Host Plant Network - Host Plant Network

Bees on the Block:
a collective planting project!

What if our yards and parkways supported more pollinators?

As a part of our research project, 5 blocks and 60 neighbors in Evanston are growing native plants in their front lawns and parkways (the green space between the sidewalk and street).

We seeded plants directly into the parkway turfgrass to try to find easy strategies for pollinator conservation.

This is part of Libby Shafer's PhD dissertation at Northwestern/Chicago Botanic Garden.

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🎨 illustrations by Liz Anna Kozik, collaged by Libby Shafer

Why native plants?
Native plants are essential to our urban ecosystem, and even small flower patches can make a difference! When grown without chemicals, they can sequester carbon, purify water and air, reduce stormwater runoff, improve soil health, create habitat, and provide foraging resources for pollinators (including the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee).

What did we learn in the greenhouse?
Before launching this block-wide planting project, we tested 40 native plant species in a greenhouse experiment at the Chicago Botanic Garden. We sprinkled seeds into pots of turfgrass and we were amazed - 34 out of 40 species grew in the grass pots and 20 species had more seedlings in turfgrass than in bare soil!

These findings suggest that some native species may serve as lawn alternatives! Now we’re testing them outdoors to see how they perform in real neighborhoods. Parkways may be ideal spots to create habitat corridors for pollinators, and growing native plants from seeds may be an easy, effective way to do it.

How does this project contribute to research?
Many studies show that converting lawns to native plants can support pollinators and improve ecosystem health, but there's a gap between science and action. This study addresses that gap by exploring how neighbors can collectively transform front yards and parkways into connected habitat corridors with foraging resources. By testing planting methods and engaging blocks, we’re examining both ecological outcomes and the social dynamics of shared stewardship.

What are habitat corridors and stepping stones?
Pollinators like bees and butterflies need more than isolated patches of flowers - they need connected pathways to forage, nest, and move between populations.

Habitat corridors are continuous stretches of native plants that link green spaces across neighborhoods, helping pollinators travel safely and maintain genetic diversity.

Stepping stones are smaller patches, like home gardens, that act as mini pit stops, giving pollinators food and shelter as they move through urban areas.

Together, these plantings create a network of support for wildlife, even in densely populated places like Evanston. Your yard can become part of that network!

🎨 by Ava DeCapri of Trapdoor Studio

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