Patient crossbreeding created a variety, called braquiarinha in Brazil, which produced 20-25 tonnes of grass feed per hectare, many times what the native cerrado grass produces and three times the yield in Africa.

ECONOMIST: Brazilian agriculture

Any colourful flowers are good, and the caterpillars of a lot of British butterflies are grass eaters - so allowing native species of grass to grow a bit longer in the summer will help.

BBC: Butterflies hit by damp summers

That's because the native flora, largely buffalo grass and big blue stem grass, is notable for sinking unusually intertwined roots.

ECONOMIST: Building houses

Specialty grass nurseries are the best source for local genetic material, and many native plant nurseries grow local clones.

NPR: Excerpt: 'The American Meadow Garden'

Sounds minor, but weeds like buffel grass and milk thistle (which got on to the island decades ago) slowly crowd out native plants that animals rely on for cover and food.

FORBES: Magazine Article