Editor’s note: Green Briefs is a regular series of commentaries by eco-leaders on Vashon, presented in The Beachcomber in partnership with The Whole Vashon Project.

By now, most of us know that we should be planting native species instead of exotics, not because they are more beautiful but because they evolved over millions of years into a fine balance with each other, the local fauna, and the climate. Now I find that there is another factor to consider in choosing among the many native plants available.

Douglas Tallamy, an entomologist and wildlife ecologist, has written a book, “Nature’s Best Hope,” that lays out a whole new consideration crucial to maintaining the full spectrum of wildlife species that make the ecosystem we live in complete and healthy. He is concerned with maintaining healthy populations of insect pollinators, upon which both plants and birds are dependent for their existence.

Many insect pollinators, it turns out, are very particular about the plant species upon which they will lay their eggs and upon which their larva will feed. Many of you know that the monarch butterfly will only lay its eggs on the milkweed plant. Something similar is true for most other moth and butterfly species. Some may choose among several plant species, but, if none of those species is available, those insects will cease to live in that locality.

As we humans have altered our environment, we have endangered or eliminated important plant species that are integral to the function of our ecosystem.

What about the birds? In the spring the birds need copious amounts of food for their hatchlings. They depend on insects to supply that need, as there are very few other sources of food with the nutrients the baby birds require. All our food energy comes from the sun via plants. Not all fauna can consume plant matter directly, so the food chain requires some very big eaters to transform that plant matter into animal matter that can provide the vital link in the food chain.

Insect larva, that is, caterpillars, are specialized eating machines. They consume tirelessly and convert plant matter into rich fats and proteins, neatly packaged in a thin organic casing. Birds will feed more than 4000 of these to a single hatchling before the bird is able to fend for itself: fewer caterpillars, fewer birds, fewer plants.

This is where we revisit our choices of native plants. It turns out that some plant species are caterpillar superstars — others not so much. Some of the real stars are common and easy to grow. The most valuable by far is willow, which supports 339 species of insects.

The prunus family, chokecherries and the like, aspen/cottonwood/poplars, alders, pines, and oaks are next but still far behind willow. Fir and Hemlock are middling and red cedar is poor. Garry Oak is an uncommon native in these parts but is very valuable as a host and a beautiful addition to your landscape. Such common species as elderberry, Indian plum, snowberry, and hazelnut support relatively few species. Smaller plants are generally much less used than trees, but, among these, the best is native strawberry.

There really is no apparent characteristic of a plant that makes one more favorable than another. If you want to see the complete list for natives in our area, go to www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder. You can also visit Tallamy’s website: https://homegrownnationalpark.org.

If you are planning on planting natives this fall, use this list and plant for caterpillars, pollinators, and birds. Consider replacing exotics that do not produce food. Shrink your lawn. Plant keystone species (plants that host the most insect species).

Wild areas do not have to be large to support a thriving ecosystem. Besides avoiding chemicals, you can do a lot to improve the wildlife diversity in your neighborhood, and if each of us does that, we can make a huge impact. Two of the most valuable host species, willows and alders, will grow from a 3-4 foot greenwood whip that is just stuck in the ground!

All native species fill a vital niche, but some are much more valuable than others. I hope that this information and what you can glean from the websites above will help you decide what to plant this fall.

Terry Sullivan is an island writer and activist.