When you grow native plants in your garden, you might be surprised to learn who is admiring them.
In a Reddit post to r/gardening, one gardener shared photos of a charming and cuddly opossum that visited her home.
"Little cutie visitor in my garden today!" the OP wrote.
The opossum is America's only native marsupial and a beneficial animal to have around. According to Gardening Know How, opossums are skilled at ridding gardens of pests and small insects. They regularly eat beetles, snails, and slugs that harm garden plants.
An especially enticing benefit of the opossum in the U.S. is its ability to control increasing tick populations. Ticks are known carriers of Lyme disease and put gardeners at risk while working outdoors.
The OP's opossum photos help inspire others to grow native gardens and attract beneficial species to their yards. Meanwhile, other gardeners have shared footage of attracting beautiful birds, foxes, and turtles to their outdoor spaces.
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Supporting local wildlife is just one of the many benefits of rewilding your yard with native plants. When you grow a natural lawn, you also save time and money on garden maintenance while conserving valuable resources like water.
Native plants growing where they're meant to live also often require less pest control and fertilizer so that you can keep toxic chemicals away from your plants and home.
There is no shortage of proof of the benefits of native lawns on social media platforms today, and seeing these creatures thrive in their habitats can instantly brighten your day.
Reddit users were thrilled to see photos of the OP's opossum and shared their feedback in the comment section.
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Not even close 🧑🌾 "Adorable little guy and so trusting," one Reddit user wrote.
"They get rid of ticks in your yard, so welcome these shy, gentle creatures into your space," another Redditor shared.
"I'm hoping once I plant my native garden that I get an opossum," someone else commented. "They eat so many insects."
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