Native Plant Habitat Helps Wildlife and People
It’s no secret that wildlife is experiencing a crisis like none other in our lifetimes—we see it in our very own backyards and wild spaces. Monarch butterflies are disappearing, bird populations are declining, and one in four wild native bee species are at risk of extinction.
Over a thousand U.S. species are at risk of extinction, and each loss makes our ecosystem more fragile.1 In fact, one third of America’s wildlife species are at risk of extinction. Luckily, supporting these species and their habitats doesn’t require hundreds of acres of space; it can be done right in your backyard and make a huge impact!
CREDIT: JENNIFER STROM
Over 83% of land in the United States is privately owned.2 This means that restoring private spaces is not just an accessible way to help wildlife, it’s one of the most crucial answers to our wildlife crisis.
Traditional yards, local green spaces, roadsides, and other land in and around where people live still depend on turf grass lawns, non-native ornamental plants, and chemical applications to prevent the appearance of any undesired plants. This conventional approach to maintaining yards and community spaces has a wide-reaching negative impact on ecosystems and our health.3,4 When we change how we landscape and garden to focus on creating habitat for native species, wildlife and people can thrive together.
Your Impact is Needed
Monarch butterfly populations have plummeted in recent decades. Though population numbers vary from year to year, the eastern population has been down by as much as 90% and the western population by over 99% in some years.
The North American bird population has declined by almost a third (30%) in just the last fifty years. There are almost three billion less birds in existence than there were in 1970.
One in four (25%) of approximately 4,000 species of wild native bees in North America are at risk of extinction.
