Your Yard Can Feed Birds And Pollinators

Your yard can look “perfect” and still be a dead zone. I’m Brad Tabke, founder of A Better Yard, and I’m sharing what I keep seeing every spring: one property buzzing with birds and insects, the next one silent under a modern lawn system built around control. Once you notice that contrast, it changes the question from “How do I make this look flawless?” to “What does this space do for life around me?”

We walk through our F’s framework for sustainable yard care: eliminate chemicals, feed pollinators and birds, save clean water, and store carbon. Feeding birds and pollinators is the gateway because it hits the heart first. When monarchs and lightning bugs disappear and morning birdsong fades, it feels like a real loss. The good news is how fast nature answers when you give it a foothold with native plants, diverse flowers, and better habitat. We also talk about why some popular landscape choices, even beautiful ones, can support very little wildlife and what to look for instead.

Then we get practical with a “rebel garden”: a small patch of lawn removed and replaced with densely planted native flowers and grasses. It’s designed to be manageable, to create a quick win, and to turn your yard into something that actually participates in the local ecosystem. If you want step-by-step guidance, we share how to join us at member.abetteryard.org, plus an option for getting a rebel garden designed and installed if you’re near Shakopee, Minnesota. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review, then tell us: what’s one small change you’ll make to bring life back?

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Transcript

Spring Wake Up And Yard Reality

Brad Tabke 0:04

Hello and welcome, my friend, to a better yard podcast. My name is Brad Tabke. I'm the founder here at A Better Yard. It is my honor to have you here with us today. In the month of May, we have been focusing on F's for a Better Yard. So Fs, eliminate chemicals, feed pollinators and birds. S the first S is save clean water, and second S is store carbon. And so we've been focusing on those things, which we do every single month. Uh, have a different theme for members at a better yard, which you can check out at member.abetteryard.org, and happy to have you join us there. And so this is one of my favorite times of the year. So the flowers are all starting to bloom, the yards are filling in, the birds are really busy, the bees are out working, and everything feels alive. I always have a bit of uh reality shock, I guess one of the best ways to say that we have legislative session uh and I'm uh state representative, and so the early May, end of April through about now is always extremely, extremely busy. And so I have uh I'm at the Capitol basically from dawn until dusk, and more often uh till midnight. So I don't really see the outside very much for two, three weeks uh during this this transition period, and it always is a shock to the system when I finally realize holy cow, there are leaves and everything is butted out and everything is growing and everything is thriving, and it's so exciting to like surface after a session is over, which we are at now, and see the world as it absolutely is. So it is just a really, really great time of year to get outside and to do some things, and so this is the time of year when people start to notice things. You can definitely feel the difference almost immediately. And one yard has birds moving around constantly, insects, they have weeds in the yards, they have butterflies floating through, and life is happening.

When Perfect Lawns Feel Lifeless

Brad Tabke 2:05

And the next yard where they use a ton of chemicals, where they uh mow really short, is lifeless. It is dead. There's nothing growing there, and it may be a perfect green yard, it may be uh, you know, tightly hedged shrubs, it may be black or red mulch and perfect edging, but there is no movement, there's no sound, there's no life. It's just like outdoor furniture. You have a place to be that doesn't support life. And I think that more people are starting to realize that modern lawn systems sold us a very strange definition of what success is in our yards. Because for decades we were told that the goal was control, perfect lawn, perfect edges, no weeds, no insects, no leaves, no mess, no biology. But the more perfect many landscapes become, the less life they actually support. And I saw a post this morning from someone who I respect dearly who uh was talking about the fact that we have are not the only animals and the only living beings that deserve to live on this earth. Everyone has a place, everyone has a place to be, and we have evolved over eons to support a full diversity of life in these ecosystems and these habitats. And it is up to us as humans to make sure that we're continuing to support that. And I think that deep down, a lot of people understand that and know that something is wrong with where we're at right today. One of the things we talk about all the time at a better yard is our F's framework. So, again, that's the theme of the month here. And so we work to eliminate chemicals, feed birds and pollinators, save clean water, and store carbon. And the feed birds and pollinators part is usually the gateway for people to enter into our system because it is emotional, it is tied to our hearts, it is tied to our minds, and people notice when monarchs disappear, people notice when lightning bugs disappear, and people, just like you, notice when they stop hearing birds in the morning. And that feels like a loss. It is a visceral, deep thing that everyone is starting to recognize that it is uh something that we can

The F’s Framework For Better Yards

Brad Tabke 4:10

do something about. And then one day you plant something helpful, and suddenly your life starts showing back up again. Last week I had someone had heard a podcast and they're like, You hate ginkgos? And I'm like, No, I don't hate anything. We can't possibly hate ginkgos because ginkgos are beautiful, they are like a prehistoric dinosaur of a plant, they're really cool in that way, but they don't belong here, they uh are not meant to be growing in our area, and for that, they do a wonderful job of being a shade tree on streets. They do a really good job of adapting to those kinds of uh situations, but they also don't support any life. There are no insects, there are virtually no birds, there are no things that ginkos, uh, ginkgo trees support, and so for therefore, I don't hate them, but I don't need them here. There are better things that we can support that uh that will grow and help with songbirds and caterpillars and insects, and it people are starting to notice, and people are starting to see that these are things that we can do, and those are specifically our choices that we are making and what we together want to support. And so people plant native plants and flowers suddenly, and they're texting me pictures of their goldfinches, which are supported by oaks and not ginkgos. They notice bees all over their yard for the first time, and bees are not supported by ginkgos, they're supported by oak trees as well, and other flowers and other perennials, and their kids are suddenly paying attention to the butterflies instead of screens for five minutes. And so, what's fascinating is how quickly our life responds when you give even a small opportunity. That's the hopeful part in all of this. And nature is not asking all of us to become full-time prairie restoration experts overnight, it is just asking for more habitat, more flowers, more diversity, more grasses, more places for life to exist in our yards.

Why Some Popular Plants Fail Wildlife

Brad Tabke 6:05

This is where I think traditional lawn culture completely misses the point because we've spent decades building landscapes almost entirely around what humans want, our human aesthetic, when I said, like I just said, all life deserves a place here in our habitats instead of the ecological function that these plants provide. Everything became about appearance, how green is it, how short is it, how clean is it, how controlled is it, how much does it look like center field, how much does it look like a golf fairway? These are the epitomes of perfection that we hold our landscapes up to, but they don't provide life. Meanwhile, birds and pollinators are basically standing on the property line, like, hey, this is all great and it's pretty and everything, but there is nothing for us here. There's no food, there's no nourishment, there's no habitat, and is there anything that they can do here in our yard? And a lot of the times the answer is simply no. A huge percentage of our landscapes are ecological deserts. Not because people are bad, not because homeowners don't care, but because they inherited a system that prioritizes control over life and aesthetics and beauty over supporting our habitats. There are dozens and dozens of types of shrubs and perennials that just don't support anything here, like the ginkgo. So, like if you have a hydrangea, for example, hydrangeas don't support anything. They're beautiful. I love them, and you can have one or two of them, but they cannot be your landscape because they don't support anything. If they cannot be your landscape if you want to support life and habitat around you, because they don't support anything. And so we need to make sure that this system that we have inherited that does prioritize control over life, and once you see that, you start looking at landscapes differently. And you stop asking, how do I make this yard look more perfect? And you start asking, what does this yard actually do for life around me? Does it support pollinators? Does it support birds? Does it absorb water? Does it build healthy soil? Does it function like a living ecosystem? Or is it just expensive scenery and outdoor furniture? This isn't all about guilt. I don't want people feeling ashamed because they have a lawn or because they have ginkgos or because they have hydrangeas. Most of us inherited these landscapes and the intent of these landscapes. Most of us were taught the same things, and most of us grew up believing that the perfect lawn was the goal. This is about recognizing that there's a better option available to you now. It's not perfection, it's not ripping out your entire property, just taking one step toward a yard that gives something back. And we want to make sure that you are prioritizing these F's systems, especially that gateway kind of intro into our F's framework, which is feeding birds and pollinators. This is a really, really critical one that you can do so very easily, and you can get done right now. And so it's a it's a solid

Rebel Gardens As A First Win

Brad Tabke 8:50

weekend project, and we want to help you get there. And so the it's exactly why next month, so the month of June at a better yard, is all about growing a rebel garden. And so we as uh members of a better yard, we're gonna be talking about growing a rebel garden because I think a lot of people are ready for something different, not a full prairie restoration, not an overwhelming landscape project, not something impossible that you want to post on Pinterest, just a manageable first step toward a healthier yard, a better yard. That's what a rebel garden is. So a rebel garden removes a section of unnecessary lawn, usually around the size of one or two parking spots, 100, 200 feet square feet, and replaces it with densely planted native flowers and grasses designed to support birds, pollinators, clean water, healthy soil, and more resilient landscapes. So it's intentionally manageable. I want you to have something that you are able to grasp. I want you to have something that you are able to manage, that you are able to handle without being overwhelmed. So, because most people don't need another big project, they need momentum. And so you need a first win and you need to see what happens when life comes back into your yard. I have pictures of a single plant, I don't remember what it is, but a uh neighbor, I go for a walk most every day that's a three-mile walk with a dog, and they have just one single plant along the retaining wall. And I'll find a picture of that picture of it. They have one single plant along the retaining wall, and every fall it is just loaded with native bees. There are so many bumblebees on that plant, and it's just amazing. And so it's incredible what one single plant can do. So people need to see what happens when life comes back into their yard, and that's exactly what rebel gardens do. So within weeks, you start to see bees, butterflies, birds, movement, and life. And over time, those small spaces become some of the most beautiful and meaningful parts of a property because they actually do something, they participate in your ecosystem instead of you fighting against it. And I think there's something rebellious about that right now. We need life, we need to give back, we need to feel like we're part of something bigger. We need to be choosing flowers over chemicals, we need to be choosing habitat over control and choosing life over appearances and choosing a yard that feeds something besides the big chemical lawn industry. That's what growing a rebel garden is really about here. It's not perfection, it's participation, it's inclusion, it's in it's bringing folks into a diverse ecosystem and sharing what we have and the bounties that we have here as humans and what we have with with our yard, making sure that we are making that open for feeding birds and pollinators. So if you've been feeling that pull lately, if you're tired of the constant mowing, watering chemicals, cleanup, and pressure to maintain a perfect lawn that doesn't really give anything back to your habitat. Maybe this is your sign to start something differently. You can start on a small scale, you can start manageably, you can start intentionally with one patch of habitat at a time. And here at a better yard, we have two different

Join The Program Or Get It Installed

Brad Tabke 12:00

ways where you can do that. In June, we are talking working through a rebel garden and showing you exactly step by step for you to handle everything that is with a rebel garden. We'll start from site selection to a design to what plants will work best for you, all of those things from how to install, what to do, all of those pieces will be taught to you at a better yard. So you can head to member.abetteryard.org. It's in the show notes, and you can join a better yard right now and become a member, and you will be here from the beginning of learning exactly how to grow a rebel garden in your home. The next way you can do this is if you're near Shakapee, Minnesota. So this is a location specific kind of thing. We have a service for you called a rebel garden, and you will be able to just to get started and to have us do all of the design installation, everything to teach you how to do this moving forward. And so we handle everything from removing the turf to installing all the plants, everything is handled for you, and then you just maintain it moving forward. And you also get three months of a better yard to learn exactly how to do that in our membership. And so those are two ways that you can do this. You can head to member.abetteryard.org and get started there. Super, super happy to have you here with us. So again, member.abetteryard.org or just a better.yard.org, and you can find all of those things there. So it's been wonderful here in May teaching about the F's framework. So eliminate chemicals, feed birds and pollinators, save clean water, store carbon, and these are things that will make help you build, use this as a filter for building new habitat in your local ecosystem so you have a better yard for everyone to live and thrive. And so again, June is our month to be talking about rebel gardens, and so we are going to be planting lots of plants across the world, and I'm excited to have you here with us. So tune back in next week. Thank you so much.