Look at the bottom of this page for the definition of any red words you don't know.

Last week my friends Michael and Jessica told me a troubling story about their family’s backyard. All of their plants were damaged or dying and they couldn’t figure out why. I went to investigate immediately! When I got there, I couldn’t believe my eyes…

I said to Michael and Jessica, "Wow — what happened here? There are wilted flowers, half-eaten bushes, diseased trees and shrunken shrubs all over the place…and not a bird or butterfly in sight! What could have caused all this damage?"

Jessica said, "I don't know, but everything we’ve planted is ruined! Nothing in our yard is growing well at all."

Michael added, "Except for this tree, Jess. It was the only thing here when we moved to the neighborhood."

I cried, "Aha! That’s just the clue we’re looking for. You see that tree is native to this area, so unlike the other plants in your garden, it’s well suited to things like the soil conditions, the weather, and the local wildlife."

"What do you mean, Marlow?" asked Michael.

"Well, except for this tree, all of the plants are ones that grow naturally in other regions and even other countries. They’re used to different amounts of sunshine, shade, and water than they get in your yard," I explained.

Just then I saw a deer and some pesky bugs pop their heads up from behind the hedges, munching on some leaves! I said, "And I guess the deer and pests here think that non-native plants taste much better than the native ones they’re used to eating!"

Michael said, "Maybe that’s why our neighbors use fertilizers and pesticides to help their gardens grow."

Jessica cried out, "But our yard is organic! We don’t want to use chemicals!"

I said, "It's great that you want to keep chemicals out of your yard. I know — let’s go down to the garden center and find out which native plants would grow well here!"

When we got to the garden center, we asked a friendly plant expert for some help. "Excuse me, but can you tell us where we can find some native plants?"

Ted the expert replied, "Right here! Tell me, what kind of garden do you have? Is it sunny or shady?"

"It’s really shady," Michael answered.

Ted said, "Then you need some of these. I grew them from seeds myself! These plants grow in shady woodland areas all over the region and they’ll attract lots of wildlife to your garden."

Jessica looked at me and asked, "Then can’t we just go into the woods and dig them up ourselves?"

"Oh no!" I said. "If everyone did that, they’d be extinct in no time!"

Michael asked, "If native plants grow better here, why do you sell so many non-native plants?"

Ted explained, "Well, some non-native plants grow just fine, even if they need a little help. What you really need to watch out for are the invasive non-natives…like KUDZU!"

"What’s that?" Jessica wondered.

Ted said, "It’s a really fast-growing vine that's native to Japan. It can grow as much as a foot every day and when it gets out of control, it can cover up everything in its path!"

Michael said, "Thanks a lot! From now on we’ll be sure to plant only native plants in our yard!"

Later, I found Jessica and Marlow hard at work in their yard. "So Jessica, what are you doing?"

She said, "I’m planting some tough little bushes that don’t mind being nibbled by deer. Because our yard doesn’t get much sunshine, I’m also going to plant some shrubs and ferns that like the shade."

"Sounds good! What are you planting, Michael?" I asked.

He replied, "Well, Ted told us that if we want to attract lots of butterflies and birds into the yard, we should use native plants and flowers that provide the kind of food they like to eat. These plants will encourage wildlife to pollinate the yard and control bugs that could damage our plants."

I went back to see the yard a while later, and I couldn't believe the change! Everything looked great, and there were beneficial birds, butterflies, and bees all over the place! "Just look at all the different colors, shapes, heights, and textures of your healthy native plants! Well done!"

Jessica said, "Aren’t they great…and because they’re used to the soil in our backyard, these plants need less water when it’s hot, and they help to prevent erosion by keeping water in their roots. "

Just then a bird flew by and chirped, "I love living in this yard!"

A butterfly that was flitting around added, "These flowers are so colorful!"

Then we noticed the bad bugs saying, "Yuck! These plants taste GROSS!"

The deer was disappointed too. "I can eat all these leaves in the woods…I’m going home!"

I'm happy to report that it looks like the mystery of the ruined garden is solved. Native plants have saved the day!

 

Related Links Get to know these natives! Learn more about invasive plants. Read the amazing story of Kudzu.

GLOSSARY WORDS:
Native
Describes a plant that grows naturally in a particular area.

Non-native
A plant that would not be found naturally in a particular area or country. Non-native plants that spread quickly in a new area are called "invasive" plants.

Fertilizers
Food for plants.

Pesticides
Man-made chemicals that are used to kill pests on plants and may harm soil health and food quality over time.

Extinct
No longer existing or living. Dinosaurs are extinct.

Invasive non-native
A plant that can grow rapidly over a large area without being threatened by the wildlife, pests, and diseases that would keep it under control in its native environment.

Pollinate
To fertilize a female flower part by putting grains of pollen on it.

Erosion
The wearing away of soil through wind and rain.

Text, Sarah Eykyn
Illustrations, Yasushi Fujimoto