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My dad said to plant a native tree instead of a Japanese maple, and he was totally right.
I was redoing a client's yard in Cincinnati and wanted to put in a red maple for the color. My dad, who's been gardening forever, told me to use a red oak instead because it supports way more local bugs and birds. I listened, and after two seasons, that oak is covered in caterpillars that the cardinals go crazy for. The Japanese maple down the street looks nice but it's basically a desert for wildlife. Has anyone else seen a big difference after switching to native plants?
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the_elliot2mo ago
Actually, red maples are native to Ohio and support hundreds of caterpillar species too.
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the_hayden2mo agoTop Commenter
Lol "food pantry for birds" is such a good way to put it. I've been staring at the one in my yard since @rosebarnes mentioned it, feeling bad for all the bugs I've probably swatted that came from it.
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rosebarnes2mo ago
Right, I saw a thing about red maples being a keystone species in eastern forests. It stuck with me because they're everywhere but you don't really notice how important they are. The article said they're like a food pantry for birds since so many bugs eat the leaves. Makes you look at the trees in your own yard a bit differently.
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