There's that feeling of joy when you have created something from the ground up — especially when that something becomes a certified wildlife habitat.
One Redditor with a flair for natural landscaping posted a series of photos on a subreddit celebrating the "biodiverse lawns era," excited to share how one can take matters into their own hands and build a personal sanctuary.
Setting up your lawn to match your preferences can be a process. However, the rewards of doing so, especially a native plant lawn, are lasting. This Redditor demonstrated that putting in some initial work can still be beneficial seven years later.
"I am a native plant nut and wanted pollinator and bird habitat, so I immediately went to work creating garden beds," the OP shared.
The first photo showed an area that needed little tending, being mostly dirt and scattered plants. The next photo highlighted a huge transformation, including stepping stones and garden art.
"It took me 1 1/2 hours to mow all that grass," the OP said of their yard before the transformation. Today, the lawn is everything they envisioned. "I have more bees & butterflies than ever before, and I now have nesting birds on my property."
Native plant lawns are much more than just visually appealing. According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, native plants ease pollution, the burden of maintenance, and boost your bank account. What a win.
As native plants have developed in a specific area over many years, they can grow quickly with deeper roots, enduring harsh weather conditions while remaining intact. Since they exist organically, they don't need as much water as nonnative species. In fact, native plants can remove harmful pollutants from the air and prevent water run-off.
The plants featured in the post ranged from osoberry and twinberry honeysuckle to goldenrod and vine maple. This is great for pollinators. As mentioned by the Department of Agriculture, 35% of the world's food crops depend on pollinators. By nurturing native plant lawns, even partial ones, we contribute to food security. The benefits keep growing.
The poster received kudos for the transformation, with one user commenting, "It's absolutely gorgeous!"
Another user praised the beauty by saying: "Wow! What a glow up!"
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