Hi, Jason: Thank you for taking the time to make us more knowledgeable about the impact of native and non-native tree and plant species on the environment. We appreciate it, and will take these things into consideration going forward. Have a great Spring!

Thank you for trying to help the planet by educating our children about the importance of pollinators and trees in the ecosystem. The problem is you are promoting the planting of non-native species. There are many recent studies showing the importance of native plants in supporting the lifecycle of native insects. Yes, adult butterflies and moths may visit some of these non-native flowers, but what about their offspring? Most of these flowers in your seed packet are not host plants for our native butterflies and moths. Many of us know that Monarch Butterfly caterpillars will only feed on milkweed. Like the Monarch, other moth and butterfly caterpillars depend on specific host plants for food. The host plants they depend on are native to our region. Native oak trees are host plants for over 500 caterpillar species. Our native pines, maples, hickories, birches, and cherry trees support over 200 caterpillar species each. Meanwhile, some of these non-native trees support few to possibly none of our native caterpillars. Our native goldenrod flowers support over 100 species of caterpillars and our native sunflowers support over 70 species of caterpillars. (Source: National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder) These trees, like the Norway Spruce my son received which is native to Europe, could have a lasting negative effect on ecosystems because they may live for decades or even centuries. Some of these species may become invasive (plants that are not native that can cause economic or ecological harm by displacing and outcompeting native plants). Please consider using only plants that are native to the Virginia region. Please educate yourself on the importance of native plants. The video by Doug Tallamy in the link below is a great starting point. I know you want to make a positive difference by educating our children about the importance of plants in our environment. Native plants will make a sustainable difference. www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants