in your garden: that between native plants and caterpillars. It’s so vital because caterpillars require specific host plants to complete their life cycles, and they also serve as crucial cogs in the food chain. The last article was […]
Tips for Finding and Observing Caterpillars in your Garden
We’ve written about the importance of making sure to include host plants in your butterfly gardens, so you can support multiple generations of pollinators rather than just providing a food source for adults passing by. The result of this, of course, is that your goal is to support pollinator larvae, or caterpillars, in your garden. […]
What’s a Host Plant? Why It’s Important to Plant for Caterpillars, Not Just Butterflies
All plants have some baseline ecological benefits. They prevent erosion, keep moisture and nutrients in the soil, and sequester carbon. They also provide shade, shelter, and cover for species ranging from tiny insects to large mammals. But when we talk about the most beneficial plants and trees to plant (or conserve) in a given area, […]