A law made in Action by the homeowner to protect his garden of natives by enrolling the land as DNR/state property would IMO be best- that way native landscapes could be built to last. AND no one could legally damage the land/the plants without premission from the homeowner or his/her family. BUT its up to the owner of the garden to act.

midwesterner,

That's great that you're taking so many actions to help native plant species. I've only done a small subset.

I do end up discussing the topic of the problems invasive plants cause and the benefits of native plants with various people I know. I knew so little about these topics until about 7 years ago, and find many people are still unaware about them. Many times the attitude people have is that they still want their pretty flowers and don't care about other effects, but many times I think I at least get people to consider these things.

I also do the research for friends and family when they're thinking of adding to their garden. Sometimes if they're considering an invasive plant I'm able to come up with a native or at least non-invasive alternative for them, that will serve as well. Many times I think I end up doing the research with no result other than my learning a bit more, but sometimes it does make a difference to what ends up getting planted.

I became interested in native plants by way of my interest in wildlife gardening. Native butterflies and birds are often more interesting to people than native plants at first, and making people aware of the importance of native plants to wildlife is one way to spark an interest in natives. I know that was the case for both me and one of my SILs. Years ago if I had been told that I'd probably attract hummingbirds to my yard if I planted some Monarda didyma (bee balm) I would have done it in a minute.

I also try to get people to read "Noah's Garden". It really made me realize I could have an effect by making some small changes in my yard. Our house is on a little bit more that a quarter acre in a mature suburb, but it is definitely a wildlife garden now, and a place that native plants have started showing up on their own.

Same here, I became interested in the plants because of the consumers that depend upond them and the predators of those consumers. However, I've come to enjoy the plants as much as I ever did the animals. There is a lot going on today to restore native plant communities. I think this is an exciting time that, even as our government abandons the endangered species act, there is action on a local level to restore these plant communities which ultimately helps wildlife. In the last twenty years there have been hundreds of acres of restored prairies in my state. It's still a drop in the bucket compared to what should be taking place, but I think it is a ray of hope and a statement to the difference the little guy.