12/21/2025
I found myself thoroughly enjoying some good ole internet drama earlier 😂 I won't go into detail, but the gist of it was a difference in opinions on how one should approach educating the community about native plants.
It started a long string of thoughts for me (and a long monologue to my poor, unsuspecting husband and child) which I'd like to share here.
I feel like the areas of conservation - from animals to water to people - have long been attractive to outsiders. I mean, we are the ones fighting for boundaries around our ecosystem in a culture (world?) that puts the word "overconsumption" to shame. We tend to be a little outspoken in our passion for native plants, which can come across as a wee bit intense.
If you need an example just whisper "Crepe Myrtle" in any group of native plant people.
And anyone who knows me knows that I have always surfed the line around normal society. I remember when I moved to Texas 20 years ago, my cowboy uncle in Bandera took one look at my dyed black pixie cut, loud emo music, and more than a few facial piercings and reported that I looked like someone had hit me in the face with a tackle box 😂 Pics upon request ofc.
But let me tell you what I have found in native plants. I have found people spanning generations who are JUST HAPPY to have other people recognize the importance of this work. They don't care how you say it. Most believe in Tallamy's 70/30 rule and won't judge ya for a Mexican Bush Sage.
They recognize that this is possibly the most important time in our history as we bring together science, aesthetics, social media, different cultures, communities, schools, and more to save what we have and give a brighter future to the generations (of people, insects and plants) following us. We are fighting societal norms that have existed for quite some time, and that means we have to band together. Not fight against each other with judgement.
And I guess I'm here to say that I'm really happy I found those people, this knowledge and the diversity of the community. I don't care how many F bombs you drop while saying it. 😂
