I'm sure that most of the plants on your lists are great and have some wildlife value, Anna, but the ones that jump out at me are - Castillega indivisa/Indian paintbrush - I can only drool at pictures of this beautiful host for buckeyes and fulvia checkerspots since it doesn't occur here, but it's also a good nectar plant for butterflies, and, judging by the looks of the flowers, for hummingbirds, also. It's supposed to be impossible to transplant, but it can be propagated from seeds. If I lived in Oklahoma, I'd order seeds and sow them in a meadow with native grasses - most members of the snapdragon family are parasitic or partially so on grass roots. Centaurea americana - you already have plenty of this - I'd make sure it stays! Antennaria and Artemesia - Both these are host for American ladies, and, if they're as tough as the cudweed in my area, they should be easy to grow. Asclepias, spp. - All of these are desirable, both as hosts for monarchs and the nectar in their flowers, which are real popular with all butterflies. Asters - These give beautiful flowers in the fall that butterflies nectar on, and they're supposed to host pearl crescents. I've planted some rice button asters to add to the naturally occurring asters in hopes of getting PC cats someday. Desmodium - This is the principal host plant for long-tailed skippers in my area - it's VERY easy to grow! Liatris pycnostachya - I just love this beautiful plant, and butterflies love to nectar on the flowers. Tephrosia virginiana/Goat's rue - As far as I know, this plant doesn't host any butterfly, and I've never seen any butterflies or hummers nectaring on the flowers, but it thrives on the poorest, driest, most eroded, pure red/orange clay parts of my property. The rainbow of pastel colors of the flowers is charming, and it might be useful as a host or nectar plant to something - I don't get to the parts of my property where it grows too often. Sherry

I think I would wait and see what you get before adding more seed. Probably once the seeds sprout you'll have some spots that are a little bit bare, and that is where I'd put additional seed or new species, as long as the bare spot seems suitable for the new species (i.e. it isn't bare because the soil is all rock, or all sand, unless that is the condition the new plant prefers). You can add species over many years, so I wouldn't be too anxious to add everything you want immediately.

good morning sweetannie, yes, it does sound like paradise to me too - and I would be honored if I were your neighbor to come over and work for free and learn all I could Sigh, that is not to be. You know what is said about Paradise; "they took paradise and put up a parking lot." Of course your neighbors have a right to manage their property, but there may be regulations in your area on impact to surrounding land, check into that. I bought my little semi-rural plot in a teeny-tiny town a year and a half ago. It is sloped, and right at the highest edge are 4 evergreens. They are planted too close to each other... but they were mine, I wouldn't dream of cutting down 4 mature trees unless there were a pressing and logical reason. Well, two had quite a few brown tips and within a year ALL FOUR were dead as the proverbial doornail. I had an expert in to look at them, no - not borers - somebody has poisoned them. He said "someone has poisoned them, likely with copper." I look to the houses on higher ground and try to figure who may have wanted them gone, and who should PAY FOR THEIR REMOVAL, and there are no answers. I've tried posting them as free wood on CraigsList, posted on local bulletin boards, called tree services, etc. I haven't even 1/100th of the land you have, but as I said - it's MINE and I love it desperately already. I have my tiny meadow out back which slopes from my four huge dead brown trees gently down to the house. I've seeded with Crimson Clover, cone flower, and fifteen other wildflowers and I'd seeing tiny results. The neighbors, of course, seem to hate it. They were used to parking two cars on the top edge of it. Pfui. The only one who actually said anything is the house directly across the alley from me. Four dead trees stand between he and I. Ever since he (lightly) complained I have looked at him and wondered, how much did four tall trees and a neglected patch of meadow annoy him? Hmmm? GH-

Froze Budd, I planted a pagoda dogwood this year and the mature tree looks quite amazing. Very different than everything else with it’s branches parallel to the ground and it doesn’t get big. If somehow you could convince a nursery to try to find a pink flair cherry, it’s the only Japanese cherry hardy to zone 3b. I would love it but haven’t found anyone that could bring it in for me yet. Red rocket maple is nice and I have that in my yard. It’s a skinny red maple that doesn’t get huge.