James Faupel specializes in Restoration Ecology at the Litzinger Road Ecology Center (LREC), a division of the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St Louis, MO. With a background in horticulture and arboriculture, James is part of a growing movement championing the ecological benefits of cultivating native plant species. In this episode, James discusses his personal path to the ecological world and explains the importance of native plant species in counterpoint to the destructive effects of foreign invasive species, which often go unnoticed or unchecked.