Anyone Can Create Habitats for Plants and Wildlife

Whether you have a small suburban lot, a townhouse courtyard, a balcony, or even a sunny windowsill, there are opportunities to bring native plants into your surroundings. You don’t need a large yard to create habitat for native plants and wildlife. Even a few feet of space can make a big difference! A few thoughtfully chosen plants can provide food and shelter for insects and birds.

With limited outdoor space, it can be easy to assume that native gardening isn’t an option. But habitat doesn’t have to mean converting an entire yard into a meadow. A garden bed or a planter beside the front door filled with native plants can provide valuable resources for wildlife. The goal isn’t to create a perfect ecosystem in your space—it’s to add habitat to the larger landscape.

Start Small

If you have a small yard, look for areas that aren’t serving a particular purpose. It could be along a fence, a narrow strip beside a walkway, or an unused corner of the yard. Everything can be turned into a native planting area.

You don’t have to remove everything at once. Start with a manageable section and gradually replace turf or ornamental plants with species native to your region. Grouping several native plants together can create a better source of food and shelter while also being easier to maintain.

Even a small yard can offer multiple layers of habitat:

• Native flowers provide nectar and pollen for pollinators.
• Grasses and leafy plants provide shelter for insects and small critters.
• Native shrubs or small trees can offer nesting sites, berries, and cover for birds.

If you can’t plant at home, participate in a community garden or volunteer at a local habitat restoration project. There are many ways to help plant native and build habitats. And there is no minimum size for creating habitat. Every native plant provides an opportunity for life, and every small space can become part of something larger. Start with the space you have.

No Yard? Try Containers.

Even if you live in an apartment and can’t plant in the ground, there are flexible options. Containers can provide an opportunity to grow native plants on balconies, patios, porches, and other outdoor spaces. Choose plants that match the amount of sunlight and moisture your space receives. Plant in containers large enough to support healthy root growth.

A few containers planted with native species can provide nectar and pollen for visiting pollinators. Watching bees, butterflies, and other insects discover your plants can also turn a balcony or patio into a small paradise.

Before planting, check with your landlord or homeowners association for any restrictions on containers or outdoor plantings.

Ideas for Plantings

Check out the Native Flowers, Shrubs, Trees Fact Sheet from NYS DEC for more ideas.

Small Spaces Become Bigger Together

One small garden may not seem like much, but wildlife doesn’t recognize property lines. A native garden in one yard can provide food for insects that move through the neighborhood. A native shrub in another yard can offer shelter. A balcony garden can provide nectar along an otherwise highly developed block. When these individual spaces are spread throughout a community, they create a patchwork of habitat, sometimes referred to as a pollinator pathway.

This is particularly valuable in areas where natural habitat has been fragmented by roads, buildings, and development. Small gardens can’t replace large, intact ecosystems, but they can complement them by adding resources throughout the landscape.

A small yard filled with native plants can become a place to watch birds and butterflies. A balcony garden can give an apartment dweller a chance to observe pollinators up close. Even a few containers can introduce someone to the seasonal rhythms of native plants. These everyday encounters can change the way we see the spaces around us.

We are all part of a living community and ecosystem. There is no minimum size for creating habitat. Every native plant provides an opportunity for life, and every small space can become part of something larger.

Doug Tallamy’s books, Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope, talk about how everyone can play a role in increasing biodiversity. For more inspiration, check out book recommendations on the Wild Ones reading list.