A Redditor recently shared a short video of their yard and included a revelation they had to r/gardening.
“Other than tomatoes and cucumbers … most of my gardening is for the benefit of the critters than anything else,” wrote the original poster. “I’ve got bird baths in each flower bed I clean and refill when they need it Strawberries? Birds are eating em and Im not offended Lettuce? Bolted but the birds are using it for shade Carrots? Waiting for the swallowtail caterpillars Flowers? Planted every color and type for the bees and hummingbirds.”
Growing your own food has plenty of benefits, but clearly, this gardener is mostly interested in supporting the local biosphere. Gardens full of native plants can act as a much-needed home for pollinators, like the swallowtail mentioned by the original poster. Over 150 crops in America worth $10 billion annually rely on pollinators, but populations have been in steep decline due to pesticide use and increased temperatures.
The original poster especially shows how yards can be a perfect home for birds, which are also ecologically important pollinators. Birds spread seeds, cycle nutrients, and control pests. Sadly, they have broadly been in population decline over the last few decades. That said, bird baths can be helpful to combat growingly intense heat waves.
While a healthy yard can be a great home for birds in dire straits, it can also mean saving a few bucks on your monthly bills, too. Those savings hinge on planting native species. Not only have local birds and pollinators evolved to support them, but those native plants are also well-adapted to local rainfall patterns and weather. That means less time and money spent watering the plants, and more time enjoying the view of your garden.
The Reddit community loved seeing a garden being a good home for local birds.
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“That one enjoyed it to the fullest extent,” said one community member.
“This makes me happy! I garden for the critters too,” replied another.
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