Habitat Hero

Wildscapes: Earth Day Every Day

Our mission: Garden by garden, landscape by landscape, grow a network of habitat for songbirds and pollinators across the Rocky Mountain region and beyond that will sustain these vital species, while saving water for our streams and rivers, and restoring our joy in seeing nature every day. Join Audubon RockiesPlant Select® and High Country Gardens in promoting wildscaping. Be a Habitat Hero.

Earth Day for Your Yard

Eastern black swallowtail nectaring at Spiderflower (Cleome serrulata) in an edible garden. Photo: Susan J. Tweit

Earth Day was begun in 1970 to honor our planet and bring environmental concerns to the forefront of our consciousness. It's a day aimed at raising our awareness and inspiring us to make positive changes.

What if you could do something right at home that would make every day Earth Day, something so unambiguously positive that it would reward you far beyond the effort required?

You can. It's called wildscaping, landscaping that provides homes, food, and habitat for wildlife, especially for pollinators and songbirds, species that can make good use of small patches of habitat.

What's a Wildscape?

A former garden that provides habitat for pollinators and songbirds at Centennial Gardens, Denver Photo: Panayoti Kelaidis

A wildscape can be a formal garden, a cottage-style profusion of plants, or a naturalistic style garden. No matter the style, a wildscape adheres to these basic principles:

  • Provide structure (layers of plantings) and diversity using native plants and plants adapted to your particular area. The best habitat echoes the "look and feel" of the natural habitat--prairie, for instance, or mountain woodland.
  • Plant bird and butterfly friendly species for year-round food, shelter, and homes. Awildscape looks as good in winter as in summer.

    A prairie-style yard in Golden, Colorado at the end of winter. Great texture in those grasses!
  • Conserve water—save it for rivers and streams, and provide fresh water for wildlife to drink.
  • Minimize pesticide use for the health of your landscape and yourself.
  • Know and control invasive weeds.

 Wildscape Examples

Get inspired to bring Earth Day to your yard every day with these examples from Habitat Hero wildscapes.

A detail of the meadow in Lauren Springer Ogden's Fort Collins garden Photo: Lauren Springer Ogden

An exuberant border that attracts songbirds and butterflies galore.

Fall colors in a "hell-strip" garden between a parking lot and busy road in Casper, Wyoming.

Painted lady butterflies feeding on a Rubber Rabbitbrush in the butterfly garden at the City of Aurora Xericscape Garden.

A wildscape "lawn" with native grasses and wildflowers. Photo: Susan J. Tweit

Wildflower borders at an orchard in western Colorado.

A lush-seeming dryland garden in western Colorado.

Perennial wildflowers with a bird bath equal a beautiful bird oasis.

Dry stream bed with pollinator border.

A xeric bed at Legacy Ridge Golf Course--a surprising mix of plants that provides beautiful habitat. Photo: Shalene Hiller

This woodland border completely conceals the neighboring yard--and provides food and cover for wildlife. Photo: Lauren Springer Ogden

Rocky Mountain penstemon (Penstemon strictus) and Wholeaf Indian paintbrush (Castilleja integra) with native bunch grasses in a native meadow. Photo: Susan J. Tweit

Jupiter's beard, golden yarrow, catmint, blanketflower and salvias thrive with little water. Photo: Bob Johnson

Wildlife habitat along a restored urban creek. Photo: Susan J. Tweit

Another wildscape with beautiful "architecture" in winter.

Join us. Be a Habitat Hero—plant a wildscape and bring Earth Day to your yard every day!

Broad-tailed hummingbird on the stalk of a common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) on a formerly industrial property. Photo: Susan J. Tweit

How you can help, right now