A little over 2 years ago I purchased a house in the 'burbs of Augusta, GA. It had enormous lawns front and back. Most people would see a mowing nightmare—I saw future HABITAT! The first thing was removing all of the grass from the backyard. Then I…
I would like to share with you a walk through my pollinator garden here in Shawneetown, Illinois. Nature is awesome, it is always fascinating at the things you see if you slow down to look. As we step out the door of the sunroom onto the bricked…
When we moved to the south end of Burlington in 2008, I dug up almost all the grass lawn in our yard—keeping only a ten-foot diameter section where we had lawn chairs—and replaced it with native plants and cultivars. Because I was concerned by the…
We chose native plants because they provide ideal habitat for countless species of wildlife including birds, insects, and pollinators such as hummingbirds and monarch butterflies. Because they are perfectly adapted to local conditions, particularly…
Bee and butterfly populations are in decline in Connecticut. To address this problem, to lure them in, and to increase their numbers, the Millbrook Garden Club created a pollinator garden at the Sharon Audubon Center. At this site, the garden club…
I was recently faced with landscaping challenges for a weedy and barren new lawn in a strange new climate. And I was overwhelmed, to be honest. I've always loved nature, especially photographing wildlife, so I decided I needed something different…
A great friend of mine (boyfriend at the time, still great friends) had property in the country that needed some TLC. He had an above ground pool that was taken down, but had left the deck up. He let me design a beautiful butterfly garden in that…
Located in the neighborhood of Central Tacoma, Washington, Franklin Park serves its community well—there are numerous opportunities for recreation for children and adults, including a community garden. It has served its purpose for the elementary…
More than 75 residents, neighbors, and friends gathered at City Hall in Bowie, Maryland in December of 2016 to celebrate the community’s seven year journey to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat under the National Wildlife Federation’s…
Stories from the Students of Campbell Elementary SchoolAt Campbell Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, our students are fortunate to have wonderful outdoor spaces which serve as places to to extend their lessons and provide a natural…
When I was pregnant with my first child, I began to plant. I think that I wanted to see whether anything would really grow. Honestly, I didn’t expect much to happen. But in the Spring, just before my daughter made her appearance, magically my tulips,…
This year was the first full growing season at this house with my garden of Missouri native wildflowers and plants. I couldn’t have been happier and I’d venture to say that the butterflies, bees, and birds enjoyed it as well.
Sure, I like the…
Sarah Hedean is the Living Collections Manager at Smithsonian Gardens. I sat down to talk with her on August 9, 2017 about bluebird nesting boxes at the Smithsonian Gardens greenhouses. For part one of our interview, on the subject of her career, the…
I have been raising Monarch butterflies in my kitchen for years. They do not usually survive if I leave them outside on the milkweed plants in my yard. Success inside is 99%.
I released seven in the spring. I had one caterpillar in July this year.…
Flowers in my grandmother's garden are some of my first memories as a toddler—and taking walks with my grandfather as he told me the names of trees and bushes—so a home garden community of plants and birds has always been essential to our family. We…
A tale of lawn conversion:
It was 2002 when we moved to Orono. As I surveyed a mowed acre of our lakeside front yard in 2011, my eyes rested on an old sewer mound. How could we improve that space and help the environment at the same…
The Arboretum is located in Sandpoint, Idaho on Lake Pend Oreille. In addition to the beautiful lake, there is a mountain resort for winter skiing. Locals often observe, “we’re almost in Canada,” in an area referred to as the Panhandle. It has…
