We love our gardens. We love to personalize our outdoor spaces with artistic originality, with plants from our grandmothers, sisters, friends…plants we’ve loved since childhood. But do these beloved friends have an ecological purpose? We’re finding out that some do, but some are harmful, and some are just not very helpful.

It seems like everywhere we go these days, we hear about pollinators, but what’s the big deal anyway? And why is everyone suddenly talking about caterpillars?