Why Wildlife-Friendly Gardening Is On The Rise & How To Join In

Violets, spicebush, and ferns form a scruffy understory below the canopy of white pines. Nearby, bright yellow goldenrods and purple coneflowers beckon local bees and butterflies. During the day, this landscape is a playground for blue jays, cardinals, and robins. Under the cover of night, raccoons come here to raise their young, and hordes of fireflies stream a light show on prairie grasses. This isn't some bucolic park or protected national forest: It's Danae Wolfe's half-acre yard in suburban Ohio.

Drive through the suburbs of the U.S., and one thing will become very clear: Americans are obsessed with grass lawns. This wasn't always the case. Back in the 1700s, grass lawns were a status symbol, and only the rich could afford to keep their land so neat. The widespread introduction of the lawn mower around 1900 made it so everybody could manage their own lawns, and green grass went from a luxury to a necessity (at least, if you want your neighbors to like you).

These days, Americans maintain around 44 million acres of residential lawns sprawling over 30% of the land area in the continental U.S. Grass has become the largest crop in America, and it's a high-maintenance one—often requiring a hefty amount of water and fertilizers to keep it in the pristine condition homeowners associations now expect. But while they have become a symbol of being a good neighbor, grass lawns are "ecological dead zones" that do almost nothing to support nonhuman residents.

Compared to other plants, perfectly manicured grass lawns do not absorb carbon from the atmosphere1 or support much wildlife biodiversity. Susannah B. Lerman, Ph.D., a research ecologist at the U.S. Forest Service, explains that the spread of lifeless grass lawns is disrupting local food webs—which could have catastrophic consequences on planetary health.

We'll never get rid of grass lawns entirely, but how can we make them less harmful? That's the question more green thumbs are increasingly grappling with. A 2022 National Gardening Survey found that more respondents are now open to transforming a portion of their lawn into a wildlife-friendly native landscape, as Wolfe did in Ohio.

Native landscaping tends to be better for the surrounding environment than nonnative plants for a few reasons. "[One] potential issue is that some nonnative plants can become invasive to an area. They may look beautiful and thrive in a nonnative landscape, but invasive plants are hyper-competitive and don't have the same animals or weather conditions to keep them in check in this new environment. Invasive species can spread rapidly and ultimately outcompete native vegetation, leading to a loss of biodiversity and ecosystem disruption," explains Allison Messner, CEO and co-founder of Yardzen, an online landscape design company.

Messner adds that nonnative plants have their own root systems and growth patterns, potentially leading to issues with soil stability and erosion control—another reason to switch over to native species. 

Tallamy has seen this shift play out over the course of his career. When he wrote his first book, Bringing Nature Home, back in 2007, the native plant movement was in its infancy and very niche. Now, he estimates that he gets about three to four requests to give talks on biodiverse gardening every day.

"There are all kinds of conservation groups around the country that are building ecological integrity on our private properties. That just wasn't happening before," he says. One such group is Pollinator Pathway, a nonprofit that helps people establish pollinator-friendly habitats in their communities. Since its founding in 2017, the group has supported projects in 300 towns across 11 states.

Creative campaigns have also popped up to help people take on specific actions in their yards. The #LeaveTheLeaves campaign—especially relevant during this time of year—encourages leaving fallen leaves on one's property during winter to allow critters like bumblebees, ladybugs, and caterpillars to burrow homes in the decay. #NoMowMay is an invitation to let one's lawn grow for an entire month during spring to give pollinators access to more early season wildflowers. To educate curious neighbors, people can now print out lawn signs like this one that reads: Lazy Lawn Mower Alert: We're mowing less to improve pollinator habitat and contains a QR code that passers-by can scan for more information on how to get involved.

Nowadays, entire communities are banding together to take on such pledges. Jean Ponzi, an environmental educator in Missouri and green resources manager for the EarthWays Center of Missouri Botanical Garden, notes that the community of Webster Groves, Missouri, took the no-mow pledge this past spring. They were sent 300 signs but could have used more, says Ponzi. In the St. Louis region, a hot spot for native wildlife plantings, they now also have a series of regular virtual talks on native landscaping through the St. Louis County Library that are attended by over 6,000 people on average.

Clearly, interest in creating wildlife-friendly gardens is growing. But for this moment to become a full-blown movement, we'll have to make it more accessible. As it stands now, many people don't have the time or money to make these changes, or they don't own their own property in the first place.

New financial incentives in certain parts of the country could help change this. In California, for example, homeowners can receive a $3 rebate for every square foot of lawn they remove and replace with more drought-tolerant landscaping. In the last year, Los Angeles bumped that up to $5 per square foot (up to $15,000) in an effort to conserve the city's dwindling water supply. These programs don't just exist in the water-starved west: Minnesota also has several cost-share programs focused on growing prairie and native grasslands, while Missouri offers grants for using plants to manage stormwater runoff.

As more people let their yards go a little wild, local critters aren't the only ones who will benefit. We'll see a boost in our own well-being too.

Research repeatedly shows that tuning into elements of nature—like the patterns of tree leaves and the songs of birds2—can help reduce our stress and anxiety, lower our blood pressure, and boost our overall mood. The more access we have to these features, the better for our mental and physical health. Not to mention, we avoid some headaches (and noise pollution) when we don't constantly need to mow our lawns and blow away our leaves.

Protecting the green spaces in our own backyards can also help us get to know our neighbors. After all, while one wildflower-rich garden is great for pollinators, an entire strip of them will be even more enticing, so this work presents an opportunity to band together for a common cause. In doing so, community members can combat the very real health threats of loneliness and isolation.

And who knows: Once you get started greening up your yard, you may be inspired to take on other environmental actions that are personal and purposeful. "In a world that can feel very heavy, to be able to look at the small part that I'm playing has been so empowering to me," Wolfe says of her yard transformation.

Experts note that you don't need an expansive garden or acres of land to make a home for your local wildlife. You also don't need to dedicate lots of time or money to the pursuit. Small changes with sizable impacts include turning off your outdoor lights at night so you don't throw off birds and insects, limiting unnecessary pesticide use, letting leaves decompose into a natural fertilizer, and mowing your lawn every two to three weeks instead of one.

"It's about starting small," says Wolfe. "One patch at a time, just build. You'll start to see the benefits of that pretty quickly when the wildlife starts to return."

In 2024, you start to notice some changes during your daily walk through the neighborhood. In autumn, the season's vibrant leaves are left out to feed lawn critters instead of sitting on the curb for townwide collection. Come spring, textured clover and colorful wildflowers take the place of row upon monotonous row of grass lawns. Throughout the year, yard signs aren't just for politicians anymore; they're there to express a gardener's commitment to creating space where humans and nature can coexist.