(Cornus kousa), a species from China
that supports no insect herbivores,
instead of our native flowering
dogwood (Cornus florida) that supports
one hundred and seventeen species of
moths and butterflies alone. On
hundreds of thousands of acres we
have planted goldenraintree
(Koelreuteria paniculata) from China, a
tree that supports one caterpillar
species, instead of a variety of our
beautiful oaks, and we have lost the
chance to grow five hundred and
thirty-four species of caterpillars, all of
them nutritious bird food. My own
research has shown that native
ornamentals support twenty-nine times
more biodiversity than do alien
ornamentals. Further, it's unnerving to
learn that eighty-two percent of the
woody invasives in our country are
escapees of the horticultural industry."
reprinted from the Wild
Ones Journal Vol. 22, No. 2.
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