Welcome to the Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home hub! This hub is a directory of the resources, tools, webinars, and events we’ll be sharing throughout this summer and fall to help you create, expand, or care for your pollinator habitat project.
Do you work with an organization or business with pollinator habitat information or events to share? We would love to feature your resources! Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.
Getting Started
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June: Preparing Your Site for Success
Fall is one of the best times to establish native plants in Minnesota, but successful projects start with good preparation. Learn about different site preparation methods, create a timeline for your project, and take the first steps toward transforming your outdoor space into pollinator habitat.
Events
Site Prep with Shoreview Natives | Watch the Recording!
In this webinar, Shoreview Natives joins us to share practical techniques for preparing your site for a successful fall pollinator planting, including smothering, solarization, and weed management strategies.
Planning + Site Prep Resources
Building your foundation
These resources provide a strong foundation. Learn why pollinator habitat matters, explore different project types, and gain an understanding of how native plants support Minnesota’s pollinators.
- MN BWSR Planting for Pollinators Handbook – A comprehensive guide covering pollinator needs, planting design, project types, plant selection, installation, and long-term maintenance.
- MN DNR Landscaping with Native Plants – An introduction to using native plants in home landscapes, including the ecological benefits of native plantings and tips for getting started.
- Rethinking Lawns Guide – Explore why pollinator-friendly lawn alternatives matter and discover habitat options that align with your goals, budget, and maintenance capacity.
Planning your project site
Before you begin preparing the ground, take time to evaluate your space and define your goals. These resources can help you choose a project location, understand site conditions, and plan a habitat that will thrive in your landscape.
Choosing a Site Preparation Method
Good site preparation helps reduce weed pressure and gives your new planting the best chance of success. Different methods work best for different situations, timelines, and project sizes. Explore the options below to determine the right approach for your project.
Managing weeds and protecting soil
Good site preparation doesn’t end once existing vegetation is removed. Mulch and other soil-covering strategies can help suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and create better conditions for your new planting to establish successfully.
July: Getting to Know Your Pollinator Neighbors
Pollinators play an essential role in healthy ecosystems and thriving gardens. Discover the bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other pollinators that may already be visiting your outdoor space, and learn how native plants support them throughout their life cycles.
Events
Gardening is for the Birds | Watch the Recording!
In this webinar, Director of Conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River Dr. Dale Gentry discusses recent science that highlights the importance of urban and suburban habitats for migratory birds and follows up with helpful strategies for how to create bird-friendly landscaping.
Get to Know Prairie Bees | Watch the Recording!
Have you ever wondered what pollinators might be buzzing around your garden? Experts from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab share about pollinator diversity and how to identify Minnesota bees and other floral visitors like butterflies, wasps, and flies and the important relationships they share with plants.
Native Plant Identification
Native plants are the foundation of pollinator habitat. Learning to recognize the plants growing around you can help you discover new species, build confidence in your plant selections, and better understand local ecosystems.
- Identifying Native Plants (Blue Thumb Blog Post) – Learn practical techniques for identifying native plants, including recommended websites and apps.
- Minnesota Wildflowers – One of Minnesota’s most comprehensive native plant identification resources, featuring photos, bloom times, habitat information, and searchable plant profiles.
- Blue Thumb Pant Finder – Search for Minnesota native plants by bloom time, sun exposure, soil moisture, height, flower color, and more to help plan future habitat projects.
Pollinator Identification & Bee Resources
Minnesota is home to hundreds of bee species, along with countless butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and other pollinators. These resources can help you learn who’s visiting your garden and why they matter.
- University of Minnesota Bee Lab – Explore educational resources, research, and outreach programs focused on Minnesota’s native bees and pollinators.
- UMN Bee Lab Guide to Native Bees – Learn to recognize common groups of Minnesota native bees, understand their nesting habits, and discover the important roles they play in local ecosystems.
- UMN Bee Squad – Access educational materials and learn how community members across Minnesota are helping share pollinator knowledge through outreach and education.
- Minnesota Native Bees – An online field guide dedicated to understanding, appreciating, and conserving Minnesota’s diverse native bee species.
Community Science and Observation
Observing and documenting the plants and animals around you is a great way to build identification skills while contributing to scientific research.
- iNaturalist — Photograph plants, insects, birds, and other organisms and receive identification help, and contribute to community science.
- Help Collect Data — Learn from the UMN Bee Lab how you can participate in community science projects and contribute pollinator observations to ongoing research efforts.
- Xerces Society Pollinator Habitat Evaluation Form — Evaluate existing habitat and identify opportunities to improve resources for pollinators in your yard or community.
Indigenous Perspectives on Plants
Native plants have long been valued not only for their ecological importance, but also for their cultural, medicinal, and spiritual significance. These resources offer opportunities to learn from Indigenous perspectives and relationships with the natural world.
August: Designing Your Project
Thoughtful planning helps create habitat that is beautiful, functional, and resilient. Explore the principles of “right plant, right place,” learn how to select native plants that fit your site conditions, and design a habitat that supports pollinators throughout the growing season.
Events
Designing with Native Plants: Strategies for Home Landscapes
Alyson Phillips from Sassy Daffodil Garden Consulting joins us to share the benefits, design strategies, and practical steps to incorporate native plants into a homeowner’s outdoor space. Learn considerations for design, plant selection and resources that lead to sustainable, resilient gardens.
The recording for this webinar was emailed to registrants on August 12. If you are a Habitat at Home participant and want to view the recording, but did not register, please email the L2L Helpline.
Design + Plant Selection Resources
Plan Your Project
Whether you’re starting with a blank slate or expanding an existing garden, these tools can help you choose plants, develop a design, and find professional guidance if you need it.
- Blue Thumb Plan a Project Pages: Start here for step-by-step guidance on choosing the right habitat project for your space, whether you’re creating a rain garden, pollinator planting, shoreline restoration, or another native landscape.
- Blue Thumb Garden Design Templates: Download ready-to-use garden plans designed for different site conditions, sunlight levels, and project types.
- Blue Thumb Partners: Looking for personalized advice? Find Blue Thumb Partners across Minnesota who offer consultation, design, and installation services.
Choose the Right Plants
Finding the right plants for your site is one of the best ways to ensure long-term success.
Purchasing Native Plants
Now is a great time to begin shopping for fall planting. Minnesota has many wonderful native plant nurseries. Many open pre-orders for fall planting season in the summer!
More Learning
- Debunking Fall Planting Myths: Learn why fall is one of the best times to install native plants—and why many common concerns about fall planting aren’t as scary as they seem.
- Container Gardening for Pollinators: Don’t have room for a garden? Discover how patios, balconies, and small spaces can still provide valuable habitat.
- Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Visit demonstration gardens featuring native plants and sustainable landscaping ideas. Admission is required, but it’s an excellent place to gather inspiration for your own landscape.
September: A Garden That Lasts (Care + Maintenance)
Whether you’re planting a new habitat this fall or caring for an existing one, ongoing stewardship is key to long-term success. Learn best practices for watering, weeding, and making adjustments that help your habitat thrive year after year.
Events
Caring f
or a Native Garden | Thursday, September 10, 6-7pm | Zoom
Planting your native garden is only the beginning of your relationship with your garden! We’ll talk with a designer from Metro Blooms Design+Build about the practices you can put in place to keep your native garden thriving year after year. This will include identifying and managing unwanted plants, how your garden changes over time, and practices that helps your garden become a functioning habitat for pollinators.
Register here
Landscaping for Pups & Pollinators: Creating a dog-friendly native garden | Wednesday, September 16, 6-7pm | Zoom
Jackie Lutes from Wild Ones Twin Cities will be sharing how to create a garden that engages your canine pals and supports pollinators at the same time. This presentation will review fun elements to incorporate for your dog in a garden setting, potential hazards in the garden, and how to identify dog friendly native plants in the garden.
Note: The recording of this webinar will only be shared with registrants.
Register here
Planting and Installation
Maintenance Basics
- Plant Care Guide: This Metro Blooms Design+Build PDF shares seasonal care guidance for perennials, trees/shrubs, bee lawns, and rain gardens.
- Care and Maintenance of Native Plants: This one-page PDF by Shoreview Natives covers all the basics you need to know: planting technique, watering, mulching, and more.
- Plant Care Basics: A comprehensive webpage from Ecoscapes Nursery on watering, fertilization, and pruning.
- Container Garden Maintenace: Tips from Metro Blooms on caring for native plants container/raised bed gardens.
Managing Weeds
More Learning
October: Pollinator-Friendly Practices for Fall
Fall is an important season for both plants and pollinators. Learn how to support overwintering insects, leave habitat features intact through winter, and responsibly collect native seeds for sharing, sowing, and future habitat projects.
Seed Collection Events
Many organizations across Minnesota host group seed collection events in the fall! These are a great opportunity to learn how to sustainably and ethically harvest seeds from native plants while connecting with others.
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November: Planting Seeds for the Future
The growing season may be winding down, but there are still opportunities to support pollinators and plan for next year. Explore winter seed sowing, seed-starting techniques, and the fascinating ways native plants and pollinators survive Minnesota winters.
Seed Sowing + Starting Resources
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Mapping Your Project
Every habitat project contributes to a larger network of pollinator-friendly spaces across Minnesota. Once you’ve completed your project—or made meaningful progress—add it to our habitat map. Together, we’re creating connected habitat, supporting pollinators, and demonstrating the collective impact of thousands of Minnesotans taking action for biodiversity.
Map Your Pollinator Project
Map your project to get a free Lawns to Legumes yard sign, if you don’t already have one!
Events
