Native plants

Today I was weeding around the pond.  And wondering what to remove and what to leave.  In the photo are three native plants.

In the front, a plant that has popped up all over the area where we recently had work done to create the pond and new flower beds.  Plant net helped me to identify it today as marsh cudweed, Gnaphalium uliginosum.  Typically found on damp sandy soil, but particularly noted to like recently disturbed soil.  I think most of Ireland classifies as damp this summer.  I would not have said our soil was particularly sandy.

Behind it, our native persicaria.  This too is popping up all over the garden.

And behind it, bogbean.  Also a native plant, but in this case planted by us to improve our new pond.  We have tried to plant mainly, though not solely, native plants, and hope to encourage wildlife.  We had a pond in Norfolk, and would be delighted to welcome newts and dragonflies to this one.  But we already enjoy something new - housemartins frequently congregate on the local wires, and skim over the pond hunting insects.

So - are marsh cudweed and persicaria weeds?  Should I "weed" them out?  Both are annuals, they will die back over winter.  So it's a relatively easy decision to leave them undisturbed.  

On the other hand, creeping buttercup is also a native plant, and wildlife loves it - but I have had no hesitation in removing it wherever I've found it in our flowerbeds - where it has been abundant.  And I also have no hesitation in removing nettles, thistles and dock, all loved by wildlife, from the flower beds.  But we do leave them to grow in wilder areas of the garden.