Insects of Woodland Gardens: The Good, the Bad & the Beautiful

摘要

Most of the insects you see in your garden are not pests! For example, butterflies are beautiful indicators of overall ecosystem health. The adults may desire nectar-producing flowers, but their caterpillars feed on native plants, so therefore their presence depends on healthy numbers of nearby native host plants such as cedar, willow, alder, maple, stonecrop, and spiraea. Some important native plants are especially valuable! For example, five species of butterflies depend on stinging nettle as foodfor their caterpillars.