Can’t argue against something (the weedy invasive) being better than nothing. Anecdotally though, it seems like natives support more biodiversity.
I might see some other lifeform maybe 1 in 5 times, usually a Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera), but in this patch of Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis), within less than 5 minutes, I saw:
- Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
- Oleander Aphids (Aphis nerii)
- Figeater Beetle (Cotinis mutabilis)
- Milde’s Tarantula Hawk Wasp (Pepsis mildei)
- Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltis fasciatus)
- Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
May go back again because it was so easy to observe all of those, almost like topic: Pollinators at the garden centre: Like stealing candy from baby fish in a barrel.
So I think, maybe it’s not so much a question of whether invasives are useful, but whether, given a piece of land, whether it’s better to have invasives or natives grow on it.