What do we mean by...
Native plants
Native plants are those plants naturally occurring in Britain; what we might refer to as wildflowers. We are perhaps most familiar with these as hedgerow, meadow or woodland plants growing in the countryside. However, some notably attractive or useful British natives, such as foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) or sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa), are widely grown in gardens.
Near-native plants
Near-native plants is a term we've coined specifically for Plants for Bugs to indicate plants not native to Britain, but originating in the Northern hemisphere, perhaps from Europe, North America or Japan. In the wild these plants grow in ecosystems similar to those found in the UK and are widely grown in gardens.
Exotic plants
Exotic plants in the context of Plants for Bugs are those plants not native to Britain and originating in the Southern hemisphere, perhaps from South America, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand. Many of these plants are not fully hardy so are often grown as annuals or given winter protection in the UK, however for the project we have selected the more robust species that might be seen growing outdoors in British gardens.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals without backbones. They include soil-dwelling organisms such as earthworms but in the context of Plants for Bugs it is largely soil surface and above-ground creatures such as woodlice, millipedes, centipedes, slugs, snails, ants, aphids (greenfly), bees, beetles, butterflies, flies (including hoverflies), leafhoppers, plant bugs, spiders and wasps that are being studied.