The Heights NATIVE Pollinator Path
Native plants are beneficial, Beautiful, Resilient, and Essential for a healthy ecosystem!
Fill out this form to request a free sign for local Cleveland Heights OH pickup!
“Garden as if life depends on it”—Doug Tallamy, entomologist/author
The Heights Native Pollinator Path grew up on Bradford Road in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in 2020, and quickly expanded into the community, inspiring neighbors to go wild in their yards.
We’re gardening with plants native to our region to improve habitat for the native wildlife so vital to the health of our planet. We’re planting front yard and tree lawn gardens, small and large, to demonstrate the beauty and resilience of native species that need no soil improvement, fertilizers, or pesticides.
Everyone is welcome, wherever you are! Nature knows no political boundaries. Our group is one of many locally and globally using nature-based solutions to combat climate change.*(see below)
Join our Facebook group to share your experiences with native plants and their visitors!
Do you want to be on the map and/or order a sign? (Gardens in public spaces are also welcome!)
(You may have a garden of native plants in your back yard, but the goal of our project is to demonstrate using ecological gardening in an accessible, public way.)
Here’s how to request a Heights Native Pollinator Path sign:
Plant a selection of native plants in your front yard. Some folks use their tree lawn. Some have a small planting. Some have planted their entire front yard. Whatever area you have dedicated to native plants should be 80% native with no invasive non-native species.
Fill out this form to request a free sign for local pickup!
resources
Heights Native Pollinator Path photos
NE Ohio native plant nurseries
Doug Tallamy explains the different ecosystem benefits of straight species versus cultivars
Educating ourselves and others
Watch these videos by local NE Ohio nature lovers gardening with native species:
*Other local and national pollinator path initiatives
There are many incentives to plant native plants! Participating in a program that promotes connecting habitat is beneficial to the planet, builds community, and educates us.
Here is an alphabetical list of some programs based in NE Ohio, and some that are national, as of summer 2024. There is no competition among them—perhaps you’ll be inspired to start a garden or path with your neighbors, friends, book club, library, school, city, or state.
They each have extensive information about ecological gardening on their websites:
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A hyperlocal initiative in Cleveland’s CHALK neighborhood (Cormere, Haddam, Ardoon, Larchmere, and Kemper.) Participants live on these streets.
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Heights Native Pollinator Path
A program of the nonprofit Friends of Heights Parks. The path, established in 2020, is centered in a Facebook group of 1100+ members who share their experiences gardening with beneficial, beautiful, and resilient native species in public and private spaces. The criteria for a $20 2-sided aluminum sign is a front yard garden with at least 85% native plants, self-reported. Participants can be included on a map, with an option of pictures of their garden included. The group hosts a native plant sale with 4 local nurseries each spring and summer.
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A nonprofit national organization cofounded by Doug Tallamy, their map includes 40,000+ self-reported spaces. Their free signs are available to print as a pdf.
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A nonprofit organization founded in 1936 with a self-reporting certification program. There is a $20 application fee that includes a sign.
Sacred Grounds encourages congregations of any faith to become part of the program, and there are also affiliate state groups (but not in Ohio.)
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The Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland, Shaker Lakes Garden Club, and the Master Gardeners of Cuyahoga County, all nonprofit organizations,established the Nature in my Backyard program in 2023. This is an education and certification program designed to help you understand the most essential steps to building biodiversity in your backyard. At no cost, knowledgeable volunteers will come to your home in Greater Cleveland, identify invasive plants that need to be removed, and suggest native plants that will enhance your yard.
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Northeast Ohio Native Habitat Corridor
The Wild Ones of Greater Cleveland, a chapter of the nonprofit national Wild Ones, launched their program in 2024. “The Northeast Ohio Native Habitat Corridor is a growing movement of native gardens uniting to create massive collective benefit for wildlife and people.” Signs can be purchased at local participating nurseries for $25 +tax, and your garden can be added to their map with pictures.
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A nonprofit organization that grew up in Connecticut and has expanded nationally.
