I like trees a lot, but I wouldn't say I know a lot about them. I can identify common ones, but have difficulty distinguishing among specific ones. I can say that one over there is a live oak, but which kind, I don't know. I am just now finding out there are more than one kind that grows in my area and baby live oaks can look a lot like holly.
I think maybe I have a deep interest in plants of all kinds that attract butterflies and birds. I find that in general people are unaware that they require specific plants and habitats to survive. A lot of nurseries sell so many plants that do not meet these requirements and the ones that do, require lots of water. A lot of builders and landscapers buy these plants in bulk and set them neatly in a yard - looks good, but sterile - something is missing - rather twilight-zonish. There are whole neighborhoods that only attract the scavenger birds (European or house sparrows and starlings and our very own, but overpopulated, grackles).
When I first began gardening, I was one of those people that thought that if I bought pretty plants for my yard that birds and butterflies would come. When they didn't, I had to know why.
Although I still have to buy that plant that captures my eye, I try hard to plant up natives that attract - even here need to be careful. Not all natives will attract what you want and some that you don't want, do. I found poison ivy hosting the most interesting of caterpillars - maybe someday I'll find out what it turned into.
