Illinois couple replaces lawn with native plants; wildlife flourishes after five years

When Crystal Fritz and James Reed McGuire moved from a Chicago condominium to Highland Park, Illinois, in late 2020, they had little experience with outdoor gardening. Rather than maintain a conventional suburban lawn, the couple decided to create a native garden that could provide food and shelter for birds, bees and other wildlife. Over the next five years, they gradually replaced most of the grass across their quarter-acre property, learning through trial and error which plants belonged in the region. Their garden now contains more than 130 species native to northern Illinois and attracts an array of wildlife, including foxes, bats, butterflies, birds and fireflies. What began as a personal effort to make their yard more wildlife-friendly has also encouraged neighbours to reconsider their own gardens.How the couple began transforming their lawnMcGuire, an avid birdwatcher, wanted their new home to offer more than a conventional stretch of grass. The couple had previously grown herbs and flowers in containers on their Chicago balcony, but neither had much experience managing a garden on a larger property.They began researching native plants and how to create a habitat suited to l...