Last year I wrote a letter to the editors of my local newspapers urging homeowners, landscapers and gardeners to go green. I urged them to stop purchasing pesticides and products such as fertilizers, seed mixes and plants that come with pesticides already in them. Ask your nursery or garden shop to carry only pesticide free plants and supplies, I advised.

I am still firm in my belief that pesticides cause a profound imbalance in our food chain and make our homes and gardens unhealthy for humans, pets and wildlife.

This year I’d like to amend my urging to include, go native!

In July I read a wonderful article in the Cape Cod Cronicle, by Kristin Andres called “Butterfly Bush Be Gone,” about how native plants support our native insects and wildlife and how nonnative plants actually starve our native insects and wildlife.

I had wondered how that worked and saw it happen in my own garden last year when, after planting native and very beautiful marsh milk weed along with regular milkweed, I got aphids, ladybugs, milkweed bugs,and monarchs, a whole little ecosystem just by growing two native plants.

I will be planting extra seeds this year. If any readers want to try their own milkweed, butterfly weed or marsh milkweed, email me your phone number at Suzannaaan@yahoo.com.

Also be aware there is a relatively new category of pesticides called Nionicotoids, or Neonics. They are thought by many to be a more dangerous chemical than DDT and one cause of colony collapse (bee colonies dying). And, yes you can buy these pesticides locally and plants that have been treated with them.

Speaking with the owners and buyers at some of the local stores both here on Cape and on Martha’s Vineyard, I get a real sense that many would like to go green and might even go a little native if they weren’t afraid of loosing customers.

In other words it is up to us as customers to request pesticide-free shops, plants, products and landscapers. And it is up to us to request and plant native plants when possible.

Go green, go native, learn to love bugs.

Suzanna Nickerson

Edgartown