One plant can make a huge difference — see how this addition can bring pollinators to your garden.
A Redditor shared a video of their native garden's success to r/NativePlantGardening.
"Great spangled fritillaries … on my purple milkweed … 13-year cicadas singing in the background," they wrote.
The video shows a group of beautiful butterflies sitting atop colorful flowers. The flowers are milkweed, a plant known for its milky secretion and allure to pollinators. Butterflies, bees, beetles, and other bugs are drawn to the milkweed nectar and transfer pollen as they hop plant to plant.
Native plant gardens and lawns are on the rise, and for good reason. Homeowners who ditch their monoculture lawns for native lawns save tens of hours of monthly maintenance and save big on their water bills, too.
Not only are native plant lawns and gardens good for you and your wallet, but they're great for the environment as well. Native plant lawns help support our pollinators, who play a crucial role for our planet. Plants, vegetables, fats, oils, chocolate, coffee — without the work of pollinators, we'd have none. According to Best Bees, "pollinators as a whole contribute up to $577 billion annually in global food production."
Whether you're looking to save time and money or just want to help out butterflies and bees, a native plant lawn is the way to go. Even a small change — like switching to a clover lawn or sprinkling a handful of milkweed seeds in the garden — can make a huge difference.
Ready to start? The Cool Down has guides to help you rewild your yard.
Commenters thought the video was stunning and looked forward to their own gardening successes.
"I'm jealous! Why wouldn't someone want to plant milkweed?" one user asked. "There's no plant I see posted anywhere with more butterflies and caterpillars on it than milkweed."
Another was inspired by the user's post. "Gorgeous!! This is the motivation I needed to keep fighting with my clay soil!"
"This is beautiful," a user wrote. "I can't wait for my swamp milkweed to bloom."
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