Do native bees, pollinators, and other beneficials NEED to have only NATIVE plants? No, for most. But, yes for a few. The "Pipevine Swallowtail" butterfly needs the California pipevine for it's larva to feed on. (Other pipevine species won't do.) Monarch butterfly larva feed only on milkweed plants. But most local insects will be happy with many garden plants. Having a diversity of plant species is a good way to attract and help beneficial insects.
What is "planting with natives?" If "native" means "originally existing in the local plant community"; then we are extremely limited in Davis. If "native" means "native somewhere" (that is, it's not a hybrid); then anything goes! If "native" means "naturally occuring in some political region [such as California]"; then native-ness has no relationship to how well something will grow in my yard -- because California contains so many different climate zones. Perhaps it would be better to look for "locally-adapted" plants -- that is, species which originated in climates like ours (such as the Mediterranean, coastal Chile, parts of Australia, southern Africa, etcetera) and so will grow well in OUR climate.
Today's questions include: Should we be "pinching" broccoli? (Don doesn't.) That's bacterial Citrus Blast -- exacerbated by a few days of humid weather in August. Why Don's 32-year-old orchard is being taken out (lifespan of the trees -vs- changing economics -vs- climate expectations). How farmers decide what to plant where. And what some people expect to happen to our local climate in the next 20-50 years.
