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 Rockies, Plant Select® and High Country Gardens in promoting wildscaping. Be a Habitat Hero.

Earth Day for Your Yard

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 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.

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