Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
How to find out what's native 🌻
Hi friend,I get asked a lot about how to figure out what species are native to your area. So I wanted to share resources for folks in the USA and Canada! 🌻 🇺🇸 The National Wildlife Federation has an excellent tool called the Native Plant Finder. It shows you what native species support the most wildlife in your zip code - these are called “keystone” species. 🌻 🇺🇸 The NWF has another tool that tells you the best commercially available native host plant species based on your ecoregion. 🌻 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 BONAP’s North American Plant Atlas has a prolific database of range maps for species in the US and Canada listed by botanical name. 🌻 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s website has a search tool where you can input your state or province, growing conditions, and other descriptors like bloom time, height, lifespan, etc., and search their database for plant species that meet your criteria. 🌻 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Most states and provinces have a Native Plant Society that should have resources specific to your area. You can find your local Native Plant Society here 🌻 🇺🇸 Wild Ones is another organization that advocates for native plants and has chapters in most US states. Find your local chapter here 🌻 🇺🇸 Audubon has a database of bird-friendly native plants based on zip code. 🌻 🌎 iNaturalist can help you identify plants that you’re unsure of what they are. You can also browse what’s been seen in your area, check a species’ status as native or introduced, etc. 🌻 🌎 If you’re plant shopping and not sure where a species is from, do a quick google of “(species name) native range” Always use the botanical name because common names can apply to multiple species. I don’t recommend buying plants that aren’t labeled with the botanical name unless you’re 100% sure you know what it is. If you're looking for US native flower seeds, check out my seed shop here!
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Native Yardening
Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
Hi friend, If you’ve been following me, you probably know that a lot of really common gardening practices can cause serious ecological harm. Gardeners have been taught to work against nature instead of working with it. And it’s hurting our planet. But what do those harmful traditional practices look like? And what should you do instead? Check out my free virtual training on Eco-Gardening Myths, Misconceptions, and Mistakes to learn about the most common mistakes I see from clients and what to...
Hi friend, There are few things I love in this world more than soil. It’s where all life starts and where we go when we die. What I don’t love is how poorly humans have treated soil. Why don’t we have more respect for something that grows our food? Something that we need to continue life on Earth? Soil science is an up-and-coming field with new findings happening all the time. When the legendary (and recently deceased 😞) Dr. Elaine Ingham started researching soil biology in the 1990s, she was...
Hi friend, I’m guessing you follow me because you want to improve your yard’s impact on the planet. So I wanted to share 5 steps every gardener should take to make their yard more self-sufficient, sustainable, and eco-friendly. 1 - Compost 🍄 Not only does composting reduce your waste and improve your carbon footprint, but it’s also one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve soil health! Healthy soil is the secret to abundant, thriving, pest-free plants AND it helps sequester...