Coontie (Zamia integrifolia) is the only native cycad in North America and it is indigenous to South Florida.

Cycads are among the oldest plants on earth, dating back 325 million years. They were so prolific by the Jurassic period that this is sometimes called the Age of Cycads, rather than the Age of Dinosaurs.

Palm Beach is an island of hedges — and for good reason. Aside from their inherent elegance, hedges provide valuable security and privacy, also acting as windbreaks and noise mufflers, while separating distinct elements within a landscape. But the infestation of whitefly on our Ficus benjamina has led to overzealous pesticide use, which has depleted the important native insects necessary for our birds and other wildlife.

Palm Beach is an island of hedges — and for good reason. Aside from their inherent elegance, hedges provide valuable security and privacy, also acting as windbreaks and noise mufflers, while separating distinct elements within a landscape. But the infestation of whitefly on our Ficus benjamina has led to overzealous pesticide use, which has depleted the important native insects necessary for our birds and other wildlife.

According to a report recently released by the journal Science, the single most important thing we can do to decelerate global warming is to plant trees — a trillion of them, to be exact. This may sound like a tall order, but large-scale reforestation could mitigate up to 25 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030. We are already on an unavoidable path to have a global climate rise in temperatures of 1.5 degrees C. by 2030; reforestation and ecosystem restoration could help defer a catastrophic global temperature rise of 2 degrees C.

When we moved into our North End home last fall, the entryway garden consisted of four quadrants, each bordered with green island ficus and podocarpus surrounding large expanses of white impatiens and begonias. Elephant ears (Alocasias) and schefflera were placed around the bases of the Christmas palms, and the occasional agave was added as an accent plant.

Palm Beach may be a paradise, but the preservation of our wonderful quality of life depends in a large part on maintaining the stunning natural beauty of our coastal environment. As stewards of our great community, it is incumbent upon us to recognize that the health of our natural environment is intricately connected to the health of our community.

The U.N. report just released on the imminent loss of 1 million species worldwide underscores the need for each of us to do our part to restore the ecosystems in which we live. Here’s what we need to do…

Healthy ecosystems depend on plant life variety. Palm Beach’s Green Initiative is a momentous start to restoring our island paradise to the paradise it should be. Planting natives and eliminating pesticides and fertilizers are essential to that end. But there’s one more component we cannot overlook: the importance of biodiversity.

Plants that will attract, nurture this endangered butterfly. We all likely have heard about the worldwide decline of monarch butterflies, but we can aid their recovery by planting milkweed (Asclepias), the monarchs’ only host plant.

Enticing entryways contain color, fragrance. Natives to plant that both beautify and attract pollinators.

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.