”To all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”
Genesis 1:29 (NIV)
Who would have thought native plants could cause divisions between humans? Some think native gardening is a hippie hobby to honor Mother Earth. Some such hippies receive threatening letters and fines from their HOA. Others see native gardening as an obligation to save endangered species from foreign invasion. My friend Jim said, “Humans are the most invasive species on the planet. Who are we to control plant migration?” Indeed, Ponce de Leon named La Florida the Land of Flowers, followed promptly by seed-bearing settlers. That’s why a plant must be pre–Ponce in order to qualify as native.
The eco scientists see native plants as a critical link in the food chain. Let’s swing around on that food chain for a moment.
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her;
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Fancy that, she swallowed a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she'll die.
I grew up chanting that food chain. Did you? It might convince a child the cycle of life starts with a fly.
Spoiler alert! Plants are the only organisms that can create food out of thin air. Without plants, the fly wouldn’t be here, let alone the horse that eventually killed the old lady. The cycle of life is also the food chain of death.
“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
John 12:24 (NIV)
Let’s customize our food chain for St. Johns County.
There once was a butterfly that always stopped by.
It fluttered its colors to catch my eye.
It played in the milkweed for half the day,
Then waved goodbye and went on its way.
I don't know why it always stopped by.
The milkweed was messy and well, just a weed.
A prettier plant would fill the need.
Wedelia grew so full and clean,
Bright yellow flowers surrounded in green.
Surely more butterflies would come to say hi.
Wedelia loved living at my place.
It covered the dirt and took all the space.
Milkweed died back without a fight.
A yard of lush leaves was quite a sight.
Wait till those butterflies get a taste of this pie.
It's been four years since flutterby came around.
I see quite a few in the old hunting ground.
Seems that milkweed is all they can eat.
But the wedelia has covered the entire street.
How can I get rid of this creeping oxeye?
Hopefully, we can get rid of it with lots of pulling and digging and no chemicals. Hopefully, we can give the milkweed an elegant hairstyle and enjoy a land of butterflies that wave ‘hi’ and birds that eat them. That will surely happen when we get the native plants all back together together again.
There is no shortage of plants that are native to St. Johns County. The Florida Native Plant Society lists over 300. Here is a list I am building based on sightings in Ponte Vedra.