This backyard oasis, at the intersection of urban and rural living, is planted with several varieties of milkweed, other butterfly host plants, and multiple annuals and perennials to invite all pollinating passersby. For some of us, tranquility occurs when nature and man can co-exist for each other’s benefit. The initial efforts have made MY world more beautiful. The long term benefit, even if just in a tiny part, will make THE world healthier and more beautiful…and thereby, tranquil.

We’ve turned our large back yard (and some of our side yard) into a wildflower habitat to support local pollinators and our honey bee hives.

My front yard garden happened thanks to mother nature… I did not plant the flowers shown in the pic, but rather the birds and wind did. They are volunteer transplants from my backyard pollinator garden. So, I rolled with it and now have two gardens. Additionally, I removed the traditional landscape bushes in front of my house (behind these flowers) and seeded it last fall. All kinds of milkweed and other wildflowers are growing there as well!

Flower beds for bees and butterflies.

We have converted our entire front yard and several spots in our backyard to pollinator space, including native wildflowers.

The ‘Heise Home for Monarchs’ butterfly garden was a birthday project, built over the course of one month by husband and wife, David and Sabrina Heise. Featuring over 50 square feet of milkweed, perennials and wildflowers – this habitat is a home for pollinators in the backyard of ours!

Raised-bed garden, soil is amended-sandy, approximately 70 square feet. Bed is made of stone with sitting ledge which provides sunning for monarchs. A tall wall acts as wind break. Garden is irrigated via a drip-line system with timer, allowing native plants slow watering as established (no wet-roots). Plants include perennials, Asclepius Tuberosa (native milkweed), Coreopsis (tickseeds), Bee Balm, Autumn Sage, Buddleia (butterfly bush), and Hollyhock. Included are, water station (mud container), small feeder, habitat-house (albeit prob just end up being pretty yard-art). As garden matures, more plants will be added if/as needed.

We are excited to embark on our butterfly habitat project! We just installed an approximate 1,500 sq ft. garden with native plants, pollinators, and lots of milkweed!

My husband and I just moved had to leave my huge beautiful garden behind. So with his help we removed sod from the front yard and planted exactly what Okie Monarch suggested in a flier I received at my March DAR Broken Arrow Chapter meeting. I planted 2-Butterfly Weed, 2-White and Rose Milkweed, Indian Blanket, 2-Beebalm, 2-Blazing Star, 2-Purple Silvas, 2-Angelonias, lots of Lantana’s in different colors, 2-Aromatic Aster and 2-Showy Goldenrods. I’m not done yet but it is a good start. Followed direction from the Ray Harrel Nature Centers-Chris Ohler where I saw my 1st tiny Monarch Caterpillar on Earth Day! That was SO exciting! I told all my neighbors what I was doing so it’s catching on!

Large flower garden in my front yard around the base of a tree with butterfly friendly plants.