Besides, less mowing means less air pollution and noise. Mowed grass is great for barbecues and play areas, but we decided we didn't need to have the whole yard be grass. We added a butterfly garden in a sunny spot and added shrubs that have berries like dogwood and elderberry , to bring in more birds. We use only plants native to Minnesota because we've seen what imported plants can do if they get out of control. Purple loosestrife, spotted knapweed, and dandelions are examples of imported plants that should never have been brought to this continent.
Native plants are also the plants that our local wildlife likes best.
Many other butterfly species are equally particular, so we've put a good variety of native plants in our yard. The people who come to our yard take with them an appreciation of how this kind of landscaping can reduce maintenance, reduce waste and chemical runoff, and be attractive to wildlife and people at the same time. The use of native businesses, and city governments can see the benefits. We invite anyone with an interest in growing native plants to contact us, or to come by and look at our yard. August was a particularly good time, because rough blazing star and meadow blazing star were blooming and attracting monarchs.