In the U.S., more than 40 million acres of land are covered by lawn. To be sure, turfgrass produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide just like other plants. It prevents soil erosion by wind and water. It creates curb appeal—a neutral, nearly universal surface.

But lawns crowd out the many gorgeous, hardy, unique native plants that call Illinois and other parts of the country home. Most grasses used in lawns were imported. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) isn’t from the American South; it hails from Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Native animals don’t use it for food and shelter. The lawn may as well be an ecological dead zone.

There’s a solution: landscaping with native plants. Here’s your guide to getting started.

Guests:

• Eileen Davis, environmental educator, Lake County Forest Preserves
• Alyssa Firkus, director of education, Lake County Forest Preserves
• Becky Mathis, landscape architect, Lake County Forest Preserves
• April Vaos, public program specialist, Lake County Forest Preserves

Forest Preserves Mentioned

• Independence Grove Forest Preserve (Libertyville)
• Native Seed Nursery (Grayslake)

Selected Links and Sources:

• Bee balm
• Christmas fern
• Common buckthorn
• “Do wildlife-friendly gardens have to look messy?”, My Home Park
• “Environmental benefits of healthy lawns,” University of Minnesota Extension
• Eutrophication
• Lady fern
• “The Lawn Is An Invasive Species,” The Long Island Conservancy
• “Lawn maintenance and climate change,” Princeton Student Climate Initiative
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• National Gardening Association
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Native Landscaping Programs
• Native Plant Sale
• Native Plants and Healthy Hedges
• “#NoMow Days and Other Ways to Trim Your Grass and Your Emissions,” Utah Department of Environmental Quality
• OAKtober Celebration: Native Tree and Shrub Sale
• “The Perfect Green Lawn is the American Dream. But It Shouldn’t Be,” Outside Magazine
• “Plant Native,” National Wildlife Federation
• Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves
• “Reconsider lawn maintenance for the good of the planet,” Iowa City Press-Citizen
• Solomon’s seal
• “Tips to Make a ‘Messy’ Wildlife Garden Look Good,” Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Volunteer for the Forest Preserves
• “Your Yard is a Stealthy Fossil Fuel Guzzler—Give it a Climate Makeover,” National Audubon Society

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ endowment campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate.

Have questions or comments? Send them to WordsOfTheWoods@LCFPD.org.

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, Environmental Communications Specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Eileen Davis, Alyssa Firkus, April Vaos and Becky Mathis. Script editing by Eileen Davis, Alyssa Firkus, Kevin Kleinjan, Ty Kovach, Jeanna Martinucci, Becky Mathis, Kim Mikus, Matt Mulligan, Rebekah Snyder, Matt Ueltzen, April Vaos and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.