Gardener shares breathtaking effect of choosing to plant native flowers: 'How incredible to see'

One of the joys of growing native plants is that they attract all sorts of local animal visitors. 

One gardener shared a photo in the subreddit r/GardenWild of several monarch butterflies feeding on their Liatris ligulistylis, or Meadow Blazing Star.

"I love seasonality. Every year at this time the monarchs flock to my meadow blazing star. Neighbors walking by my urban garden frequently ask, what is that plant?!" they wrote. "How incredible to see so many monarchs. … [I always want to] spread the love of native gardening and create more food and habitat for monarchs and other species to enjoy."

Other gardeners had seen similar results in their own gardens. "Nice, my liatris are just winding down now," one person wrote. "I can look out a window and still see at least 4-5 monarchs flying around, they sure do love the liatris."

"Well, I've been debating on whether or not to buy this for next year and you've convinced me," another said.

Besides delightful wildlife sightings, there are many reasons to switch over from grass to a natural lawn, especially one that contains native plants. Native plants evolved to thrive in their surroundings, requiring less — or zero — watering, upkeep, and herbicide use as compared to a non-native species such as grass. That means that if you rewild your yard, you'll be saving not only on water but also on time and maintenance.

Native plants are also much better for pollinators, who rely on them to survive. In turn, humans rely on pollinators to survive; approximately one in every three bites of food can be directly traced back to the work of a pollinator. 

Even better, there are several ways to achieve a natural lawn — from wildflowers to water-efficient ground cover like clover, xeriscaping with mulch or chips, and more.

Another person was eager to try. "Ohh, I got a packet of dense blazing star a few weeks ago for my attempt to go more native," they wrote. "I hope I see these kind of results!"

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