Backyard Habitats exists to help people reconnect with nature and restore ecological function. By implementing native plant restoration, we guide homeowners in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan to create thriving gardens—vegetable, herb, flower, and native plant spaces—that support pollinators, wildlife, and healthy soil.
Through education and hands-on experience, our mission is ecosystem restoration and it starts in Ohio, beginning right in our own backyards. While conservation organizations protect large natural spaces, meaningful restoration can also happen on a personal scale.
Even small yards can become functional ecosystems. With thoughtful planning and native plants, backyard habitats can support insects, birds, soil health, carbon storage, and long-term ecological balance. Yard by yard, these spaces become stepping stones or corridors to restoring damaged ecosystems.
At the heart of Backyard Habitats is teaching—helping people understand how nature works and how their landscapes can give back rather than take.
Restoring Balance from the Ground Up
Across Ohio, urban development, lawn-centered landscaping, pesticide use, and fragmented habitats have displaced native wildlife and weakened local ecosystems.
Native plants are essential because they support insects that form the base of the food web—especially soft-bodied species like caterpillars. These insects are a critical food source for birds during nesting season and a cornerstone of biodiversity.
Entomologist Doug Tallamy found that a single Carolina Chickadee brings 6,000–9,000 caterpillars to its nest over just 16 days. Without native plants, these food web relationships collapse.
Over thousands of years, native plants and insects evolved together, forming specialized host plant relationships—like Monarch butterflies and milkweed (Asclepias spp.). Many similar relationships exist throughout Ohio and can be supported through intentional native planting at home.
The Hive: Your Native Plant Database
To support education and informed decision-making, we created The Hive—a research-based native plant database focused on Ohio ecosystems, including Northwest Ohio.
The Hive helps homeowners, educators, and community groups select native plants that support hundreds of butterfly, skipper, and moth species (Lepidoptera) while creating landscapes that are resilient and low-maintenance.
Each plant profile includes:
- Bloom time and flower color
- Mature height and spacing
- Soil, sun, and moisture needs
- Wildlife and pollinator associations
- Propagation techniques
Our goal is to make native ecosystem restoration in Ohio more accessible—giving people the tools to build healthy habitats with confidence.
Check out the hive
Our Design and Consulting Services
Backyard Habitats offers personalized design and consulting services rooted in ecology and education.
Themed Gardens
Explore gardens designed around specific themes, from sensory gardens to seasonal interest or educational spaces.
Children’s Pollinator Gardens
Hands-on gardens designed to help children explore nature, observe pollinators, and learn how ecosystems function.
Native Plant Garden Design
Custom designs that prioritize biodiversity, seasonal interest, and long-term resilience using Ohio native plants.
Vegetable and Herb Gardens
Food gardens designed with ecological balance in mind—supporting soil health, pollinators, and sustainability.
Consulting Services
Guidance for homeowners interested in native gardening, soil health, and restoring backyard ecosystems.
Re-imagining Our Landscapes
Non-native lawns now cover millions of acres in the United States, leaving little space for wildlife. Combined with urban expansion and invasive species, this has dramatically reduced functional habitat.
By reducing lawns and planting native species, each of us can help rebuild food webs and restore ecological balance. When multiplied across neighborhoods, these choices create real impact.
Every yard matters.
Restoration can begin at home.
