What are native gardens?

Native gardens are areas dedicated to restoring a landscaping with native plants to the local environment. These plants are those that occur naturally in the region in which they evolved, and are vital to the local ecosystem. Everything in our world is connected and relies upon each other to survive. For example, Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed leaves, and therefore are dependent upon milkweed plant species to survive. The caterpillars eat the milkweed and then are able to metamorphosize into a beautiful butterfly which will then pollinate other plant species or become food for birds, other insects or small animals. With rapid urbanization and agriculture, we have lost  millions of acres of previously thriving ecosystems that used to support the food chain. There is simply not enough natural and undisturbed habitats left to sustain wildlife populations without conscious efforts by our communities. 

What are the benefits of native plants? 

Native gardening is a wonderful way to reconnect to our lands and support a healthy ecosystem of which all life relies upon. Native plants have many benefits including:

1. Providing critical and essential food and shelter for insects and animals
2. Require less maintenance and water as they are adapted to our local climate
3. Often have deeper roots which prevent soil erosion and help filter and manage rainwater runoff
4. Promote healthy soils with deep root systems and connections to soil macro and micro organisms 
5. Help build resiliency to climate change for humans and wildlife

So - native plants are a big deal. How can the average person help tackle this monumental task of restoring our ecosystems? Good news! Every person can make an impact! Whether it is planting a native garden, swapping a few exotic to native plants each year, advocating for native plants in public or private spaces or with your friends and family and advocating for the reduction of pesticide use are all wonderful ways to help. Luckily, our region has a plethora of free resources created by professionals to help you on your native garden journey. 

Free Resources!

• Willoughby Farms 

  • Willoughby Farms is a great example of native gardens at work! Willoughby has several different demonstration gardens including pollinator gardens and rainscaping with native plants. Visit Willoughby from 9 a.m. to dusk 7 days a week and keep an eye on their calendar for native plant classes.

• Grow Native! grownative.org 

  • Program through the Missouri Prairie Foundation that provides a wealth of resources about native plants, starting from the very basics of native gardens, to providing you free native garden designs for different types of projects! Grow Native also hosts a variety of free webinars or classes to learn about native landscaping topics. 
  • Grow Native Free Landscape Plans

• Wild Ones (SW IL Chapters) southwestilinois.wildones.org

  • Wild Ones is a group with chapters across the country that promotes environmentally friendly landscaping that promotes and preserves biodiversity. Wild Ones provides many free resources such as sources for native plants and local events. You can join Wild Ones with a membership to receive a newsletter, join like-minded people for workshops, garden tours, seed exchanges and participate in the Certified Native Habitat Program. 

• Home Grown National Park homegrownnationalpark.org

  • Homegrown National Park is an initiative started by American Entomologist, Ecologist and Conservationist, Doug Tallamy, that raises awareness and sparks urgency for everyone to address the biodiversity crisis of our country. 
  • Doug started Homegrown National Park after recognizing that our parks, preserves and remaining wildlands, are far too small and segregated to sustain the native trees, plants, insects and animals on which our ecosystems (and humans) depend upon. The goal of this national movement is to restore 20 million acres of private land with natives.
  • The premise is simple. Plant native and remove invasives! Anyone and everyone can get involved and make a difference. Homegrown National Park hosts a map with all reported native plant areas to track the program's goal of 20 million acres. Currently, out of over 2.2 trillion acres in the US., 107,218 acres are reported of restoration and native plant initiatives, with Illinois at 2,883 acres and 2,128 users. 

• Partners for Native Landscaping (PNL)

  • PNL is a collective of local organizations that come together to present programs to inspire and help people create beautiful gardens that function as a healthy habitat. Partners include BiodiverseCity St. Louis, Grow Native!, MSD Project Clear, Missouri Dept of Conservation, Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis Community College Horticulture, and Wild Ones St. Louis, St. Charles and Southwest Illinois!
  • 2025 Webinar Series

• National Wildlife Federation

  • Why Native?
  • Join the Movement!

Support our Migrating Birds! 

The mighty Mississippi River is the most heavily used migration route for birds in North America, with an estimated 40% of birds making this round trip each year from their breeding grounds up north to Canada and down south to Central and South America. Waterways, wetlands and woodlands along the Mississippi River are important resting points with an abundance of food, water and shelter.

May and September are the busiest months for bird migration, with 80% of species migrating at night using the Moon, stars and night sky to navigate. As they fly over cities, artificial lights and sky glow can disorient them, causing an estimated 600 million birds to die in the U.S. each year from collisions with buildings.

You may noticed some actions in our region to help reduce collisions with birds. Beginning in 2022, the grounds of the Gateway Arch National Park are dark during May and September for spring and fall migration season.

Join the Cool Cities Committee in helping our migrating birds by practicing “Lights Out” this May and September! Follow the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting for guidance on how to minimize light pollution during bird migration periods. 

Additional Resources:

• Dark Sky International
  • Advocate organization spanning 70 countries providing leadership, tools and resources for individuals, policymakers and industry to reduce light pollution and promote responsible outdoor lighting. 
• Lights Out Heartland
  • Collaboration of organizations from heartland area of USA partnering to reduce light pollution during bird migration. Provides resources to building partnerships, methods to reduce light pollution and to advocate to policy makers. 
• St. Louis Audubon Society - BirdSafeSTL 
  • National Audubon Society - Lights Out Program
    • The Audubon Society works to preserve bird habitats, conduct scientific research, influence policymakers and engage communities to protect the natural resources which birds depend.
    • Bird Friendly Buildings Factsheet
    • Reducing Collisions with Glass 

Low-Cost Ways to Help Save the Planet 

Saving the planet is a daunting task, even for a super hero! Luckily, small and mindful actions by individuals can have a compounding impact on humanity and our environment. Being environmentally responsible is often thought to be more expensive or inconvenient, but you don't always need a lot of money to make a positive impact.

Author, Clay Cary, of Coupon Follow, a budget savings focused website, pulled together resources of sustainable and affordable activities for Families, Adults, and Kids to help minimize our impacts to the Earth.

Visit https://couponfollow.com/research/low-cost-ways-to-save-planet for fun and simple ideas to help make a difference in our daily lives! 

Composting Tips

Have you thought about composting at home but don’t know where to start? There are a lot of benefits to at home composting, including reducing your weekly trash output while simultaneously rejuvenating your garden which means less trash to take out and less money spent on soil or fertilizers! There are many ways to compost including bins, tumblers, vermicomposting and more. Explore the resources below to see what type might work best for you!

Check out Willoughby Farm’s Composting Series for hands on learning and a deeper dive into different types of compost!

Can't compost at home? Check out New Earth Farm's community compost bin now available at Willoughby Farm! Visit our composting tab or New Earth Farm's webpage here for more information or to register!

For more information about composting and troubleshooting tips please visit the resources below!

• Missouri Coalition for the Environment Compost Guide
• EPA Backyard Composting: It’s Only Natural

Summer Energy Savings Tip 

Increasing temperatures mean increasing energy bills. Follow these simple tips to help make an impact on your energy bills this summer!

Recycling Tip ‘Stick with the Six’

Unsure about what you can put in your recycling bin? Improper recycling practices can contaminate an entire recycling bin. Don’t stress and Stick with the Six! Need a reminder? Flyers to post to your fridge or near your bins are available at City Hall or at the link below to download.

• Stick with the Six Flyer