The West side of my backyard is completely covered in Tridax daisy, best known as “widespread weed and pest plant”, but the butterflies seem to love it (especially bordered patch butterflies) and everytime I go out there’s a toooon of them. Are these ‘weeds’ actually good then? (South Texas area)
by Pale_Field4584
3 Comments
I also see a lot of beetles, bugs, moths, lizards and geckos~ I think I have a nice ecosystem back there, sauf the tall grass, buffalo grass, and crabgrass areas. I’m not sure if I should remove these tridax daisies…
Btw thanks everyone on my previous posts. I read all comments and am learning a lot…
Is the plant invasive, or simply non-native? I couldn’t definitely figure out that part, but it does produce a lot of seed so it will spread. It’s a tropical plant, but has been introduced to more temperate climates.
The problem with non-natives is that they may taste good to the critters that feed on them, but they may not provide the best nutrition for them. My deer looove the hosta that the prior owner planted, but it provides little nutrition. (I haven’t gotten o ripping out that part of the flower beds)
In a perfect world, you’d have a variety of native plants that support a variety of animal and, more importantly, insect life.
Call your local ag ext office. Every county in the US has one. They have a master gardener program, and they will put you in touch with a master gardener that can tell you, and answer any other questions you might have.
Edit https://txmg.org/become-a-master-gardener/become-a-texas-master-gardener
Texas has a great master gardener program. Good luck!