As our few remaining undisturbed habitats continue to be lost to development, many native plants are becoming extremely rare. Unless native wildflowers and the habitat they provide are restored, we can expect to see further declines in overall butterfly popula tions, and more losses of rare and endangered species. The home gardener can help reverse this trend by planting native flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. Combined together, these plants beautify the landscape and create new habitat for a variety of wildlife. Providing little food, no cover, and subject to regular incursions by loud, deadly machines, the lawn is no friend to wildlife.
Lawns can also be expensive and time-consuming.
Many people are replacing portions of their lawns with wildflowers so that they have less turf to care for and more free time to enjoy other pursuits. Then integrate the meadow or prairie with many different berry-producing shrubs, and coniferous and deciduous trees. This will go a long way toward making your prop erty more attractive to a wide variety of wildlife. Your needs and expectations will determine the answer. First and foremost, the mix must be suited to your climate, soil type, and personal taste.