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This is the second in a series of articles by the Orange County Commission for the Environment <br />(CFE). Each article highlights an environmental issue of interest to the residents of Orange <br />County. The CFE is a volunteer advisory board to the Board of County Commissioners. <br />Additional information can be found in the Orange County State of the Environment 2014 report <br />athLtp://www.orangecounlync.gov/departments/deqpr/commission _ for the environmenf.php <br />* * * * * * * * * ** <br />The native butterfly weed attracts bees, butterflies and birds (Photo: Orange County DEAPR) <br />Why Choose Native Plants? <br />Orange County Commission for the Environment <br />While some of us value plants in our landscapes primarily for the beauty they provide, <br />we may not realize that plants are in fact critically important components of food webs <br />and essential to the life cycles of birds and insects. Author Doug Tallamy explains, <br />"almost all North American birds other than seabirds — 96% — feed their young with <br />insects." These insects require host plants on which to lay their eggs, plants with which <br />they have evolved over millennia. Replacing native plants (those species that have <br />evolved with surrounding plants and animals, each influencing the evolution of the <br />other) with species from other places can hinder the ability of some of these insects to <br />reproduce. One example can be seen in a comparison of the flowering dogwood <br />(Cornus florida), which is native to Orange County, and the kousa dogwood (Cornus <br />kousa), which is native to Korea, China, and Japan. The flowering dogwood supports <br />117 species of moth and butterfly larvae, while the kousa dogwood supports none. <br />Some gardeners point out that they also frequently observe insects on their non - native <br />plants. For instance, butterflies can often be seen drinking nectar from the flowers of the <br />non - native butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). While this may be beneficial food for the <br />butterflies, unfortunately no species of butterfly native to North Carolina will use the <br />