Healthy Yards

How to make your yard (and your neighborhood!) more nature-friendly

The modern-day lawn

The “ideal” yard with vast stretches of uniform grass is technically green — but only because grass is green. In reality, a pristine lawn is a monoculture that does little to support insect or animal life. In addition, keeping up that monoculture often means using noisy gas-powered tools that pollute the air (a single gas-powered lawn mower emits as much pollution in one hour as driving a car for 45 miles) and the overuse of pesticides is hazardous for both people and pets, can contaminate local waterways through runoff, and kills beneficial insects.
 

What’s the alternative?

A nature-friendly yard features native plants that support insects like bees and butterflies. It may mean having less lawn, mowing less, or not at all, or leaving some leaves on your lawn every fall.
 
A more nature-friendly yard doesn’t have to be all or nothing. That is, you don’t have to replace your entire lawn with native plants or stop mowing altogether. Instead, small steps can make a big difference.
 

Steps you can take

Here are some steps you can take to make your yard more nature-friendly:
  • Mow less frequently. For a while, environmental advocates were promoting “No Mow May” to make sure bees had plenty of food early in the season. That has now changed to “Low Mow May,” which means mowing just once or twice.
  • Use less polluting tools. Small lawns don’t need a riding mower. Can you switch to an electric mower or an old-fashioned reel mower? One study noted that a half-hour of yard work with a two-stroke leaf blower produced about the same emissions as a 3,900-mile drive in a pickup truck.
  • Plant native species. From flowers to bushes to trees, native plants provide food and habitat for more native species, whereas non-native plants offer less natural benefit. For example, a keystone species, the oak tree supports more fungi, insects, birds and mammals than any other North American tree genus. Remove non-native species to make room for beneficial plants.
  • Leave the leaves. Leaves provide food and shelter for insects, bees, butterflies and more. Though a thick layer of leaves can damage your lawn, a thin layer will break down over the winter. Mulching leaves can be particularly harmful to cocoons and insects. Leaves make excellent mulch for flower beds!
  • If you do use chemicals on your lawn, use them sparingly and be cautious of using them on slopes and lawn edges, where runoff is more likely. Also, consider using compost or organic lawn chemical alternatives.
  • Native species of grasses require less maintenance, meaning fewer chemicals will be needed.
  • If you use mulch, make sure it isn’t too deep — it can smother both the plants you’re trying to protect and insects like ground-nesting bees.

Videos

In May of 2026, ECOS board member Margaret Blohm shared her journey in learning about native plants and transforming her yard. Click the link for her Native Plant Resource Guide. It includes a list of nearby native plant retailers, as well as seed companies and online resources. You can watch the Zoom talk here:

 

In March of 2025, Martie Teumim, a founding member of the Capital Region New York Chapter of Wild Ones, a national organization dedicated to educating people about native plants and natural landscapes, joined ECOS via Zoom to discuss the benefits of using native plants. Her talk is below. Martie generously shared her notes with ECOS members. Download them by clicking the link below:
Welcoming Natives into Your Garden NOTES ECOS MARCH 20 2025-1.

Want to learn more?

Books:

  • “Nature’s Best Hope: A new approach to conservation that starts in your backyard” by Douglas Tallamy
  • “Lawns Into Meadows” by Owen Wormser

Also look for these books, available at the Schenectady County Public Library:

  • “The Northeast native plant primer : 235 plants for an earth-friendly garden” by Uli Lorimer
  • “A northern gardener’s guide to native plants and pollinators : creating habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest, ” by Lorraine Johnson
  • “The good garden: How to nurture pollinators, soil, native wildlife, and healthy food–all in your own backyard,” by Chris McLaughlin
  • “Plant This, Not That: Over 200 Native Plant Swaps for a More Sustainable, Pollinator-Friendly Garden,” by Elise Howard
  • “Essential native trees and shrubs for the eastern United States: the guide to creating a sustainable landscape,” by Tony Dove
  • “Plant this instead!: better plant choices – prettier – hardier – blooms longer – new colors – less work – drought-tolerant – native,” Troy Marden
  • “100 plants to feed the bees: provide a healthy habitat to help pollinators thrive”
  • “100 plants to feed the birds: turn your home garden into a healthy bird habitat,” by Laura Erickson
  • “Bird-friendly gardening: guidance and projects for supporting birds in your landscape,” by Jen McGuinness
  • “How Can I Help?: Saving Nature with Your Yard,” by Douglas Tallamy
  • “The ultimate wildlife habitat garden: attract and support birds, bees, and butterflies,” by Stacy Tornio

Online:

Local resources

Audubon Society of the Capital Region: www.capitalregionaudubon.org
The local chapter will provide consultations for native plantings for birds and pollinators.
 
Wild Ones Capital Region: capitalregionny.wildones.org
This group promotes the use of native plants and natural landscaping to heal the Earth one garden at a time. Under the resources tab on their web page, you can find the names and locations of local nurseries that sell native plants.
 
Home Earth Alliance: homeearthalliance.org
The mission of Home Earth Alliance is to educate, inspire, and empower people to cultivate outdoor spaces to support biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and promote environmental justice. In 2024, the group launched IMAGINE Native Plant Farm at the Bioreserve in Glenmont to help build the supply of native plants that are from and for the ecoregions within the greater Capital Region.
 

Pollinator garden starter kits are available!

We’ve partnered with Jessecology, a local eco-landscaping business, to offer ECOS members pollinator garden starter kits. You can get a kit for shade or for sun. Each kit features about 22 plants carefully selected to create a thriving ecosystem that supports local pollinators. If you need help figuring out the layout of your garden, try these designs.
For sunny locations
For shady locations