The biggest advantage to planting natives for those of us lay people who are not master gardeners is that most native plants, if planted in the right conditions, will thrive without much help from us. As long as we make sure to pick a spot with the right amount of sun and soil moisture, nature takes care of everything else. Natives generally do not need plant food, fertilizers, or supplemental water. We also don't have to worry as much about "pest" problems. We plant the natives to feed the caterpillars, pollinators, and other insects. Because our native plants evolved side-by-side with our native wildlife, if we promote the natural balance of the ecosystem, one species will not decimate another.

But the true advantage to planting native is that we can take a mostly sterile and stale piece of land and turn it into an oasis buzzing with life. Over time we see that a beautiful flower is not quite so beautiful if it is not contributing anything to the life around it. Indeed, flowers that are plain and simple in color or design suddenly erupt with beauty when bees and butterflies and wasps compete for just a moment to dig through its petals and find the treasured nectar and/or pollen. The true beauty can not be captured in a photo because it exists in the movement of life.

That said, I have tried to capture a glimmer of that beauty in my photographs. I am far from a professional photographer, but hopefully my love for all the things created by this Earth will still come through and inspire that same love in others. If you find anything here that makes you smile, I hope you will plant a native in your yard and discover it for yourself.