Eighty percent of all flowering plants rely on insect pollinators — and these plants ensure food, in the form of seeds and fruits for all of us. Without insect pollinators, agriculture, our second largest industry in Florida (tourism being No. 1), would fail.

Natives are beautiful, require less maintenance and no pesticides, and provide food and habitat for our wildlife, birds and insects (read: pollinators). Their extensive root systems control erosion, filter water to improve water quality, and sequester carbon to combat climate change. What’s not to like? So, here are some more natives to plant:

While we acknowledge that adding native plants will improve our gardens’ sustainability, we must also consider the environmental impact of maintaining our pristine lawns.

It’s great fun to watch the caterpillars grow and then form their pupae, and even more exciting to watch as they emerge as gorgeous butterflies. And then there’s the joy of having them fluttering about your gardens.

Editor’s Note: Resident Kim Frisbie is a member of the Garden Club of Palm Beach and a transplant from Pennsylvania and Boston with a master’s of science in ornamental horticulture from the Longwood Program at the University of Delaware. She has written for Horticulture Magazine and her gardening column ran in several Philadelphia newspapers for several years. Look for her columns regularly in this space.