RESOURCES

A great local backyard conservation program is the Bring Conservation Home Program by the St. Louis Audubon Society. They provide individualized land/garden management recommendations and conservation certification levels. There is a similar program serving southern Illinois through Heartlands Conservancy.

The Missouri Botanical Garden has a myriad of resources, including its List of Pollinator Friendly Plants, Guide to Native Landscape Design, Plant Finder Database, the Pollinator Pantry Program in collaboration with St. Louis County Park’s, and the Project Pollinator, a community garden initiative that has a Pollinator Garden Kits!

For inspiration, check out Grow Native! and Brightside St. Louis‘ demonstration gardens (among their other resources offered). To see what other’s are doing in their home gardens, check out St. Louis Open Yards.

Missouri Wildflower Nursery has excellent Missouri native plant offerings, and provides information about the aesthetic value, the value to pollinators, and of course, basic requirements of each plant species.

The St. Louis Native Plant Swap Facebook group is an excellent place to get some free plants and ask your native plant questions.

Xerces Society has region-specific resources in their Pollinator Resource Center, which provide comprehensive recommendations, including plant lists and habitat assessment guides. Missouri is in the south-central region and Illinois is in the great lakes region.

The Pollinator Partnership offers regional recommendations as well through their North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. Our region is covered by a couple planting guides (e.g., Prairie Parkland, Eastern Broadleaf Forest).

Heather Holm has a bunch of resources, including numerous books, plant lists and posters with recommendations for supporting native bees and other pollinators

BeeSpotter has recommendation for making a bee-friendly garden.

If you are interested in building your own bee hotels (or curious who uses them), here is an excellent guides from North Carolina or check out BeeBarns created by Scott Klein.

Michigan State University’s Establishing Pollinator Habitat website includes links to potential funding opportunities! MSD’s Project Clear provides grants for installing residential rain gardens.

Citylab has great infographics summarizing what cities can do to help birds and bees survive.