Monarch butterflies have evolved alongside plants in the milkweed genus — enabling them to tolerate the toxins present in those plants and rely on them for forage, says Summit Metro Parks biologist Christopher Chaney. "So, when there's no milkweed available, monarch caterpillars have nothing to eat," he adds.
The caterpillars don't only stomach the toxins — they also use them. "They accumulate them into their tissues, making the caterpillars unpalatable to birds,” Chaney says. “About 70 percent of our wildlife species have a somewhat specialized relationship with one plant or a limited group of plants.”
Those flora-fauna relationships are key to a healthy environment — and a major reason to consider making your yard wilder.
“We are aimed at reclaiming as much area as possible for wildlife,” says Chaney. “If we can take a small footprint of lawn and convert that into a grass and wildflower meadow, or plant the native shrub there, maybe a native tree, then that represents a complex resource that wildlife can and will visit and actually depend upon for their survival.”
Summit Metro Parks' Wild Backyards initiative, launched in 2022, champions the cultivation of native plants, the management of invasive plants, the minimization of one’s ecological footprint and more to create better habitats.
Follow the Wild Backyards checklist, with level one steps including implementing actions from a habitat quality list. In regard to wildlife, that includes providing toad, bat, owl, bird or bee shelters, assessing and addressing bird-collision areas and avoiding the use of bug zappers. Level one also recommends starting with planting three or more native species.
“Most other forms of life ultimately depend on plants,” says Chaney. “The number of different native plants we have changes the number of different wildlife that can be supported.”
By cultivating native flora, you can make your yard more hospitable to native species — increasing biodiversity.
“It’s all the way down through bumblebees, butterflies, moths and down to things we can’t see with the naked eye,” Chaney notes. “There are native fungi, native bacteria, nematodes that depend on certain plant species. So, the more diversity we have in our native plant communities, and the more space we allow for nature, the more resources we provide for wildlife.”
Get Started
You can prep your lawn for conversion into a habitat that can support native plants. Though you can’t directly remove residual pesticides and fertilizers in the lawn, you can help speed up decomposition.
“They do move into the water table eventually, or they break down, depending on the chemical, but having more microbial activity in the soil does often help with that,” says Chaney. “Having a higher proportion of organic matter and higher diversity of soil fungi and bacteria increases … the rate of pesticide decomposition.” Though Chaney advises against disturbing the soil unless necessary, you can increase microbial activity by digging small trenches and introducing organic matter like compost or leaf humus into the soil. Kill off the non-native grass using herbicide, wood chips or solarization (placing a tarp over a section of lawn).
Generally, the best times to plant are spring and fall. “Earlier in spring, right after the ground thaws, gives the plant enough time to acclimate to its new position, receive spring rains that will settle soil in around its roots,” he says, adding that the first two weeks of October are also ideal.
Pick a spot for your plant to thrive, dig a hole, pull the plant out of its transfer pot and loosen up the soil or potting media around its roots. “[It] can introduce establishment problems if you plant too much of that media in the hole,” Chaney says.
Place the plant’s roots in the hole, and hold the root ball with one hand. With your other hand, tuck the soil between the roots.
“Once that’s done, and I’m confident there aren’t too many air pockets around the roots, then I’ll go and lightly pat down the soil around the stem and water it … within the first, say, half-hour,” he says.
If it's planted during a drier time of year, watering every two to three days without rain is best. Following that, you won’t need to water most native plants unless weather patterns are unusually dry.
Grow these Ohio native plants:
Prairie Dropseed
Soft green bursts of prairie grass can frame your garden beds if you choose to cultivate prairie dropseed. “It forms a clump 2 to almost 3 feet in diameter,” Chaney says. Allow it to anchor a smaller garden space, or plant several in a larger space. “It’s visually interesting but not overwhelming,” he says. As a host species for some native butterflies, it also attracts beautiful insect life. Plant in soil with average to low moisture and in full sun.
Swamp Milkweed
Summit Metro Parks
Crowned with delicate pink-to-purple flowers, swamp milkweed attracts butterflies. “In nature, we usually only see it in actual wetlands, emergent marshes,” Chaney says. “But it does really well in the average garden bed.” While common milkweed spreads by rhizomes and can take over whole parts of your garden, swamp milkweed doesn’t. “When it’s deliberately planted, it only needs average moisture … and spreads somewhat modestly by seed after two or three years,” says Chaney. “It does provide forage for monarch caterpillars, and its flowers are a nectar source for lots of different critters.” Swamp milkweed tolerates full sun to two to three hours of shade.
Summit Metro Parks
Wild Columbine
Tolerant of part to full sun and drier soil, wild columbine is known for its red blooms on arched stems. “It’s got these beautiful flowers with yellow stamens, contrasted with red to orange corollas,” Chaney says. “When that plant is loaded with blooms, it’s just gorgeous.” Plant in drier soil with part to full shade.
Wild Geranium
Summit Metro Parks
The small purple flowers of wild geranium can tolerate full shade to full sun and provide a spring show in your garden. This plant prefers soil with average moisture. “It can also tolerate slopes,” Chaney notes. “It works well in every garden bed I’ve ever planted it in, but also goes well in a forest edge naturalization.”
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