AS A GARDENER, I’m gradually finding my way to a new appreciation of insects.
When I was learning this craft 50 years ago, I regarded any creature of that sort as a threat, something to be greeted with toxic sprays. I gravitated toward plants advertised as “pest-free.” That generally meant the plant was an import from abroad, one that our native North American insects wouldn’t recognize and use as a food source. But since then I’ve learned the vital
