Published on July 28, 2021 • Last updated on July 30th, 2022

From Lauren Simpson, creator of St. Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat for HNPAT(July 28, 2021)

• Native-plant locators and information
  • When you want to find plants that are native to your area:
    • Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) regional plant lists: https://npsot.org/wp/resources/plant- lists-by-ecoregion/
    • NPSOT-Houston native plant information: http://npsot.org/wp/houston/native-plant-info/
    • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Native Plant Database: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/
    • Native-plant locator by Zip Code (NWF): https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants (also: https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants)
    • Pollinator Partnership eco-region planting guides: https://pollinator.org/guides
    • Audubon Society native-plant database: https://www.audubon.org/native-plants
    • “Nine Natives” guides (greater Houston area): https://www.katyprairie.org/9-natives
    • Native Plant Lists for Wasps (Heather Holm): https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/plant- lists–posters.html (free for educational use)
  • When you want to check whether a specific plant is native to your area:
    • USDA Plants Database: https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/ (includes interactive map with species data by county)
    • BONAP: http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Traditional/County (species maps by county, organized by genus)

·Texas eco-region information 

• Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) maps: https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_pl_w7000_1187a/pages/maps.phtml
• TPWD information on eco-regions: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education/online- course/wildlife-conservation/texas-ecoregions

·Why native plants matter 

• Why native-plant butterfly and bird gardens are better (Jaime González, for the Katy Prairie Conservancy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puh_g_dMCH8
• Why native flowers are better for bees than non-natives: http://beautifulnativeplants.blogspot.com/2016/07/pollinators-and-native-vs-non-native.html
• Why locally-sourced and -grown native plants matter: http://www.ecobeneficial.com/2015/07/why- locally-sourced-locally-grown-native-plants-matter/
• Native v. cultivar: https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2016/JuneJuly/Gardening/Cultivars
• Native v. non-native milkweed (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1722870314633869&id=1609337762653792
• “Weeding Out 4 Native Plant Myths”: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51248852/list/4-Native- Plant-Myths

·Prairie-conservation organizations (with resources) 

• Native Prairies Association of Texas (also 5 chapters): https://texasprairie.org/
• Katy Prairie Conservancy: https://www.katyprairie.org/
• Coastal Prairie Partnership (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/saveprairies/

·Tip 1: “Mix it up.” 

• Tips on plant variety to support pollinators: http://web.archive.org/web/20140701234902/http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/pollinators-and- flowers/
• Layering plants: http://rockies.audubon.org/news/five-wildscape-principles

·Tip 2: “Embrace imperfection.” 

• Why to leave leaf litter in fall garden beds: https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National- Wildlife/2015/OctNov/Gardening/Leave-the-Leaves and http://content.yardmap.org/learn/wildlife- value-of-a-messy-garden/
• Leaving fall gardens be: https://savvygardening.com/6-reasons-not-to-clean-up-your-garden-this-fall/
• Leaving pithy stems in place for bee nesting: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39422662/list/Small-Carpenter-Bees—Looking-for-a-Home-in-Your-Plant-Stems
• Leaf mold, mulch, and compost: https://www.planetnatural.com/leaf-mold/
• How to prep. garden safely for spring: https://savvygardening.com/spring-garden-clean-done-right/

·Tip 3: “Stock the Nursery.” 

• Bare earth and garden care for native-bee nesting: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/bare-earth-for- native-pollinators/ and http://www.xerces.org/in-your-pollinator-garden-november-2015/
• Building and responsibly maintaining bee hotels for native bees: http://www.foxleas.com/make-a- bee-hotel.asp; https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/mason-bees-raising-beneficial-pollinators;   http://ncagr.gov/spcap/bee/documents/BuildingWildBeeHouses.pdf. But see http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2015/03/bee-hotels-have-unwanted-guests/.
• Designing a garden for native bees: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/32351570/list/How-to-Design-a-Garden-for-Native-Bees
• Host plants by butterfly species: http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterfly%20Gardening/Host%20Plants%20by%20Butterfly%20S pecies.htm and https://npsot.org/wp/houston/files/2014/08/February-2017-NPSOT_HOUSTON- information-pages.pdf

·Wildlife-habitat gardening generally 

• Planting guides by ecoregion (Pollinator Partnership): http://www.pollinator.org/guides
• Simple tips on creating a pollinator-friendly garden: https://pollinatorgardens.org/2016/01/12/design- ideas-for-gardeners/?platform=hootsuite
• Five simple tips to turn a yard into a pollinator paradise: http://blog.nature.org/science/2015/07/20/5- simple-tips-your-yard-pollinator-paradise-bees-butterflies-decline/

• Ten tips for creating a home wildscape: https://www.natureswayresources.com/NLpdf/391LGNewsletter.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2z412WBslMJe4WPWmCp8_KKgJ_ft7HHuUQtCOCnSf7jFbtsQgSOWsS7xQ#page=3 and https://npsot.org/wp/story/2020/12236/
• Butterfly gardening in Houston: http://houstonarboretum.org/2015/03/butterfly-gardening-in- houston/
• Introduction to pollinator gardening: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/pollinators-at-home-intro-to- pollinator-gardening/
• Creating a low-maintenance wildscape (NPSOT): http://npsot.org/wp/story/2009/2188/
• “Neighborly Natural Landscaping in Residential Areas”: https://extension.psu.edu/neighborly- natural-landscaping-in-residential-areas
• Native-bee garden ideas and resources: http://www.houstonnativebees.org/learn/bee-habitats/
• “How to Turn Your Yard into an Ecological Oasis”: https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/02/07/yard-sustainability-native-plants/
• Homegrown National Park (Dr. Doug Tallamy): https://homegrownnationalpark.org/

·Articles and studies on decline of overall insect/arthropod numbers 

• “Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines”: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002547117
• Special feature in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (vol. 118, no. 2): “Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene”: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2?fbclid=IwAR3FipkWDMbn2ATkeKsPyqHZ6dYXO- wdc7c1XmNMf0k6BddDmy5xMQcuFXo#TheGlobalDeclineofInsectsintheAnthropoceneSpecialFeature
• Call for action to avoid declines in insect abundance and diversity: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335554972_Declines_in_insect_abundance_and_diversity_We_know_enough_to_act_now and https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.80
• 4-part series on global insect declines (citing studies):
  • Part 1: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-a-global-look-at-a-deepening-crisis/
  • Part 2: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-vanishing-act-in-europe-and-north-america/
  • Part 3: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-the-tropics-in-trouble-and-some-hope/
  • Part 4: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-how-to-save-insects-and-ourselves/
• “Insect Declines and Why They Matter”: https://www.somersetwildlife.org/sites/default/files/2019- 12/FULL%20AFI%20REPORT%20WEB%20Small_1.pdf
• Blog of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: https://xerces.org/blog (various topics on insect conservation)

·Book recommendations 

• Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, by Jessica Walliser
• Attracting Native Pollinators, by Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
• Bringing Nature Home, by Dr. Doug Tallamy
• Garden Revolution, by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher
• The Living Landscape, by Rick Darke and Dr. Doug Tallamy
• Nature’s Best Hope, by Dr. Doug Tallamy
• A New Garden Ethic, by Benjamin Vogt
• Planting in a Post-Wild World, by Claudia West and Thomas Rainer

·St. Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat 

• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: www.stjulianscrossing.com 
• iNaturalist: laurenjansensimpson
• Facebook: St. Julian’s Crossing-wildlife habitat
• Instagram: @st_julians_crossing
• Pinterest: St. Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat
• Lauren Simpson’s naturalist CV: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dBx721_pMNpEfHUXNQwyn9CQRZMBRPOM6g6sWvN_f Xc/edit?usp=sharing