Study after study show that planting native plants- especially in areas like cities where food is more scarce- makes a *huge* difference for your neighborhood’s insects.
You don’t need to know a ton about plants or be a master gardener here to make a difference. You don’t even need a yard! Have a patch of concrete? Get the biggest pot you can fit there and plant some native plants in there.
For Philly, I’ve had good luck with bee balm, swamp milkweed, and purple coneflower. The milkweed (shown in the drawing above) is a major hit for the bees on my sidewalk. Once you get it going it’s hardy, and gets lots of different insects visiting. Bonus? It’s the *only* plant monarch butterflies can lay eggs on.
If you’re hardcore you can grow plants from seeds, but if you wanna do this on easy mode, find a nursery near you that sells native plants. In Philly there are a few great options, including Good Host Plants and Redbud Nursery.
If you’re not in Philly, you’ll have to do a little research on what works best near you. Prairie Moon can source many different species!
If you have access to public areas, check out The Xerces Society They have lots of resources and even a grant program to supply you with plants. They’re a phenomenal resource.
One last thing- a lot of seeds for native plants need to get super cold before they’ll actually grow, so starting to think about this stuff in December is important if you want to grow from seed. 🌱
