Seven great reasons to plant natives.

1. Native plants help you use less fertilizers. Lawn fertilizer runoff causes excess algae growth, depletes oxygen in our waters, harms aquatic life, and can spoil human recreational use.
2. Native plants help you use less pesticides. Lawns in the US are treated with 70 million pounds of pesticides each year.
3. Native plants help you use less water. They have significantly deeper root structures than modern lawns which increase the soil's capacity to store water.
4. Native plants help you keep the air around you cleaner. Natural landscapes do not require mowing or very much maintenance. Gas-powered garden tools emit 5% of the nation’s air pollution.
5. Native plants provide shelter and food for wildlife and support pollinators. Monoculture lawns provide little to no support to the local food web.
6. Native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage. Landscaping with native plants is an opportunity to reestablish natural diversity and support birds and butterflies who get little benefit from non-native species and acers of lawn.
7. Native plants have been shown to save money by reducing maintenance costs.

_{Adapted from a list by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.}

GET STARTED!
Find resources you need to plant native

Local Organizations

Volunteer or seek an informed speaker for your next program

• Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society - Hikes and lectures, free to the public.
• Dayton Area Wild Ones - Wild Ones is a national organization that teaches about the benefits of using native plants to create natural landscapes.
• Five Rivers MetroParks - Community Resources
  • Listen to this webinar with Eric Sauer on Landscaping with Native Plants
  • Make A Difference: Bring Conservation into your Home and Yard
  • Make A Difference: Help our Community Protect Nature
• Green Oakwood - Oakwood-based group making a positive impact on our environment through local sustainability efforts.
• Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) - an environmental education community in the Catholic tradition
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Stewardship and citizen science
• Ohio Native Plant Societies - Find an organization near you.

Learning & Education

Helpful guides on the benefits of native plants in your community.

• ALIVE (podcast) - Cristina Redko explores the wonders of being alive and the human role to regenerate life on Earth.
• Aullwood Audubon Center  -  Program listing about butterflies, birds, and plants.
• Homegrown National Park - a community dedicated to biodiversity and restoration. Author and advocate, Doug Tallamy, provides vital resources and guides.
  Listen to this WYSO Book Nook Interview with Doug Tallamy
• Midwest Native Plant Society - Advocates to preserve ecological integrity and connect people with nature.
• Landscaping with Native Plants - Watch this YouTube video with Eric Sauer, Planning Manager with Five Rivers MetroParks.
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Backyard birds, butterflies, and wildlife.
• OSU Extension | Ask an Expert 
• Xerces Society - Leave the Leaves and other useful information

Identify Native Plants

Find what plants will work for you.

• Audubon Society - Find bird-friendly native plants.
• iNaturalist - a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society for citizen scientists to map, share, and identify biodiversity across the globe.
• Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center - Search for native plants based on location, color, bloom, and more.
• National Wildlife Society - Identify keystone plants for productive and sustainable wildlife habitat.
• Native Plant Finder by zip code - Find the best native plants to support wildlife.
• Native Plants of Ohio - A curated list from ohionativeplantmonth.org of 231 plants native to Ohio  
• Toledo Library  - Guide to lawn alternatives such as ground covers, decorative grass, bushes, and large flowering plants.

Find Native Seeds, Plants, and Landscaping

Resources on where to purchase local plants and ecology services.

• Birdsong Landscapes - Environmental consultant for prairie restoration.
• The Conservationist, LLC - Environmental consultant for the Miami Valley.
• Deeply Rooted Landscapes - Create beautiful, resilient, living landscapes.
• Down Nature's Path - Native plant nursery and garden store.
• Indigenous Landscapes, LLC - plant sales and educational resources.
• Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) - Native plant plans and sales to support the environment.
• The Milkweed Patch - No milkweed, no monarchs! Native plants for pollinators (Troy OH)
• Native Ohio Plants - Nursery specializing in the propagation and sale of native Ohio trees and plants (Tipp City OH)
• Ohio Prairie Nursery - Your Source for Native Wildflower Seed Mixes, Native Grass Seed Mixes, and Eco-Friendly Lawn Alternatives
• Regenerate Garden Co. - chemical-free landscapes that produce food, sequester carbon, capture rainwater, and promote biodiversity.
• Ohio State University Extension - Native Pollinator Plant Nurseries and Seed Companies, The Xerces Society
• Ohio Native Plant Month (April) - Where Can I Buy Ohio Native Plants and Support Ohio Growers?
• Tadmor Greenes - Cultivated locally

Certification Programs

Validate your efforts by joining a network of people with the same goals.

• Homegrown National Park -Plant native, regenerate diversity! Get on the map.
• National Wildlife Federation - Become a certified wildlife habitat
• Monarch Waystation - Create, conserve, and protect monarch butterfly habitats.