Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 34 | Page 33

Photos by Kim Counts Whether you are new to the area or a life-long resident, perhaps nothing brings about a deeper respect for the interconnectedness and ecological richness of the region than discovering and using native plants in the home landscape. “Native plants are regional plants that reflect the natural landscape & heritage of an area; thus landscaping with native plants helps to identify a ‘place’ (Mellichamp, 2014).” Native plants have evolved in place over time. Most are cold, heat, and drought tolerant and are generally welladapted for home landscapes. Once established in the proper location, many native plants grow with little to no additional fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation. Gardeners that utilize native plants automatically conserve water and protect the environment by reducing excess fertilizers and pesticides that may wash off of the landscape and end up in downstream water bodies. Planting native plants can bring about unexpected biodiversity. We received a frantic telephone call in our office from a client who was alarmed that caterpillars were SUMMER/FALL 2015 • VOLUME 34 consuming her passion vine (Passiflora incarnata) at an alarming rate. After seeing a photo of the culprit, we were able to share with the gardener that she had unwittingly provided the larval host food source for the beautiful Gulf Fritillary butterfly. The adult had deposited eggs on the vine and as the caterpillars emerged they began consuming the preferred foliage. We explained that applying a pesticide to the vine would not only kill the caterpillars, but it would also rob her of the joy of observing the metamorphosis of a butterfly and seeing the beautiful orange adults floating through her yard. While the feeding damage seemed significant she agreed to allow nature to take its course and the vine quickly recovered, much to the client’s astonishment. Sometimes seeing really is believing. We could have explained over the telephone that having evolved together over time, the native passion vine has developed strategies to survive the annual munching of the caterpillars, or we could have told her that predation of the caterpillars by birds and 31