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…
My wife Juanita and I were inspired to plant the Maple Ave. Monarch Butterfly Garden in Summer 2015, after viewing the University City In Bloom Midland and Olive Blvd. flower garden because the garden at the Ruth C. Porter Mall Park crossing,…
I’ve always lived what I’ve considered an environmentally conscious life-style; living in a dense, urban neighborhood, biking or taking transit to work, shopping local, eating a primarily plant-based diet, recycling, composting and much, much more. …
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,…
The best part about having an urban pollinator garden? Relaxing in the swing, admiring the rabbits, squirrels, birds, butterflies and bees, all the while answering questions from patrons visiting the Peacemaker and Sidney Street Cafe. The guests…
Woodend Sanctuary is a 40 acre property in Chevy Chase, Maryland, bequeathed to and now headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Mid-Atlantic States. The mission of the Audubon Naturalist Society is to inspire residents of the greater…
It started as a desire to get kids outside and let them know about two endangered skipper butterfly species and has now blossomed into the current ever-changing butterfly garden and Little Wings on the Prairie festival.
In 2013, a grant from the…
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…
Nestled within the thirty acres of one of the most beautiful zoos sits a small parcel of land dedicated to education, conservation and promotion of gardening at the Santa Barbara Zoo. The idea of an onsite garden had been bounced back and forth among…
The mission of the Well Fed Community Garden is listed on the Irregardless Café website: “To provide an opportunity for community members to learn how to grow their own food, to reinforce the community’s ties to the environment; and to increase food…
