Illinois 2025

Before

After

This yard is adding native gardens for birds and insects.
After adding 27 native plants, the robins consumed the berries and House Sparrows are enjoying the new perching options.
This homeowner has put natives in their front and backyard. Now they are converting their parkway to natives and eliminating the grass.
What a lovely “hell-strip”. It will be a sight to behold in a year or two. Maybe the neighbors will follow suit?
A birch once stood here but it was destroyed in an ice storm. A new native tree will take its place.
A wet spring followed by a drought made establishing this shrub and perennial garden tricky. But with established roots, things should bounce back next spring.
This lovely deck garden will get some native plant additions to provide food for birds and insects.
Many birds, insects and other pollinators came to these plants and water feature
This area used to be annuals and non-native plants which are now being replaced to better support insects and birds.
Using an existing garden, natives like hyssop were added and grew well. The pussytoe not so much, but they are excited to add more next year.
Homeowner is removing invasive plants in this yard and adding wild geranium and white trillium. Last year goldenrod and nodding onion seeds we placed in this spot.
The goldenrod seeded well in this area making for a double win of improving habitat while providing lovely fall color.
Homeowner is adding native elderberry for everyone to enjoy!
This “wild green mess” is supporting a lot of biodiversity. A mulberry is sad from deer pressure but most of the native plants are thriving.
Each season this property has been adding natives. This year blue false indigo is the chosen addition.
False blue indigo, black-eyed Susans, bergamont, St. John’s wart, coneflower, columbine and little bluestem were added to this site.
Solar panels will get some native plant additions.
Plants are stressed due to the heat and dry conditions, but they will likely rebound this winter.
New native plant will be planted here.
There was a regular hummingbird visitor to these gardens.
Soil is warm enough! Native plant seedlings are in their new home.
This gardener is excited how well things are growing after starting these plants from seeds! Several butterflies and other pollinators have been spotted using them.
This yard is reducing its lawn to make it feel more like a woodland. Cover for birds is being created to help provide them with shelter from the next door neighbor’s free range cats.
Eastern Bluebirds nested for the first time!
This is an area between two houses where more plant variety will provide better foraging opportunities.
Most plants are growing, but facing stiff competition from volunteers. Fencing was needed to protect from rabbits
Weedy spot will experience a removal of invasive plants and the addition of natives to experiment with what works to support monarchs and hummingbirds.
This garden is a work in progress but the echinacea, pagoda dogwood, anise hyssop, jacob’s ladder, wild ginger, obedient flower, asters, violas and ferns are all establishing a resource-rich habitat.
This homeowner recently moved to the suburbs from the country and noticed the drop in numbers of birds. Thus, they will work to convert their lawn to habitat and encourage their neighbors to do the same.
This gardener removed 800 square feet of lawn and added American Hazel and Prairie Dropseed
Native plants will be integrated into an existing gardens space.
Deer like the new natives as much as the gardener, actually more.
Native plants will be added to help birds and butterflies.
Many monarchs were seen on the milkweed along with bees and birds enjoying the hyssop and asters.
This is an ongoing effort to replace rose bed with native plant species.
The summer heat stressed these establishing plants, but four of them lived and are bound to help feed birds this winter.
Lawn where weeds have been removed and sedges encouraged to fill in with native shade tolerant species.
Wildflower seeds will be added this winter to the rocky area that is being transitioned to native habitat.

Remaining Before Photos

Homeowner is extending an existing native garden making it a prairie woodland with pasture roses, mist flower, Bowman’s root, hoary skullcap, another native plants.
This garden is being expanded with prairie dropseed.
This corner will get a native plant addition.
Property lost a pine and they plan to add a collection of native plants around stump with a central feature on the stump–maybe a birdbath?
This is the only part of the yard that is not yet converted to natives.
In an agriculture-heavy region, this property sees value in providing birds with the resources they need to thrive.
This area will undergo a little by little transformation to help attract and support birds.
Less lawn and more native plants is the goal on this site.
Spot awaiting new native plants.
Property is adding natural food sources to this garden for the birds and biodiversity.
Homeowner wants to make their yard more beautiful while also supporting birds and butterflies.
This subdivision lacks native plants. Homeowner will remove a tree and will plant native plants for birds and pollinators.
Property owner is adding to existing native landscape. New plants include moss phlox and Solomon’s seal.
This property started adding natives in 2022 to reduce the “boring lawn”. More will be added this year to improve the yard for birds.
Native plants will add additional food resources for birds near feeders.
This area has a lot of agriculture and homeowner want to provide migratory birds with seeds, shelter, and places to nest.

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