Backyard Habitat Restoration

Audio Video

Backyard Habitat Restoration

Backyard habitat restoration is the practice of transforming residential landscapes into functioning habitat for native plants, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and other organisms. A yard does not have to reproduce a wilderness ecosystem to contribute to conservation. Even relatively small changes—replacing part of a lawn with native vegetation, providing water, leaving fallen leaves, reducing pesticide use, or planting flowers for pollinators—can increase the ecological value of developed land.

Residential landscapes collectively occupy a substantial portion of many cities, suburbs, and towns. Although individual yards are small, thousands of neighboring properties can form a much larger network of green space. Backyard restoration therefore treats private land not simply as decoration but as potential habitat.

The central principle is to provide the basic resources wildlife needs: food, water, shelter, places to reproduce, and enough space or connectivity to move through the landscape.

From Landscaping to Habitat

Conventional residential landscaping is often designed primarily for visual uniformity. Large lawns, ornamental plants, frequent mowing, leaf removal, pesticides, and simplified vegetation can produce attractive landscapes while providing relatively little habitat.

Habitat-oriented landscaping takes a different approach. Instead of asking only what a yard should look like, it asks what ecological functions the landscape can perform.

A restored yard may provide:

• nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators;
• host plants for caterpillars and other insects;
• seeds, berries, nuts, and insects for birds;
• nesting and overwintering sites;
• shelter from predators and extreme weather;
• water for drinking, bathing, and reproduction;
• healthier soil and decomposer communities;
• greater infiltration of rainfall;
• reduced erosion and runoff;
• connections between otherwise isolated habitat patches.

Restoration can occur gradually. A homeowner may begin with one flower bed, a strip along a fence, a rain garden, or a small section of lawn and expand the habitat over time.

Native Plants as the Foundation

Native plants are one of the most consistently emphasized elements of backyard habitat restoration. Plants that evolved within a region are often closely connected to local insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Native trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, vines, and wildflowers can supply nectar, pollen, seeds, fruit, foliage, nesting material, shelter, and insect prey. Some plants have particularly important relationships with native insects because they serve as host plants on which butterflies and moths lay their eggs and their caterpillars feed.

A diverse planting generally provides more ecological functions than a landscape dominated by a single plant type.

Habitat gardens can include several vegetation layers:

• canopy trees;
• smaller understory trees;
• shrubs;
• tall herbaceous plants;
• grasses and sedges;
• groundcovers;
• vines and climbing plants.

This vertical structure creates feeding and shelter opportunities for species that occupy different portions of the landscape.

Plant selection should also account for local soil, sunlight, moisture, climate, and available space. Regionally appropriate species usually have a greater chance of surviving with limited irrigation and long-term maintenance.

Restoring Pollinator Habitat

Pollinator conservation is one of the most practical applications of backyard restoration. Bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, hummingbirds, bats, and other animals depend on flowering plants, but flowers alone do not create complete habitat.

A pollinator-friendly yard should provide flowers across as much of the growing season as possible. Early-season flowers can be especially important when relatively little food is available, while late-season blooms help insects prepare for winter or migration.

Pollinator habitat also includes nesting and overwintering sites.

Many native bees nest underground and benefit from small patches of undisturbed bare or sparsely vegetated soil. Others nest in hollow or pithy stems and cavities in wood. Butterflies and moths may survive winter as eggs, caterpillars, pupae, or adults hidden among leaves, stems, bark, or soil.

Important practices include:

• planting native flowering species;
• providing continuous bloom from spring through fall;
• planting flowers in visible clusters;
• including butterfly and moth host plants;
• maintaining areas of bare soil for ground-nesting bees;
• leaving stems standing through winter;
• retaining some fallen leaves;
• avoiding unnecessary pesticide applications.

Even balconies, patios, containers, and other small spaces can supply useful pollinator habitat.

Replacing Lawn with Living Habitat

Turfgrass is useful where people need durable surfaces for recreation, walking, or gathering, but extensive lawns generally provide fewer habitat resources than structurally diverse vegetation.

Backyard restoration does not necessarily require eliminating every lawn. Instead, lawn can be concentrated where it serves a practical purpose while unnecessary turf is gradually converted to habitat.

Alternatives can include:

• native wildflower gardens;
• meadows and prairie plantings;
• native grasses and sedges;
• groundcovers;
• shrub borders;
• woodland gardens;
• rain gardens;
• low-mow or mixed-species lawns.

Reducing lawn can also decrease mowing, irrigation, fertilizer use, noise, fuel consumption, and maintenance.

Naturalistic landscapes can still be intentionally designed. Paths, borders, defined planting areas, signs, and other "cues of care" can communicate that a wildlife garden is deliberately managed rather than neglected.

Water, Rain Gardens, and Backyard Ponds

Water can greatly increase the habitat value of a yard.

Simple features such as birdbaths provide drinking and bathing opportunities. More complex features such as small ponds can provide habitat for insects, amphibians, birds, and other wildlife.

Wildlife ponds generally benefit from shallow edges, vegetation, escape routes, and varied depths rather than steep, uniformly constructed sides.

Rain gardens combine habitat creation with stormwater management. These shallow planted depressions capture runoff from roofs, driveways, and other surfaces and allow water to soak gradually into the soil.

When planted with appropriate native vegetation, rain gardens can:

• reduce stormwater runoff;
• reduce localized flooding;
• filter pollutants;
• decrease erosion;
• recharge soil moisture and groundwater;
• provide flowers for pollinators;
• create shelter and feeding habitat for wildlife.

Water management and habitat restoration therefore can often be addressed together rather than treated as separate landscaping goals.

Leaves, Dead Wood, and Natural Shelter

Some of the most valuable wildlife habitat consists of material that conventional yard maintenance routinely removes.

Fallen leaves shelter insects and other organisms while gradually decomposing and returning nutrients to the soil. Standing flower stems may contain overwintering insects or future nesting cavities. Logs and dead wood support fungi, decomposers, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and small mammals.

Habitat features can include:

• fallen leaves;
• standing stems;
• logs;
• snags and dead trees where safely retained;
• brush piles;
• rock piles;
• tree cavities;
• patches of undisturbed soil;
• seed heads left on plants.

Fall and spring cleanup schedules can be adjusted to allow insects more time to complete their life cycles.

Restoration therefore sometimes involves doing less rather than adding more. Allowing ecological processes such as decomposition to occur can restore functions that highly manicured landscapes suppress.

Creating Habitat for Birds and Other Wildlife

Bird-friendly landscapes depend heavily on native vegetation because plants support the insects, fruit, seeds, shelter, and nesting locations birds require.

Bird habitat should ideally contain multiple vegetation layers and year-round food resources. Water, dense shrubs, mature trees, cavity trees, and native plants can all contribute.

Restoring habitat also requires reducing hazards.

Bird collisions with windows can undermine the benefits of otherwise excellent habitat. Exterior window treatments, screens, appropriate markers, and reducing unnecessary nighttime lighting can make residential landscapes safer.

Free-roaming cats can also threaten birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Keeping cats indoors, using enclosed outdoor spaces such as catios, or providing supervised outdoor access can reduce these risks.

Backyards can additionally provide habitat for:

• frogs and salamanders;
• lizards and snakes;
• bats;
• butterflies;
• native bees;
• dragonflies and damselflies;
• small mammals;
• hummingbirds.

Logs, rocks, ponds, tall vegetation, native plants, cavities, and pesticide-free areas create the variety of microhabitats these animals require.

Reduce Pesticides and Other Ecological Hazards

A landscape designed to attract insects cannot function effectively if it is repeatedly treated with broad-spectrum insecticides.

Pesticide reduction is therefore a central component of habitat restoration. Gardeners can instead emphasize prevention, plant diversity, tolerance of minor plant damage, physical controls, and targeted approaches when intervention is necessary.

Restored gardens can also support natural pest control. Predatory insects, spiders, birds, bats, amphibians, and other organisms consume insects that might otherwise become garden pests.

Other wildlife hazards can be reduced by:

• controlling invasive plants;
• limiting unnecessary outdoor lighting;
• reducing excessive mowing;
• preventing contaminated runoff;
• using bird-safe windows;
• preventing domestic animals from hunting wildlife.

Successful habitat restoration involves both adding beneficial features and removing ecological threats.

Habitat Connectivity Beyond the Backyard

The ecological importance of a backyard increases when it connects with other habitat.

A single native garden may support insects and birds, but a series of neighboring gardens can form a much larger network. Hedgerows, street trees, parks, school gardens, creek corridors, community gardens, and residential yards can collectively create routes through developed landscapes.

Connectivity is particularly important in areas where development has fragmented formerly continuous ecosystems.

Neighborhood-scale habitat restoration can therefore involve:

• coordinating native planting among neighbors;
• connecting garden beds across property boundaries;
• creating hedgerows and vegetated borders;
• maintaining habitat along waterways;
• linking yards with parks and open spaces;
• encouraging wildlife-friendly landscaping standards;
• reducing barriers to native gardens in local landscaping rules.

The cumulative effect of many small habitat projects can be substantially greater than any individual yard considered in isolation.

Starting a Backyard Restoration Project

Backyard habitat restoration can be approached as a long-term process rather than a single landscaping project.

A practical sequence is:

1. Observe the existing yard and identify sunlight, soil, drainage, vegetation, and wildlife.
2. Determine which areas of lawn or ornamental landscaping are actually needed.
3. Identify locally appropriate native plants.
4. Remove invasive plants gradually.
5. Add vegetation with different heights and structures.
6. Provide flowers throughout the growing season.
7. Add water where it can be maintained safely.
8. Preserve leaves, stems, logs, and other natural habitat features.
9. Reduce pesticides and unnecessary fertilizers.
10. Add wildlife-safety measures such as bird-safe windows.
11. Observe which species begin using the habitat.
12. Expand and connect successful habitat areas over time.

Restoration does not require a large property. A balcony container, urban courtyard, suburban yard, school garden, apartment landscape, or community space can all contribute useful habitat.

Conclusion

Backyard habitat restoration changes the role of residential land. Instead of functioning primarily as ornamental space, yards can become small but meaningful components of larger ecosystems.

The most effective approaches combine native plants, diverse vegetation, pollinator resources, water, natural shelter, reduced lawn, fewer pesticides, safer conditions for wildlife, and connections with surrounding habitat.

No individual yard can replace the large natural ecosystems lost to development. Yet residential properties are widespread, and their cumulative area makes them an important conservation opportunity. When many people restore even portions of their yards, isolated patches of landscaping can begin to function as interconnected networks of habitat.

Backyard restoration therefore represents conservation at a scale accessible to individuals: rebuilding ecological relationships one garden, lawn, pond, hedgerow, balcony, and neighborhood at a time.

Foundations, Planning, and Whole-Yard Habitat

1. Backyard Habitats

| New Jersey Fish & Wildlife | NJDEP | 2026-04-13

Explains how lawns can be converted into native meadows, shrub borders, water features, and nesting habitat for birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians.

2. Welcoming Wildlife to Your Yard

| Phillip Prichard | University of Georgia Extension | 2023-10-17

Introduces the habitat essentials of food, water, shelter, and places to raise young, with native plants serving as the foundation of a wildlife-friendly yard.

3. Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2023

Recommends native plant layers, connected planting islands, reduced lawn, ponds or birdbaths, and diverse plant structure to make residential gardens more useful to wildlife.

4. Gardens for Habitat

| Commonwealth of Massachusetts | Mass.gov | 2023

Explains how habitat gardens can support insects, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife while addressing habitat loss, invasive plants, pesticides, light pollution, and climate pressures.

5. Landscaping for Wildlife

| Iowa State University Extension and Outreach | Iowa State University | 2019-03-01

Explains the four habitat needs—food, water, shelter, and space—and how diverse native plantings, rain gardens, feeders, and houses can support wildlife.

6. Landscaping for Wildlife: Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2017-03-21

Shows how woody native plants can restore habitat while providing four-season landscape interest, food, cover, and nesting sites.

7. How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Yard

| Utah State University Extension | Utah State University | 2014

Describes vertical layering, native plant selection, reduced mowing, nest boxes, snags, and other practical ways to provide cover and breeding sites.

8. Habitat Gardening

| California Native Plant Society | California Native Plant Society | n.d.

Defines habitat gardening as backyard restoration and explains how native plants, water, shelter, nesting space, and naturalistic design can turn conventional landscaping into functioning wildlife habitat.

9. Backyard Conservation

| USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service | NRCS | n.d.

Shows how conservation practices used on farms can be scaled to home landscapes to improve wildlife habitat, conserve water, reduce erosion, and protect water quality.

10. Habitat at Home

| Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | WDFW | n.d.

Introduces a home-habitat framework built around food, water, shelter, and space, with guidance for increasing biodiversity in residential landscapes.

11. Habitat at Home: Backyard Habitat

| Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | WDFW | n.d.

Provides a backyard habitat inventory and design approach emphasizing native vegetation, plant diversity, density, connectivity, and safe travel corridors for wildlife.

12. Improving Habitats for Wildlife in Your Backyard and Neighborhood

| University of Missouri Extension | MU Extension | n.d.

Offers detailed guidance on arranging native trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and flowers to provide food and cover for a wide range of backyard wildlife.

13. Four Things For Wildlife in Every Yard

| Iowa State University Extension and Outreach | Iowa State University | n.d.

Recommends mimicking natural structure, favoring native plants, maintaining continuous bloom, and mowing less to increase habitat value in ordinary yards.

14. Establishing a Backyard Wildlife Habitat

| Mississippi State University Extension Service | Mississippi State University | n.d.

A comprehensive guide to food, water, cover, plant selection, lawn reduction, invasive removal, vertical layering, and seasonal management for wildlife.

15. Creating Wildlife Habitat in Your Landscape

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | n.d.

Encourages site-specific naturescape planning with native plants, brush piles, rocks, snags, bare soil, riparian features, and habitat connections.

Native Plants, Biodiversity, and Landscape Conversion

16. Improving a Struggling Lawn and Repairing Damage

| Miri Talabac | University of Maryland Extension | 2026-03

Suggests replacing repeatedly failing turf with diverse plantings and native vegetation to improve ecological function and reduce chronic lawn problems.

17. Starting a New Lawn

| Miri Talabac | University of Maryland Extension | 2026-03

Encourages limiting turf to areas that truly need foot-traffic tolerance and using native, species-diverse alternatives elsewhere.

18. Lawn Alternatives

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2026-02-25

A detailed guide to replacing turf with native groundcovers, garden beds, meadows, woodland, moss, and conservation landscapes that increase habitat value.

19. Getting Wild! Seven Steps to Restoring Biodiversity in Your Yard

| Lynn Kunstman | Oregon State University Extension Service | 2026-02-21

Presents seven practical steps for using native plants to restore ecological services and support declining pollinators and birds in residential landscapes.

20. Plant Selection

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2026

A gateway to native plant lists, landscape designs, meadow creation, groundcovers, and other plant-selection tools useful for habitat restoration.

21. Native Plant Spotlights for Wildlife-Friendly Landscaping

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2025-09-08

Profiles native trees, shrubs, and forbs selected for home landscapes, emphasizing their value as insect hosts and food-web foundations.

22. Native Plants Support Wildlife and Sustainability in Minnesota Gardens

| Robin Trott | University of Minnesota Extension | 2025-04-07

Explains the wildlife, water, pesticide, and maintenance benefits of native plants and suggests species useful for birds, pollinators, and monarchs.

23. Transitioning to Native Plants in Your Landscape Design

| Katherine Coppedge | University of Georgia Extension | 2025-03-28

Describes a gradual, multi-year conversion of a conventional yard to native plant habitat designed to increase biodiversity and reduce water and maintenance needs.

24. Meadows and Prairies: Wildlife-Friendly Alternatives to Lawn

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2024

Explains how native grasses and wildflowers can replace lawn while providing nectar, seeds, shelter, larval host plants, and nesting cover.

25. Attracting Wildlife with Native Plants

| Christopher Enroth | Illinois Extension | 2022-09-15

Contrasts low-diversity turf with native plantings and explains how plant diversity creates a more dynamic backyard ecosystem.

26. Help Wildlife By Planting Native Landscaping

| Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | Wisconsin DNR | 2020-12-15

Encourages homeowners to add native plants for birds and pollinators and notes that rain gardens can also improve stormwater management and water quality.

27. Our Native Plant Pollinator Garden

| Sara H. | Smithsonian Gardens | 2020

Describes how converting turf to native plants reduced water and maintenance needs while creating habitat for monarchs, hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insects.

28. Grow These Native Plants So Your Backyard Birds Can Feast

| Zach Slavin | Audubon | 2017-02-10

Matches groups of backyard birds with native trees, shrubs, grasses, and fruiting plants that provide food and insect prey throughout the year.

29. Why Native Plants Are Better for Birds and People

| Marina Richie | Audubon | 2016-04-04

Connects native landscaping with bird food webs, water savings, lower chemical use, and broader habitat restoration across developed landscapes.

30. 10 Plants for a Bird-Friendly Yard

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | 2015-03-13

Highlights native plants that supply nectar, seeds, fruit, insects, shelter, and nesting value for birds and other wildlife.

31. Why Native Plants Matter

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | n.d.

Explains why restoring native plant habitat in yards can reconnect fragmented landscapes and rebuild ecological relationships that support birds and other wildlife.

32. 10 Ways to Help Birds

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Cornell Lab of Ornithology | n.d.

Encourages reducing lawn and nonnative vegetation while increasing native plant cover and diversity to create more useful habitat for resident and migratory birds.

33. How to Make Your Home and Yard Bird Friendly

| Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute | Smithsonian | n.d.

Recommends choosing native plants, removing invasives, providing multiple vegetation layers, and supplying shelter, food, and nesting habitat.

34. Native Plant Gardening

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | n.d.

Collects regionally focused guidance on using native trees, shrubs, flowers, and groundcovers to support biodiversity and reduce irrigation and maintenance.

35. Wildlife Habitat Yards

| Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | WDFW | n.d.

Covers native plants, rain gardens, natural shelter, chemical reduction, cat safety, leaf litter, stems, and other actions for creating wildlife habitat at home.

36. Small Space Habitats

| Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | WDFW | n.d.

Shows how balconies, patios, and compact yards can support wildlife through layered native plants, shelter, food, and pesticide-free management.

37. Add Life to Your Landscape

| Missouri Department of Conservation | Missouri Department of Conservation | n.d.

Offers wildlife-themed native planting designs that combine trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowering perennials for food and shelter.

38. San Antonio-Texas Wildscapes

| Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | TPWD | n.d.

Explains how drought-tolerant native landscaping can restore habitat, reduce maintenance and water use, and attract birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Pollinator and Insect Habitat Restoration

39. Your Frequently Asked Questions About Pollinator Gardening at Home

| Aaron Anderson and Jacqueline Buenrostro | Xerces Society | 2026-07-09

Answers practical questions about creating pesticide-free pollinator habitat in yards, rental properties, balconies, and HOA-managed landscapes.

40. How to Make a Pollinator Garden

| Liz Robertson | Xerces Society | 2025-06-16

A beginner-oriented guide to selecting native plants, preparing a site, and establishing home habitat for pollinators.

41. Helping in Your Backyard

| National Park Service | U.S. National Park Service | 2025

Provides simple actions for home pollinator habitat, including native flowers, seasonal bloom, water, and pesticide reduction.

42. Ecoregional Planting Guide Cards

| National Park Service | U.S. National Park Service | 2025

Offers region-specific native pollinator garden recipes designed for small home plots with plants selected for local conditions and bloom timing.

43. How Do I Turn My Backyard into a Pollinator Garden?

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | 2025

Walks through staged lawn conversion, weed and grass removal, soil preparation, and planting diverse habitat that blooms across the season.

44. I Didn't Know That!: Planting for Pollinators

| National Park Service | U.S. National Park Service | 2024

Explains why native plants and reduced pesticide use support coevolved relationships among bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, and flowering plants.

45. Create a Balcony Pollinator Garden

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2022-11

Shows how even balconies can function as pollinator habitat through native plants, varied bloom times, and correctly sized containers.

46. These Are My Most Trusted Native Plants for Restoration and Here’s Why

| Anna Murray | Xerces Society | 2022-09-15

Draws on restoration experience to discuss dependable native plants used in habitat projects ranging from gardens and campuses to farms.

47. Four Steps You Can Take to Bring Back the Pollinators

| Matthew Shepherd | Xerces Society | 2022-04-06

Shows how flowers, nesting sites, pesticide avoidance, and community action can turn yards and other urban green spaces into pollinator habitat.

48. Backyard Insects and Pollinators

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2021-09-16

Recommends native plants, wild zones, leaf litter, pesticide reduction, bee nesting habitat, wood and rock features, and indoor cats.

49. Bring Back the Pollinators During National Pollinator Week

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | 2019

Emphasizes that even a pot, fence-line strip, or small backyard patch can provide meaningful pollinator habitat when it includes flowers, nesting space, and pesticide protection.

50. Habitat Restoration

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides an overview of planning, site preparation, installation, establishment, and maintenance for high-quality pollinator habitat.

51. Pollinator Conservation in Yards and Gardens

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Explains the core needs of pollinators in home landscapes: flowers, shelter, nesting sites, pesticide protection, and habitat stewardship.

52. Bring Back the Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Organizes backyard pollinator restoration around four actions: grow flowers, provide nest sites, avoid pesticides, and encourage others to participate.

53. Grow Pollinator-Friendly Flowers

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Explains why native flowering plants are the foundation of pollinator habitat and stresses bloom diversity across the growing season.

54. Provide Nest Sites

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Describes nesting needs of ground-nesting and cavity-nesting bees and the importance of host plants for butterfly and moth larvae.

55. Habitat Assessment Guide for Pollinators in Yards, Gardens, and Parks

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides a structured way to evaluate existing pollinator habitat and identify the most important improvements for foraging, nesting, overwintering, and pesticide protection.

56. Habitat Planning

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Covers habitat planning features such as bare soil, gardens, fallow areas, wildflowers, nesting resources, and pesticide-risk reduction.

57. Managing Pests While Protecting Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Offers ecologically safer approaches to garden pest problems so restored pollinator habitat is not undermined by pesticide use.

58. Create Habitat for Monarchs

| Monarch Joint Venture | Monarch Joint Venture | n.d.

Describes monarch habitat as a combination of native milkweeds, season-long nectar plants, protection from mowing, and pesticide avoidance.

59. Ready to Plant

| Monarch Joint Venture | Monarch Joint Venture | n.d.

Provides a practical sequence for habitat projects: site selection, vegetation removal, locally sourced native plants or seed, planting, and long-term maintenance.

60. Planting Monarch Habitat

| Monarch Joint Venture | Monarch Joint Venture | n.d.

Answers common questions about combining native milkweeds and nectar plants so monarchs can reproduce and feed throughout the season.

61. Habitat

| Monarch Joint Venture | Monarch Joint Venture | n.d.

Explains habitat creation and restoration for monarchs at scales ranging from backyard gardens to multi-acre projects.

62. Pollinators and Native Plants

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | n.d.

Recommends continuous native bloom, dense planting, bare ground, water, dead stems, leaf litter, invasive control, and pesticide avoidance.

63. Planting for Pollinators

| Penn State Master Gardeners | Penn State Extension | n.d.

Advises providing a succession of bloom, avoiding low-nectar hybrids, and using native trees, shrubs, and perennials as a whole-yard pollinator system.

64. Xerces Society Pollinator Habitat Kit Program

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Demonstrates how regionally appropriate native plant kits can support shovel-ready pollinator restoration projects in multiple U.S. regions.

65. Bring Back the Pollinators: Spread the Word

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Explains how individual habitat patches become more valuable when multiple yards, parks, and gardens form a connected neighborhood network.

Birds, Wildlife, and Species-Specific Habitat

66. Restore Habitats

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2026-07-29

Places backyard and neighborhood restoration within the larger national habitat-restoration effort and highlights private-land and community action.

67. Planting for the Future

| Lisa Dlugolecki, Ashley Lutto, and Amy Tippery | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2025-07-15

Explains how native plants support wildlife, stabilize soil, regulate water, and help prevent invasive species from dominating restored landscapes.

68. It’s Clear—Glass Kills: How to Prevent Bird Collisions at Your Home

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Bird Academy | 2025-05-15

A home-focused presentation on why birds collide with glass and how exterior markers, screens, lighting changes, and other treatments reduce risk.

69. These DIY Home Improvements Will Help Save Birds This Spring

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Cornell Lab of Ornithology | 2025

Focuses on making residential windows and lighting safer so bird-friendly landscaping does not become an ecological trap.

70. Why Birds Hit Windows—and How You Can Help Prevent It

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | All About Birds | 2025

Explains how reflected vegetation and nighttime light create collision risks and outlines effective exterior window treatments.

71. Garden for Birds: Inspiration and Activation

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Cornell Lab of Ornithology | 2025

Highlights real examples of people adding native plants and bird-safe features to residential and community spaces.

72. Why Is It So Hard to Keep Cats Indoors?

| Alisa Opar | Audubon | 2024

Examines the wildlife impacts of free-roaming cats and discusses indoor living, catios, supervised outdoor time, and enrichment as safer alternatives.

73. Creating Habitat at Home

| Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | WDFW | 2022

A starter packet for assessing a site, choosing native plants, supplying natural food and shelter, and implementing sustainable practices in small or residential spaces.

74. Beginner’s Guide to Native Plants for Birds

| Audubon New York | Audubon | 2020-04-21

Answers beginner questions about selecting locally native plants and creating bird habitat in home and community landscapes.

75. Make Your Backyard a Haven for Nature

| Jenna Todoroff | Missouri Department of Conservation | 2016-05-16

Encourages diverse food, water, shelter, plant structure, edges, nest boxes, and water features to attract a wider range of wildlife.

76. How to Deal with Backyard Mishaps

| Audubon | Audubon | 2011

Includes guidance on reducing backyard risks to birds, especially predation by free-roaming cats near feeders and nesting areas.

77. Right In Your Own Backyard

| Missouri Department of Conservation | Missouri Conservationist | 2001-05

Discusses native plant resources and backyard landscaping practices intended to support wildlife with regionally appropriate vegetation.

78. Certified Wildlife Habitat Online Application

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | n.d.

Lists habitat certification criteria centered on food, water, cover, places to raise young, sustainable practices, native plants, and pesticide reduction.

79. Create & Certify

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | n.d.

Explains how home gardens, schools, campuses, and community spaces can provide essential habitat features and become recognized wildlife habitats.

80. Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Cornell Lab of Ornithology | n.d.

Connects habitat restoration with bird conservation through native planting, lawn reduction, pesticide reduction, safer windows, and other household actions.

81. Bird-Friendly Action

| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Cornell Lab of Ornithology | n.d.

Combines bird-safe glass, darker night skies, habitat stewardship, and landscape measures into a broader framework for bird-friendly properties.

82. Creating Beautiful Landscapes for Pollinator and Wildlife Habitats: Smithsonian Gardens to Your Front Yard

| James Gagliardi | Smithsonian Gardens | n.d.

Shows how wildlife-habitat principles used in Smithsonian gardens can be adapted to residential landscapes with native plants and ecological design.

83. Creating a Wild Backyard: Wild-Scaping Large Areas

| Maryland Department of Natural Resources | Maryland DNR | n.d.

Provides guidance for arranging food, water, and shelter in larger residential properties and linking backyard habitat to surrounding open space.

84. Wildlife Watching at Kings Gap Environmental Education Center

| Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | n.d.

Describes a demonstration wildlife habitat garden using native meadow, pond, woodland, and shrub-border plantings that can inspire backyard design.

85. Habitat and Biodiversity

| USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service | NRCS | n.d.

Explains how hedgerows, field borders, riparian buffers, native perennials, and other conservation plantings support wildlife and beneficial insects.

Habitat Structure, Water, and Safer Management

86. Gardening Techniques

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | 2026

A current collection linking native plant gardening, pollinator protection, and other practical landscape-management techniques.

87. Moss in Lawns

| Debra Ricigliano | University of Maryland Extension | 2023

Explains when moss and shade-tolerant groundcovers can replace unsuccessful turf, creating lower-maintenance alternatives to conventional lawn.

88. How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | 2016

Adds detailed stewardship advice such as leaving leaves, seed heads, dead wood, brush piles, and avoiding pesticides to preserve habitat complexity.

89. Establishing Native Habitats for Mississippi's Native Pollinators

| USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service | NRCS | 2009

Explains why native plants are especially useful for small pollinator habitats and cautions that some ornamental or invasive species provide less ecological value.

90. Stormwater Solutions for Homeowners: Green Lawn and Garden Practices

| Commonwealth of Massachusetts | Mass.gov | n.d.

Shows how living mulch, native shrubs and trees, and lower-impact yard care can simultaneously manage stormwater and create habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies.

91. Creating Wildlife Habitats with Dead Wood

| University of Florida IFAS Extension | Gardening Solutions | n.d.

Explains the ecological value of logs, snags, cavities, bark crevices, fungi, and decomposer communities for birds, bats, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates.

92. Community Habitats

| Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | WDFW | n.d.

Extends backyard habitat principles to shared spaces, emphasizing native plants, invasive-species prevention, water protection, and community-scale connectivity.

93. Conservation Plants

| USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service | NRCS | n.d.

Describes plant materials selected for erosion control, water quality, pollinator habitat, wildlife habitat, and ecological restoration.

94. Native Plant Habitat Team

| Penn State Master Gardeners | Penn State Extension | n.d.

Presents conservation-landscaping principles developed to create lower-maintenance landscapes that support diverse native wildlife.

95. Home Gardening for Wildlife

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | n.d.

A collection of guidance on native plants, birds, beneficial insects, natural landscaping, rain gardens, and other ways to maintain home green space as habitat.

96. Bring Back the Pollinators Brochure

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

A concise restoration checklist built around flowers, nesting sites, pesticide avoidance, and public engagement.

97. Bring Back the Pollinators Publicity Kit

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides educational materials for encouraging neighborhood-scale adoption of pollinator-friendly gardening practices.

98. Youth: Create Monarch Habitat in Your Backyard

| Monarch Joint Venture | Monarch Joint Venture | n.d.

Introduces simple backyard habitat planning with native nectar plants and milkweeds and points to habitat certification programs.

99. Gardening for Monarchs and More: From Balconies to Backyards

| Monarch Joint Venture | Monarch Joint Venture | n.d.

Covers site selection, regional native plants, garden layout, seasonal maintenance, and the ecological role of backyard pollinator habitat.

Native Plants, Food Webs, and Yard Biodiversity

100. Support Native Wildlife by Planting Keystone Perennials

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2026-08-26

Explains how a small group of keystone native perennials can support unusually large numbers of butterflies, moths, specialist bees, and the wildlife that depends on those insects.

101. Bird-Friendly Plants FAQ

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | 2026-05-13

Answers common questions about native plant gardens, cultivars, water conservation, neighborhood acceptance, and designing landscapes for birds.

102. Habitat at Home: How Communities Can Strengthen Ecosystems Together

| University of Minnesota Extension | University of Minnesota Extension | 2026-03-30

Explains how backyards, neighborhood parks, woodlots, and shorelines can become connected pieces of habitat when residents use native plant communities and coordinate stewardship.

103. Plant Communities for the Home Garden

| Penn State Master Gardeners | Penn State Extension | 2026-02-27

Describes designing backyard plant communities rather than isolated specimens so native insects, birds, and other organisms can use a more complete and resilient ecosystem.

104. Native Plant Gardening

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2026

Collects current guidance on native plants, seeds, landscape designs, grasses, vines, climate change, and other tools for converting conventional landscapes into habitat.

105. Back Yard Science: Research on Residential Lands

| Jenna Zukswert et al. | U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station | 2026

Summarizes research showing how yard management affects vegetation, soils, water, and wildlife and identifies voluntary conservation actions homeowners can take.

106. Pollinator Gardens

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2025

Provides practical design guidance for building a pollinator garden with regionally native plants matched to sunlight, moisture, soil, bloom time, and available space.

107. Examining the Potential to Expand Wildlife-Supporting Residential Yards and Gardens

| Kelli L. Larson et al. | Landscape and Urban Planning / U.S. Forest Service | 2022

Reviews the conservation potential of residential yards and the human decisions that influence adoption of native plants, water-wise landscaping, and wildlife-supporting practices.

108. Gardening for Wildlife with Native Plants

| Ted White | U.S. National Park Service | 2021

Explains how replacing turf and invasive plants with native vegetation can rapidly rebuild biodiversity and turn a yard into a small habitat patch.

109. Native Plants and Biodiversity

| University of Illinois Extension | Illinois Extension | 2019-05-10

Connects native plant choices with insect abundance, food-web support, and the potential for home landscapes to function as meaningful wildlife habitat.

110. So You Have Your List of Native Plants. Now What?

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | 2016-04-04

Shows how to turn a regional native-plant list into a site-specific backyard design based on space, light, moisture, soil, structure, and bird value.

111. Flowers at the Border: Plant Native Flowers Around Your Yard

| Heidi Kratsch | University of Nevada Cooperative Extension / U.S. Forest Service | 2014

Explains how native flowering borders can create sanctuary habitat for bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and beneficial insects in developed landscapes.

112. Create Natural Habitat

| Illinois Extension | University of Illinois Extension | n.d.

Shows how native plants, healthy ponds, rain gardens, reduced chemical use, and invasive-species control can restore ecological function in residential landscapes.

113. Native Plants for Your Backyard

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | n.d.

Provides wildlife-oriented native plant recommendations for adding food and shelter to residential landscapes.

114. Native Plants for Your Backyard: Plant List

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | n.d.

Offers a companion backyard plant list emphasizing species that are attractive to people while supplying resources for wildlife.

115. Texas Wildscapes: Design Tips

| Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | TPWD | n.d.

Recommends layered vegetation, native and drought-tolerant plants, reduced turf, year-round food, and evergreen cover when designing a wildlife-supporting yard.

116. Texas Wildscapes Tips

| Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | TPWD | n.d.

Explains why locally adapted native plants usually need less water and maintenance while providing recognizable food and shelter for native wildlife.

117. Nonnative Species and Native Gardens

| National Park Service | U.S. National Park Service | n.d.

Encourages homeowners to remove invasive plants and use native species to reduce water and pesticide needs while improving backyard wildlife habitat.

118. Texas Wildscapes Certification

| Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | TPWD | n.d.

Defines a wildlife landscape around accessible food, water, shelter, and a strong native-plant component adapted to the local Texas ecoregion.

119. Why Do Pollinators Need Early Season Plants?

| Mara Koenig | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | n.d.

Explains why early-blooming native plants are important to bees and other pollinators emerging from winter and how yards can supply these seasonally scarce resources.

120. Wildscapes

| Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | TPWD | n.d.

Presents Wildscapes as a habitat-restoration approach for urban and rural properties that restores food, water, shelter, and native vegetation for wildlife.

121. Native Plants

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | n.d.

Explains how native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers provide food, shelter, insects, nesting resources, and seasonal habitat for birds.

122. Native Plants for Birds

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | n.d.

Frames native landscaping in yards, neighborhood parks, and public spaces as a direct way to restore bird habitat in developed communities.

123. Plants for Birds

| National Audubon Society | Audubon | n.d.

Provides a native-plant database and practical resources for selecting plants that feed and shelter birds while improving ecological function.

124. Habitat Essentials

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | n.d.

Defines successful habitat gardens around food, water, cover, places to raise young, sustainable practices, and a strong proportion of native plants.

Lawn Reduction, Meadows, and Naturalistic Landscaping

125. Keystone Species: A Framework for Selecting Native Plants

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2026-08-26

Explains how gardeners can prioritize native plants with especially high value for caterpillars and specialist bees when space is limited.

126. Turfgrass Alternatives

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2026-08

Reviews reduced-mow lawns, native grasses, sedges, meadows, and woody plantings as alternatives that support greater biodiversity than conventional turf.

127. What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Traditional and Alternative Lawns?

| Iowa State University Extension | Iowa State University | 2026-08

Compares conventional turf with pollinator lawns, native turf alternatives, and prairie-style plantings that reduce inputs and increase biodiversity.

128. Resources for City Planners: Native Gardens and Landscaping Code

| Brodie Dunn and Joy O'Keefe | Illinois Extension | 2026-07-28

Discusses how residential landscape rules can accommodate native, pollinator-friendly gardens that improve infiltration, biodiversity, and climate resilience.

129. Less Lawn, More Life: Reimagining Yards as Wildlife Habitat

| Emily May and Stephanie Frischie | Xerces Society | 2026

Explores manageable ways to turn low-diversity lawn into year-round habitat using native plants and lower-maintenance ecological design.

130. Landscape Designs with Native Plants

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2025

Provides ready-to-adapt native landscape plans intended to replace ecologically weak foundation plantings with more diverse habitat for insects and birds.

131. Grow Beyond No Mow May: Options for Reducing Your Lawn

| Tess Renusch | National Wildlife Federation | 2024-04-18

Explains why intentional native lawn replacement generally provides greater wildlife benefits than simply letting conventional turf grow tall.

132. Lawn Reduction

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | 2024

Offers practical ways to replace turf with native beds, meadows, moss, rock gardens, and lower-mow options while increasing habitat value.

133. Six Actions to Combat Climate Change and Help Wildlife in Your Garden

| Jane Kirchner | National Wildlife Federation | 2021-12-16

Recommends reducing turf, adding native plants, limiting chemicals, and making other yard-management changes that jointly benefit climate and wildlife.

134. Creating Wildflower Meadows from Scratch or by Changing Mowing Regimes

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | 2021

Compares full meadow establishment with delayed or rotational mowing as two ways to increase flowering habitat and structural refuge for pollinators.

135. Create Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard

| Wendy Scribner | University of New Hampshire Extension | 2018-10-30

Lists year-round backyard actions including native wildflowers, shrubs and trees, lawn reduction, vegetation layers, cavity trees, nest boxes, and water features.

136. Diversify Your Lawn

| North American Butterfly Association | NABA | n.d.

Suggests replacing portions of turf with native flowers, sedges, grasses, and other low-growing plants that provide nectar and caterpillar food.

137. Lawn Alternatives

| Penn State Master Gardeners | Penn State Extension | n.d.

Explores native sedges, perennial beds, shrubs, trees, and other low-maintenance replacements for turf that can provide habitat for pollinators and wildlife.

138. Managing Habitat for Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides habitat-management guidance on mowing, disturbance, refuges, and timing so maintenance does not erase the ecological benefits of restoration.

139. Wildlife & Biodiversity

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | n.d.

Explains why turf-dominated yards support little biodiversity and summarizes evidence that wildlife-oriented native gardens can provide more abundant habitat.

140. Cues of Care

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | n.d.

Shows how borders, paths, intentional plant groupings, and other design cues can make ecologically rich native landscapes look cared for and neighbor-friendly.

141. Climate and Native Plant Habitats

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | n.d.

Connects lawn removal, invasive removal, native habitat restoration, and landscape connectivity with efforts to improve wildlife resilience under climate change.

142. Low-Maintenance, Natural Landscapes for a Neighborly Garden

| Tim Ripp | University of Wisconsin Extension | n.d.

Shows how naturalistic landscape design can create wildlife habitat while retaining an intentional appearance and reducing mowing, noise, pollution, and yard waste.

Rain Gardens, Ponds, and Water Habitat

143. Attracting Dragons and Damsels to Backyard Ponds

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2026-07-01

Explains how dragonflies and damselflies use backyard ponds and how pond design and water quality can support these important aquatic predators.

144. Best Practices for Rain Gardens

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2026-05-18

Focuses on long-term rain-garden maintenance so stormwater functions and habitat benefits for pollinators and wildlife persist for decades.

145. Native Plant Selection for Backyard Aquatic Gardens

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2025-06-19

Treats small backyard ponds as parts of the larger ecosystem and explains how native aquatic and marginal vegetation can improve water quality and wildlife habitat.

146. Tips for Creating a Rain Garden to Protect Water, Nature, and Communities

| Illinois Extension | University of Illinois Extension | 2025-04-17

Explains how rain gardens use deep-rooted native plants to reduce runoff and flooding while creating habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

147. Native Wildflowers

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | 2025

Profiles native wildflowers suitable for varied conditions, including rain gardens, wet meadows, woodland edges, pollinator beds, and hummingbird habitat.

148. Water for Wildlife: Bird Baths and Backyard Ponds

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2024-08-05

Explains how birdbaths and wildlife ponds can supply drinking, bathing, breeding, insect, and amphibian habitat when designed with shallow edges and vegetation.

149. An Introduction to Rain Gardens

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2024

Walks homeowners through siting, excavation, drainage, plant selection, and establishment of a functional native-planted rain garden.

150. The Wildlife Garden: Create a Garden Pond for Wildlife

| Stephanie Lamb and Nancy Allen | Oregon State University Extension Service | 2023

Provides a step-by-step guide to building and maintaining a small pond specifically intended to attract and support wildlife.

151. Rain Gardens: Low-Impact Development Fact Sheet

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | 2018

Explains how rain gardens can capture runoff and be designed with native plants to support beneficial insects, birds, soil life, and other wildlife.

152. Native Plants for New England Rain Gardens

| University of New Hampshire Extension | UNH Extension | 2018

Provides a tested regional list of native plants suited to the changing moisture and light conditions found within rain gardens.

153. Winter Farmscaping to Enhance Riparian Vegetation Along Ponds and Waterways

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | 2018

Shows how native vegetated buffers, logs, and rock piles around water can improve habitat for birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and other wildlife.

154. Native Shrubs

| University of Maryland Extension | University of Maryland Extension | n.d.

Profiles native shrubs useful for rain gardens, bird gardens, pollinator habitat, woodland edges, and winter food.

155. What Is a Rain Garden?

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | n.d.

Introduces rain gardens as planted depressions that capture runoff, reduce erosion, recharge groundwater, filter pollutants, and create native wildlife habitat.

156. Reduce Flooding & Water Pollution with Rain Gardens and Native Plants

| Illinois Extension | University of Illinois Extension | n.d.

Shows how native-planted rain gardens can reduce localized flooding and water pollution while adding wildlife habitat to homes and businesses.

157. Rain Gardens

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | n.d.

Provides planning and planting guidance for rain gardens and emphasizes native species because of their value for insects, birds, and other wildlife.

158. Landscaping Alternatives for Common Invasive Wetland and Aquatic Plants

| University of Wisconsin Extension and partners | Wisconsin Horticulture | n.d.

Suggests non-invasive alternatives for ponds and rain gardens so water features can shelter wildlife, support pollinators, and avoid spreading harmful species.

Leaf Litter, Dead Wood, Nesting, and Overwintering Habitat

159. Fall Garden Care for Pollinators

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2026-07-11

Explains why leaving plants standing and reducing fall cleanup protects overwintering pollinators and creates valuable winter structure.

160. Leave the Leaves for Natural Pest Control

| Aaron Anderson | University of Maryland Extension / Xerces Society | 2025-12-02

Explains how retaining healthy leaves and stems helps pollinators and predatory insects overwinter while distinguishing diseased plant debris that should be removed.

161. Leave the Leaves!

| Justin Wheeler, Scott Hoffman Black, and Deborah Seiler | Xerces Society | 2025-10-02

Shows how reducing fall cleanup preserves butterflies, moths, native bees, beneficial insects, seed heads, and other habitat through winter.

162. Pro-Tips for Leaving the Leaves

| David Mizejewski | National Wildlife Federation | 2025-09-15

Explains practical ways to retain fallen leaves as habitat without smothering lawns or creating an unmanaged appearance.

163. How to Leave the Leaves

| National Wildlife Federation | National Wildlife Federation | 2024

Explains how keeping fallen leaves on-site supports butterflies, moths, fireflies, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, plants, and soil organisms.

164. Tweaking Your Garden Calendar for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects

| Susan Marquesen | Penn State Extension | 2024

Shows how shifting cleanup and mowing schedules can preserve leaves, stems, rock piles, wood piles, and other overwintering refuges.

165. Leaving Leaves and Flower Stalks for Wildlife

| Mary Tebo Davis | University of New Hampshire Extension | 2022

Recommends leaving perennial stalks and whole leaves to provide winter food, insulation, and nesting habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects.

166. When Is the Right Time to Remove Last Fall's Leaves and Plant Remains?

| Marjorie Peronto | University of Maine Cooperative Extension | 2021-04-05

Advises delaying spring cleanup so insects sheltering in leaves and plant remains have time to emerge before debris is disturbed.

167. Moving Beyond Flowers: Natural Nesting Habitat for Bees and Other Insects

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | 2020

Highlights stems, bare soil, snags, logs, brush piles, rocks, leaves, and clean water as essential habitat features beyond nectar plants.

168. Fall Garden Tips to Benefit Bumble Bees All Year

| Michele Blackburn and Rich Hatfield | Xerces Society | 2018-10-30

Encourages leaving natural autumn materials such as leaves, loose soil, branches, and logs to shelter overwintering bumble bee queens.

169. Where Do Pollinators Go in the Winter?

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | 2018

Describes how different native bees and other pollinators overwinter in leaf litter, soil, stems, wood, and other features that gardeners can protect.

170. Leave the Leaves: Winter Habitat Protection

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Explains why fallen leaves, standing stems, logs, and other organic material should remain available as winter shelter for insects and other invertebrates.

Amphibians, Reptiles, Bats, Birds, and Other Backyard Wildlife

171. Backyard Birds

| Leah Schrodt | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2026-04-06

Offers ways to make residential spaces safer and more nourishing for birds through nesting sites, native vegetation, insect-rich plantings, and water.

172. Plants for Birds in Your Backyard

| Denys Hemen | Audubon California | 2026-02-11

Shows how native plant information can be paired with the bird species those plants support, helping homeowners choose plants for ecological function.

173. Bats in the Garden

| Penn State Extension | Penn State Extension | 2025-06-25

Introduces bats as beneficial insect predators and discusses garden and water features that make residential landscapes more useful to them.

174. Toads: A Welcome Garden Partner

| Penn State Master Gardeners | Penn State Extension | 2025

Explains how clean shallow water, shade, damp soil, rock shelters, and pesticide avoidance can make gardens safer for insect-eating toads.

175. Guide to Gardening for Bats

| Bat Conservation International | Bat Conservation International | 2024-09-04

Provides practical guidance on native plants, moth host plants, water, shelter, and other features that can make small landscapes useful to bats.

176. The Wildlife Garden: Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden

| John Olson and Nancy Allen | Oregon State University Extension Service | 2024

Explains how food, water, cover, space, and suitable flowering plants can create a complete hummingbird habitat garden.

177. The Wildlife Garden: Attract Reptiles and Amphibians to Your Yard

| Douglas Cates, John Olson, and Nancy Allen | Oregon State University Extension Service | 2023

A peer-reviewed guide to creating residential habitat for frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, and other native reptiles and amphibians.

178. Creating a Garden for Bats

| Bat Conservation International | Bat Conservation International | 2023

Explains how native trees, shrubs, flowers, dead trees, water, bat houses, and pesticide avoidance can improve bat habitat.

179. Getting to Know Oregon's Bats

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | 2023

Explains how retaining snags and old trees, providing safe water, avoiding pesticides, and planting insect-supporting gardens can benefit bats.

180. Backyard Amphibians & Reptiles

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2021-09-16

Recommends water features, downed logs, wild zones, leaf litter, rocks, native plants, pesticide reduction, and indoor cats to support amphibians and reptiles.

181. Backyard Mammals

| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | 2021-09-16

Recommends native plants, wild zones, tall grass, leaves, rocks, cavities, and indoor cats to improve habitat for small mammals and other wildlife.

182. How to Garden for Wildlife

| David Mizejewski | National Wildlife Federation | 2020-05-28

Explains the five core components of a wildlife garden and how to create them in ordinary home landscapes.

183. Gardening with Reptiles

| University of Illinois Extension | Illinois Extension | 2018-04-19

Explains how unmowed vegetation, leaf litter, wood piles, native prairie patches, rocks, and wildlife ponds create useful reptile and amphibian microhabitats.

184. Bat Gardens

| Bat Conservation International | Bat Conservation International | n.d.

Shows how native night-blooming plants, water, trees, shelter, and pesticide-free management can provide food and habitat for bats.

185. Help Forsyth County's Bats

| University of Georgia Extension | UGA Extension | n.d.

Recommends bat-friendly native plants that support night-flying insects and discusses bat houses and neighborhood conservation actions.

186. Provide Artificial Habitat

| Illinois Extension | University of Illinois Extension | n.d.

Reviews bird boxes, bat boxes, and insect nesting structures while emphasizing that artificial habitat should complement trees, native plants, clean water, and low pollution.

187. Butterfly Garden Plants

| North American Butterfly Association | NABA | n.d.

Emphasizes regionally native nectar and caterpillar host plants as the foundation of butterfly habitat gardens.

188. Butterfly Garden Guides

| North American Butterfly Association | NABA | n.d.

Provides regional butterfly-gardening plant guides so homeowners can match native nectar and host plants to local butterfly communities.

189. Native Plant Ratings for Butterfly Gardens

| North American Butterfly Association | NABA | n.d.

Rates native plants for caterpillar food, butterfly nectar, and garden value, helping prioritize species with strong habitat benefits.

Hedgerows, Connectivity, and Habitat Corridors

190. All About Hedgerows: Why They Help Wildlife and How to Plant Them

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | 2025

Describes native hedgerows as long-lasting sources of flowers, leaves, shelter, and narrow habitat corridors that connect otherwise isolated green spaces.

191. Inspiration for Pollinator Conservation: Hedgerow Habitat on Farms

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | 2024

Documents how new native hedgerows quickly attracted multiple groups of pollinators and illustrates principles applicable to property-edge habitat restoration.

192. A Guide to Hedgerows: Plantings That Enhance Biodiversity, Sustainability and Functionality

| Oregon State University Extension Service | OSU Extension | 2020

Explains how layered hedgerows can serve as living fences, wildlife corridors, nesting cover, pollinator habitat, windbreaks, and sources of food.

193. Habitat Installation Guides

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Collects tested regional methods for installing native wildflower meadows and flowering hedgerows for pollinators and beneficial insects.

194. California Hedgerow Planting for Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides detailed California guidance for installing and maintaining native flowering hedgerows that supply nectar, pollen, nesting resources, and seasonal continuity.

195. Western Oregon & Washington Hedgerow Planting for Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides Pacific Northwest plant lists and establishment guidance for linear pollinator habitat that can function as shelter and connectivity.

196. Pennsylvania Hedgerow Planting for Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Offers Pennsylvania-specific planting and maintenance guidance for native hedgerows intended to support pollinators and beneficial insects.

197. New Jersey Hedgerow Planting for Pollinators

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Provides a regional hedgerow design and establishment framework using nectar- and pollen-rich plants suited to New Jersey.

198. Pollinator Conservation Resources: Mid-Atlantic Region

| Xerces Society | Xerces Society | n.d.

Collects native meadow, conservation-cover, and hedgerow guidance that can be adapted to larger residential properties and neighborhood habitat projects.