Resources
LEARN WINTER SEED SOWING TECHNIQUES
Grow your own native plants
Growing your own native plants from seed is an affordable and fun way to expand your pollinator garden or add diversity to your foundation plantings. Learn winter seed sowing techniques, including a simple “set it and forget it" method to germinate native Ohio seeds–no greenhouse, grow lights or other fancy equipment required!
PLANT NATIVE
Find native plants locally
Find native plants locally
LOCAL NATIVE PLANT NURSERIES
Natives in Harmony in Marengo
Leaves for Wildlife in Sunbury
Monarch Meadows Native PlantNursery in Pataskala
The Dawes Arboretum Garden Shop in Newark
Scioto Gardens in Delaware
Riverside Native Trees in Delaware
ONLINE NURSERIES
Ohio Prairie Nursery
Garden for Wildlife
Izel Native Plant
NATIVE PLANT LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
RE-THINK FALL CLEANUP
Leave some leaves for pollinators, please!
One of the most important things you can do for pollinators is to provide them with the cover they need to survive the winter. Some species of butterflies, wild bees and other pollinators overwinter in or under fallen leaves. Instead of blowing leaves to the curb, please consider leaving some leaves around the base of trees or add them to foundation beds or around native perennials. These "soft landings" are critical for many pollinators to complete their lifecycle. Plus, leaves provide valuable organic matter and help to build healthy soil. Leaves have the same weed suppression and moisture retention properties of shredded wood mulch + they’re free!
HELP POLLINATORS & THE PLANET
Get started in your yard
Get started in your yard
Plant native plants
Remove invasive plants
Reduce the size of your lawn
Adopt pollinator-friendly property maintenance practices
A BEGINNER'S GUIDE
How to create a pollinator garden
How to create a pollinator garden
Learn how to create a pollinator garden from start to finish with this helpful guidebook from the North American Native Plant Society
NEW RESEARCH
Even the smallest patches of milkweed support monarchs
Study shows a little bit of milkweed goes a long way to supporting this endangered pollinator
CONVERT A CORNER OF YOUR PROPERTY
Pocket Prairies
Pocket Prairies
Biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Licking Park District hosted a Pocket Prairies event at Infirmary Mound Park which compared different strategies for establishing and maintaining prairie plots of all sizes.
Resources shared at the Pocket Prairie event included:
Seed mix providers and prairie installation guides:
Ohio Prairie Nursery: How To Plant Native Grass and Wildflower Seed - A Comprehensive Guide for Site Prep, Installation and Management
Prairie Moon Nursery: How to prep your site & grow a prairie & other FAQ
Shooting Star Native Seeds: Prairie restoration guidelines
CREATE YOUR OWN HOMEGROWN HABITAT
Establish a mini-meadow
Establish a mini-meadow
Would you like your yard to benefit native wildlife and pollinators? Have you considered converting a portion of your property to a mini meadow or a prairie plot? Here are some resources to get started:
Technical support & cost-share funding
Native Plant Lists (see dropdown list)
Native Plant Lists for Specific Site Conditions (see dropdown list)
GETTING STARTED
Wildflower Patches, Flower Strips & Meadows
Wildflower Patches, Flower Strips & Meadows
Shana Byrd from Dawes Arboretum shares practical tips for creating your own native plant patch. Produced as part of the Pollinator Habitat 101 webinar series sponsored by The Ohio State University Bee Lab. Watch Shana's video & see complete list of Pollinator Habitat 101 presentations.
SUPPORT POLLINATORS
Natural Landscaping
Natural Landscaping
Soft Landings: Creating diverse native plantings under keystone trees (story map)
The basics of nature-based land care (PDF)
Overused foundation plants & native alternatives (lecture)
Native alternatives to traditional plants (list)
Invasive plants to remove from your landscape
Alternatives for invasive plants in Ohio
Virtual Classroom of educational videos & resources
Pollinator Partnership Native Pollinator Garden plan
How to Support Wildlife in Your Landscape
Distinguish native plants from invasive weeds with the Growit Buildit Seedling ID Guide
This 5-part virtual symposium hosted by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy focuses on creating vibrant greenspaces that benefit pollinators and wildlife. Learn more
Get great lists of native plants for sunny spots & shady gardens, top 10 lists of trees & shrubs for native bees & other helpful resources. View Pollinator Pathway plant lists.
This website archive contains tips for creating a backyard habitat that is inviting to butterflies, hummingbirds & songbirds in Central Ohio. Learn more.
Soft landings refer to leaf litter and plantings under native trees that provide critical shelter and habitat for one or more life cycles of butterflies, moths, bees & other beneficial insects. Learn more.
All native species are important, but some natives—called keystone plants—support more wildlife than others. See the list for our region & learn more about these "power plants."
Up to 37% of native bee species are considered pollen specialists. This means they rely on very specific native plants to feed their young. Learn more using this beautiful native bee story map.
1500 TREES
Plant a native tree in honor or memory of a loved one
1500 Trees aims to plant 1500 native trees in public spaces across Licking County. Honor a graduate, celebrate an anniversary or memorialize a family member with a special tree.
DIG DEEPER
Native Plant Resources
Checklist of actions to promote pollinators on your property
New York Times article: Replacing your lawn? Instead of a meadow, consider a food forest.
Saving moths may be just as important as saving bees. A new study suggests that moths in urban England made up a full third of all pollinator visits, surprising researchers with the types of plants they visited: not just pale wildflowers but fruit trees, brightly colored flowers, and many woody plants. This is another great reason to grow more native plants! See related story in Wired: Bees Get All the Love. Won't Someone Think of the Moths?
Naturally Ohio: This video explains the problems posed by invasive plants in Ohio, such as winter creeper, amur honeysuckle and multiflora rose.
Baffled by botanical names of native plants? This great guide can help.
Why Getting A Hive Won't Save the Bees: New Xerces Society fact sheet on bees sets the record straight on wild bees and honey bees.
National Geographic interviewed famed researcher Dr. Sarah Lewis about ways to support fireflies: leave the leaves, plants natives, don’t mow or use pesticides, and the big one: turn off all lights at night.
Celebrate Moth Month by adding one of these new books to your collection: Gardening for Moths by Jim McCormac and Chelsea Gottfried and Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard by John Himmelmann
