In early June, over two dozen teachers, parent gardeners, and several students attended a free NYC Eco-Schools workshop “How to Create Wildlife-Friendly Schoolyard Habitats,” led by Eliza Russell, Director of … Read more
native plants
Help Bugs—and Birds—By Growing Native Plants
Like most environmentally-friendly gardeners, I’ve long known that it’s better to cultivate native than nonnative plants. Adapted to local conditions, natives thrive better—and with less water and other expensive inputs … Read more
Take Action for Wildlife and Plant a Tree!
Spring is the perfect time to get outside and help local wildlife. This year, National Wildlife Federation is celebrating the 75th Anniversary of National Wildlife Week by calling all students — … Read more
Photo of the Day: Hearts-A-Burstin’
Also known as the “American strawberry bush”, “hearts-a-burstin’” and “bursting heart”, Euonymus americanus is a deciduous shrub that gets its common names from the bright red fruit that split open … Read more
Learn the Top Native Plants for Your Backyard
Find out which native plants are best for your region. Read more
Fellow Gardeners Share the Best Ways to Attract Backyard Wildlife
Useful tips from fellow gardeners on creating a backyard haven for wildlife. Read more
Girl Power + 650 Plants + Great Partners = More Wildlife Habitat
Dozens of Girl Scout troop leaders, Verizon and Liberty Mutual employee volunteers, Certified Wildlife Habitat Owners, NWF staff, and what felt like a zillion girl scouts made my last weekend a … Read more
Backyard Wildlife Color of the Week: YELLOW
Enjoy these beautiful photos of backyard wildlife that are all or partially yellow. Read more
Why are Native Plants so Important?
I am often asked why native plants are becoming so popular, and why we’re reading and hearing so much about them these days. I think it’s part of a larger “green movement” that we’re experiencing in our country today. People are becoming more aware and better educated about our environment through organizations like the National Wildlife Federation. There seems to be a sincere desire to live in such a way that our impact on the environment is lessened. Read more
What Is a Native Plant?
What is a native plant? That may sound like an easy question but it isn’t. There are almost as many different definitions as people you ask. Our environment is an extremely elaborate system, with endless inner connections between its parts and that makes it impossible to speak in generalizations. Definitions will always vary depending on the way people or groups of people want to interact with nature. Read more
