As development and habitat fragmentation/destruction ramp up across our country, pressures on wildlife populations are increasing. Things like finding trees to rear their young and crossing roads probably weigh heavily on their minds. There is an important, unbreakable link between native plants and native wildlife—our native insects cannot eat non-native plants. Without native plants, the insects will starve and disappear, destroying the food source for birds and other animals. I discovered native plants a few years ago and have been adding them to my yard since then. As my desire to fill my yard with native plants for wildlife increases so has my desire to remove the food desert, that is the non-native plants and shrubs that were planted years ago when we bought our house. I have been slowly removing non-natives over time and replacing them with more natives. It’s a little step that can go a long way in helping our environment.