Four words to inspire a change: Plant natives. Save nature.

Here in Chautauqua County, farming is in our roots – grapes, corn, beans – you name it. But these crops rely on more than just hard work and sunshine. They depend on pollinators: bees, butterflies, and birds buzzing and flitting through our fields.

But here’s the twist: our crops aren’t their main attraction. They’re just a pit stop on the way to what these insects really love and need – native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers hidden in hedgerows and forest edges. And those places? They’re disappearing fast.

For the past five years, the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and our Yard Smarts Program has been encouraging a new way of thinking about our yards. Messy is magical. Less lawn is more life. Native plants are not just pretty, they’re powerful.

The age of the manicured, bug-free lawn is fading. In its place is a new vision: yards that buzz, bloom, and brim with life. Every lawn and every garden is an opportunity to build a tiny piece of habitat – an invitation for pollinators and birds to come feed, rest, and thrive.

With native plants, we can turn ordinary spaces into extraordinary ecosystems. Each yard becomes a link in a living chain, connecting farms, forests, and wild spaces. Together, we can stitch back the fabric of our local ecosystem, one plant and one yard at a time.

Let’s give pollinators what they need – and make our landscapes part of the solution.

How can you help?

Read the book How Can I Help? by entomologist and ecologist Doug Tallamy, who believes that real change starts in our own backyards. Through native plants, fewer chemicals, and simple choices like leaving the leaves, we can help save the insects, birds, and ecosystems we rely on. This latest book by Tallamy offers practical, science-based steps that anyone can follow. He will also be sharing his message live in Erie, PA on Tuesday, May 20th. Visit https://extension.psu.edu/restoring-nature for more information. Or contact the Conservancy’s conservationist, Carol Markham, at carol@chautauquawatershed.org.

One yard really can make a difference – and so can you!

Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to preserve and enhance the quality, scenic beauty, and ecological health of the Chautauqua region’s lands and waters for our community. For more information, visit chautauquawatershed.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.