District 65 schools are lawn-heavy, often unshaded and, for kids on playgrounds, often extremely hot. NHE plantings engage classes of students to learn about the many benefits of trees. NHE also helps organize adult volunteers for plantings. Find the tree request form below.
Natural Habitat also provided fencing and mulch.
The mother trees have thrived in Evanston’s specific environment, suggesting that these baby oaks also will flourish in Evanston. Grown by Tom Klitzkie of Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, they include red, swamp white and bur oaks.
Oaks are the top tree for wildlife, acorns feed diverse birds, mammals and insects, and oaks are larval host to more than 500 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars. Larval host means these hundreds of species of pollinators require oak leaves to develop to adults, just as monarch caterpillars need milkweed in order to develop to butterflies. Twigs and other tree parts also feed wildlife.
Recognizing the value of diversity in our urban canopy, Natural Habitat can contribute other diverse native trees. These trees must be collected from the nurseries, and we welcome help bringing the trees to Evanston if trucks or vans are available. Delivery charges reduce what we can spend on trees. (Heritage oaks are grown in Evanston, avoiding transport issues and costs.)
Yard Maintenance Brochure in English and Spanish, NHE
Petition delivered to Mayor Biss, Council members, City Manager Stowe, Clerk Mendoza, Ms. Pollock and Ms. LeBlanc Fisher, April 2023. From Citizens’ Climate Lobby and Climate Action Evanston (formerly Citizens’ Greener Evanston)
Gardening that Matters. Get Started or Enhance your Native Garden. March 2023 presentation to North Shore Senior Center's Tuesday Club. A simple way to take action for climate, community healthand biodiversity: Swap out your lawn for native plants. Reconsidering theculture of lawns. Why it matters, steps to prioritize, how to get started, andhow to amplify the change. Leslie Shad of Natural Habitat Evanston presents.
Presentation on Transitioning from Turf (Powerpoint), January 2023. Touches on the issues with turf, why native plants, why leave leaves, concerns about neonicotinoids and outdoor lighting.
Transitioning from Turf presentation to FLOW (Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, Columbus, Ohio) lead by Leslie Shad, NHE Lead. DIscusses the issues with turf, why native plants and why leave leaves, the concern about neonicotinoids, and how to navigate outdoor lighting.
Sign up for the NHE Newsletter
District 65 Process for New Trees and Native Plants at Schools
Website database: search your zip code for plants ranked by Tallamy
Audubon Plants for Birds Database
From Saving you Money to the Air you Breathe: Tree Benefits
Chicago Audubon Society Plants for Birds
Plants measured as host plants for US caterpillar species from Doug Tallamy, Univ of Delaware
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - search native plants by state
Donating to Climate Action Evanston and earmarking your donation for Natural Habitat Evanston. You can further earmark your donation to one of our initiatives.
Join our Pollinator Pledge and let the city and landscapers know we care about sustainable yards. Take an optional yard sign to spread the word.
$25/bag to local residents (pickup; no shipping). We also have some $5 seed packets of bottlebrush and little bluestem grass. While supplies last. Emails should include your phone number and which species you are requesting. Pay by check payable to Citizens’ Greener Evanston at pickup.
Help at outdoor workdays
Rethink how you Lawn
Northwestern students Petition for Bird-Friendly Films at Mudd Library. Mudd Library accounts for over 14% of bird deaths and injuries on campus each year. Applying patterned window film to a portion of the building would dramatically reduce collisions that are fatal to birds.
Get updates and share your thoughts on our FB Group. You can also check out our FB page here https://www.facebook.com/NaturalHabitatEvanston
Just want to spread the word on certain steps? Mow Less-Leave Leaves (2-sided yard sign) or Leafblowers sign
Get news the next time there is a threat to Isabella Woods. (Only sent when there is news.)
Provide Food, Water, Shelter, Places to Raise Young and Sustainable Steps for wildlife. It helps Evanston maintain its NWF Community-wide Wildlife Habitat certification.
