It’s More Than Milkweed — It’s Awareness and Connection

A patch of milkweed? A prairie? A tangle of uncut stems and seed heads left standing?

It is. But it’s also so much more than that. Gardening for wildlife encompasses nectar sources, water sources, habitat, host plants, and a variety of practices that benefit the whole ecosystem around your home.

Gardening for wildlife is more than milkweed and pollinator plants — it’s a mindful approach to native gardening rooted in awareness, connection, and seasonal change.

It’s a nod to the seasonal changes. It’s an awareness of things taking place in the natural world that we might otherwise have forgotten to notice.

Seasonal Shifts Before the Solstice

Your space becomes part of a bigger picture — and just as each phase of the moon can slip by unnoticed if we forget to look for it, so too can the changes we forget to care about. Too often, we become enamored with the seasonal trends pushed at us through ads and aesthetics, and we forget to notice the seasonal shift right outside our door. As autumn pushes in, we feel the change in all our senses.

As the sun tilts its rays at a different angle over the next two months and four days, it’s easy to blame our moods on the darkening days. Or, we can choose to embrace the quiet nights, the frosted mornings, and the dynamic colors of every falling leaf. The quieting of the insects.

So if you’re thinking about gardening for wildlife — or already are — I hope you’ll remember this:
the gardening part is the easy part. The challenge lies in the observation. In the awareness of all the changes — from the small things occupying the leaf litter to the larger lives of the forest canopy.

It’s the awareness it takes to let go of the idea of gardening for perfect design and tidy lines,
and instead, to make space for the natural world — a world that carries a beauty all its own.

Become A Part of It Yourself

If you heard the term Garden for Wildlife before, that is probably in large part because of the initiative driven by the National Wildlife Federation, that encourages people to create habitats for local wildlife in their own yards and gardens by providing the essential elements of food, water, cover, and space for raising young. The program promotes the use of native plants and sustainable landscaping practices, such as avoiding pesticides, to support biodiversity, and offers official recognition for certified wildlife habitats.