Native Plants and Insects:

Native Plants: While I love Paul and Shawn's book, Building a Better World in your Backyard, and I am an active and rabid permaculture freak, I would like to comment on Chapter 18, The Dark Side of Native Plant Enthusiasm. Nowhere in this section do they talk about the connection between native plants and insects. There is a growing scientific body of work on how important native plants are to the local food web, and how planting non-natives significantly reduces the population of birds in an area, because of the reduced insect population (I am grossly simplifying the data, but that's the gist). I know most of the research is on the east coast, but it is compelling. Are you familiar with this argument, which is the reason why most people I know are advocating for native plants? And if so, why is it not included in this chapter of your book? This chapter of your book seems to focus on human food rather than all creatures.  Thanks - would love to hear other points of view on this, and particularly, Paul's.