Plan a Project For Pollinators & Clean Water

What type of pollinator habitat is the best fit for you and your yard? Explore the project types below to see what best suits your goals and space.

We recommend selecting a project type that meets your needs for your yard while supporting as many pollinator species as possible. But, don’t bite off more than you can chew! It’s better to have a smaller, successful project than a bigger project that you’re unable to finish or maintain. Click on the project types below to learn more about the steps involved in each:

Pocket Plantings

There’s room in almost every yard for a small native plant garden. A 10’x10′ pocket planting can be enough to provide pollinator habitat. Pocket plantings are a great starting point for beginner gardeners.

Pocket Plantings
Turf Alternatives

Turf alternatives are pollinator-friendly, low-growing ground covers that can supplement or replace traditional turf grasses. Turf areas that are not heavily used for recreation or that are primarily aesthetic are great locations.

Turf Alternatives
Pollinator Meadows

This is the most beneficial choice for diversity, but creating a pollinator meadow requires space, time, and regular maintenance to succeed. The easiest way to achieve this might be to plant pocket gardens side by side, eventually growing them into a meadow.

Pollinator Meadows
Container Plantings

If you don’t have outdoor space for a garden, you can still help pollinators by planting native plants in pots on your balcony or porch. Native container plantings can thrive for years with proper care.

Container Plantings
Native Trees and Shrubs

Pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs can offer a lot of benefits for clean water and pollinators. One flowering tree can provide as much pollinator forage as an entire garden. A large tree can also intercept and retain hundreds of gallons of runoff.

Native Trees and Shrubs
Shoreline Stabilization

Native plants stabilize shorelines and act as a buffer between your yard and the lake. The roots of native plants filter and absorb polluted runoff and excess nutrients before they enter the water.

Shoreline Stabilization
Rain Gardens

A rain garden is a shallow depression that stores and absorbs rainwater, which is taken up by the long roots of native plants or soaks deep into the earth. Rain gardens filter water and collect polluted stormwater before it reaches our lakes and streams.

Rain Gardens

Blue Thumb Resources

Blue Thumb Partners: Find watershed districts, native plant nurseries and retailers, landscape designers and installers, non-profits, and more

Resources page: Download free native plant lists, design templates, general guides, maintenance guides, and more

Lawns to Legumes program: Apply for a grant to install pollinator habitat in your space

Workshops and Online Learning Series: Attend a live workshop and speak to a landscape designer about your project, or register for our free online learning series that you can access at any time to learn about Resilient Yard practices