Want to create a bird-friendly garden with native plants or improve your existing one? Follow these five steps and browse the following resources to get started! Have a valuable resource you want to share with us? Contact Jamie Weiss, Habitat Hero coordinator at jweiss@audubon.org or (970) 416-6931.

Step 1:  Learn About the Benefits of Native Plants

Native plants provide food and shelter for local birds and wildlife. They require less water and fewer chemicals to maintain, which makes them better for the environment. And of course, they're beautiful! 

Step 2: Find Native Plants

Find plants that are native to your zip code using Audubon's Native Plants Database. By selecting plants that are adapted to your local climate, you'll minimize or eliminate the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Browse our partners' lists below for more ideas.

Additional Native Plant Lists

• Colorado State University: Herbaceous Perennials
• Colorado State University: Shrubs
• Colorado State University: Trees
• Colorado Native Plant Society Landscaping Guide
• High Plains Environmental Center Plant List
• Denver Audubon

Step 3: Design Your Habitat Hero Garden

You now know which plants are native to your area; the next step is to figure out how to plant them in a way that maximizes their vitality and benefit to wildlife.

Pre-planned Gardens

Want an expert to take care of the planning process for you? Here are two businesses whose proceeds support Habitat Hero.

Habitat Hero Birdwatcher Pre-Planned Garden

Together with High County Gardens we created the Habitat Hero Birdwatcher Pre-Planned Garden. This carefully selected collection of plants will attract and benefit songbirds and other beneficial pollinators. This 7’x12’ garden-in-a-box has a great variety of perennials, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. High Country Gardens proudly supports the mission of Audubon Rockies by donating some of the proceeds with every garden sold!​

Earth Love Gardens

Audubon Rockies has partnered with Earth Love Gardens to offer Habitat Hero-certified garden designs and installations! Through Earth Love Gardens or one of their partnered professional landscaping companies, a custom design will be created for your yard that features a diversity of native plant species, a nest box, and more resources to help you provide habitat for birds. Part of the proceeds will support Habitat Hero. 

Step 4: Purchase and Plant Native Plants

Step 5: Certify Your Habitat Hero Garden 

Step 6: Expand Your Impact

Once you have a passion for bird-friendly gardening, you can expand your impact by sharing it with others. Birds and other wildlife need us to make a cultural shift in the way we treat our lawns and gardens. Informing your community about the benefits of native plants is one of the most powerful actions you can take.

To conserve birds, we need to understand what they need and how their populations are changing, and for that we need data. You can help Audubon study and conserve birds in your own backyard or community as a community scientist. It’s easy, impactful, and fun!

Additional Resources