Turf to Pollinator Gardens

Rusty patched bumblebee with wildflowers

Creating Native Plant Pollinator Havens

Do you want to attract more pollinators in your yard? We’ll show you how, through Turf to Pollinator Gardens. In partnership with Wilderness in the City and others, we planted six native plant pollinator gardens in Twin Cities regional parks.

The gardens replaced turf grass lawn, which offers little food for pollinators. Each garden is unique, demonstrating how native plants can thrive in various site conditions. The native plantings benefit not just pollinators but also birds and other wildlife — and they enhance soil and water quality in the parks.

Educational signs offer information about the plants, and you can learn more about each park project below. We hope the gardens inspire park visitors to take home ideas for using native plants in their own projects!

Summary

The 6 projects, started in 2023, were completed in 2024, adding up to 50,000 square feet of new pollinator habitat. Across 37 planting events, more than 550 amazing volunteers invested their time to help us plant and care for the gardens. They included students, corporate groups, families, friends, and individuals. Thank you!

We know that dedication to continued maintenance will result in additional invested funds and we are grateful to our partners for continuing to care for these projects alongside community volunteers.

Read a blog post about turf to Pollinator gardens

Turf to Pollinator Gardens is funded by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). Additional funding was provided by Lawns to Legumes, St. Paul Audubon Society, and our parks partners.

Several Blue Thumb Partners helped realize the gardens. You can find more about partners for each project by clicking the tiles above.

Questions about Turf to Pollinator Gardens?