According to entomologist Doug Tallamy, caterpillars -- not worms! -- are a mama bird’s top choice to feed her young, and when they do survive, caterpillars turn into the "flying flowers" we love so much: butterflies and moths. There is a direct link between loss of caterpillar habitat and loss of bird species, so caterpillars are keystone critters in the food web that sustains life on the planet. Because of the highly specialized relationships between insects and native plants, without those plants, we lose the caterpillars, and the ecosystem breaks down. More native plants mean more caterpillars. More caterpillars mean more butterflies and birds -- and more life -- for everyone!