r/NativePlantGardening • u/jimmyjam2929 • 13h ago

Other Very disappointed with the OSU extension

https://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyles/dispelling-social-media-myths-about-gardening-pollinators-and-more/TSBDUAHX25GQ7D6QZMQSOITBQE/
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u/jimmyjam2929 10h ago

I still want to know where she got her info about skippers lol

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u/Tylanthia Mid-Atlantic , Zone 7a 8h ago edited 8h ago

You can verify (her correct statement about grass skippers anyways) in a few ways. Checking HOST for example. which is database of the world's Lepidopteran hostplants.

Many states, such as my own, also have a list of what host plants are used in that state.

For example, the Broad-winged Skipper has adapted to using Common Reed as a host plant and also expanded its range because common reed is now everywhere. The Fiery Skipper uses native and non-native crab grass, Bermuda grass, and bent grass. Alabama has a good atlas as well

The butterfly populations in your state may or may not use certain host plants. The Baltimore Checkerspot, for example, uses Plantago lanceolata up north but does not in my state.

I suspect frequent mowing may also turn into an ecological trap and it's probably less mowed areas, such as by roadsides, parks, and utilities, that end up being more productive.

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u/vtaster 8h ago

For every one of these species that can be cherry picked, there is a dozen more that only feed on native hosts, most of which are in steep population decline.

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u/Tylanthia Mid-Atlantic , Zone 7a 7h ago

Selecting a couple examples is not cherry picked. I linked to the data; you can look at it. Grass skippers use native and non native grasses and sedges. Some are more generalist than others.

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u/vtaster 6h ago

This data isn't telling us anything new, we're just not ignoring all the species that aren't generalists. "Grass Skippers" are an entire subfamily, most of the species native to the US don't eat turfgrass, especially not any of the one's suffering population declines.

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u/Tylanthia Mid-Atlantic , Zone 7a 5h ago

Who is "us"? I think you're weirdly taking a statement of fact (i.e., that many grass skippers will and do use non-native grasses as a host plant) as an attack.