Huron County Backyard Ecosystems

06/01/2026

We had a little casualty with one of our seedling cups... Maybe a little hard to see at first 😜. Anyone else having any mishaps with plants or seedlings? Share in the comments!

06/01/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Gail Jaycock, our May 2026 Photo Draw Winner! 🎉

Gail has also been one of our tremendously generous plant donors and a big reason why so many plants have been given away so far!. A huge thank you to everyone who shared photos of the native plants you've added to your gardens this spring. We loved seeing the incredible variety of species being planted across Huron County and the growing commitment to creating habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

As our May winner, Gail will receive:

- A $50 Gift Card to Golden Alexanders Native Plant Nursery
- An autographed copy of Our Green Hearts by Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- A $50 Gift Card to Huron Ridge Greenhouses

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our generous sponsors:

💚 Golden Alexanders Native Plant Nursery for donating the $50 gift card and for their continued support of native plant gardening in Huron County. Their incredible selection of native plants has helped countless gardeners create habitat right in their own backyards.

💚 John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund for generously funding the cost of the autographed copy of Our Green Hearts by Diana Beresford-Kroeger, helping us inspire even more people to connect with nature through native plants.

This is exactly what the Photo Draw is all about—celebrating the people who are making a difference, one plant at a time.

📸 Didn't win this month? Keep those photos coming!

Every time you add a new native plant to your garden in 2026, you can enter again. Simply:

- Plant a native species in Huron County during the 2026 growing season
- Take a photo of your newly planted native plant
- Post it publicly on Facebook
- Tag Huron County Backyard Ecosystems

Your June entry could be our next winner!

Together, we're helping build a healthier, more connected landscape for pollinators, birds, and wildlife across Huron County—one native plant at a time. 🌿🦋🐝

05/31/2026

Goderich Community Garden is officially a butterfly nursery 🦋❤️

Send a message to learn more

05/31/2026

A walk around the garden. Some of you know I have been a bumblebee surveror at Pinery Provincial Park. It's a great exeprience and you should try it! It has helped me ID species on my own property too. Yesterday I was able to observe my first Yellow Bumblebee! (Buombus fervidus) Head out and see what you can discover in your own 'Backyard Ecosystem'!

05/30/2026

Oh what a beauty! Thank you Woodlands Links Golf Course for supporting and protecting our amazing (and so vulnerable) painted turtles! 🐢

I'm a firm believer that every dollar you spend is another vote for how you want your world to be. Choosing to support local businesses that give back to the community or to the environment in small and large ways is so important for our future and prosperity! Way to go Woodlands Links Golf Course! 👏🏻

05/30/2026

📸 🌱 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗪! 🌱 📸

We've received some fantastic entries already, and there's still time to get yours in before entries close tomorrow at 𝟳:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠.

This month's photo draw is generously sponsored by 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘆, and we'll be announcing the winner tomorrow at 𝟴:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠.

If you've never made the trip to Golden Alexanders, I can't recommend it enough. It's one of my favourite native plant destinations. Every visit seems to uncover something new, whether it's a hard-to-find species, a unique woodland plant, or simply a chance to browse their incredible selection of native plants. Their passion for native ecosystems really shows in everything they do.

🌱 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵? If they've been transplanted into the ground, we'd love to see them!

𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿:

✅ Post a photo of your newly planted native plant
✅ Make sure your post is 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖
✅ Tag 𝗛𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀

That's it!

If your giveaway seedlings aren't quite ready for planting yet, don't worry. Some of our spring giveaways included young seedlings that may need a little more time. Hang onto them, get them planted in June, and you'll be eligible for the 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝘄 instead.

Every photo helps showcase the amazing native planting happening across Huron County. It inspires others, raises awareness of the incredible work being done by local gardeners, and helps normalize native plant gardening throughout our communities.

🌼🐝🦋 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲—𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱!

05/28/2026

I'm sharing the current state of the Pearly Everlasting plants that I planted in a small garden bed at a relative's house, maybe 3 years ago:

I came by to do a little weeding and noticed the Pearly Everlasting looking a little chewed up and covered in webbing.

Rather than be disappointed that it's being eaten I get VERY pumped when I see this 💚. This means that the Pearly Everlasting is doing exactly what it needs to do. HOSTING! Pearly Everlasting is one of only a few plants that the Painted Lady butterfly caterpillars can eat. Knowing this, the female butterfly will seek out only those plants that her babies can eat when she decides where to lay her eggs. 🐛

At least one butterfly found these patches and laid eggs, and now there are TONS of caterpillars. This means the plants will look a little beat up for a while when they're feeding babies but they'll bounce right back! AND the bonus is that there will be lots more butterflies because they got what they needed from this 'Backyard Ecosystem '.

It's amazing how the ecosystem can transform when we plant reasons beyond just for their beauty! 💚🐛🌻🐝🦋🌿

05/26/2026

🌿📸 The countdown is on for May’s Plant It Forward photo draw!

We’ve already had SO many incredible entries this month — and honestly, seeing native plants going into the ground all across Huron County has been unbelievably encouraging. Every single photo helps tell a bigger story: that native plant gardening is growing, becoming more visible, and becoming a normal part of our communities. 🌎💚

The best part? There is STILL lots of time to join in!

If you're in Huron County and have recently planted a native tree, shrub, wildflower, grass, or even added a small container planting with native species, snap a photo and share it publicly on Facebook or Instagram while tagging Huron County Backyard Ecosystems to be entered into the draw. 🌱

These posts do more than enter you for prizes — they help inspire neighbours, spark conversations, and raise awareness about the amazing things people in Huron County are already doing for pollinators, birds, biodiversity, and healthier backyard ecosystems.

This month’s sponsor is also truly special. Huge thank you to Golden Alexanders for supporting Huron County Backyard Ecosystems right from the very beginning. They’ve been an absolute pleasure to work with and are one of those rare places where you can find an incredible diversity of native plants — including many species that are surprisingly difficult to source elsewhere. And the pricing? Genuinely accessible for people wanting to start or expand a native garden. 🌼

If you haven’t checked them out yet, you absolutely should. Their catalogue is packed with amazing species for every type of garden and skill level. 🌿

05/26/2026

EDIT: Thank you so much! All these plants have now been spoken for. Please continue to follow for more plants to be given away! We're not done yet :)

FREE NATIVE PLANT PICKUP

Another wave of native plants is ready for new homes!

Supplies are VERY limited for some species, so pickup will be first come, first served.

This is such a fun combination of plants because each one brings something completely different to the garden.

Butterfly Milkweed is one of the MOST recognizable native pollinator plants out there, with bright orange blooms that absolutely glow in the summer garden while supporting monarchs and many other pollinators.

Bluestem Goldenrod is one of the most sought-after goldenrods in native plant gardening — and for good reason. Unlike what many people picture when they hear “goldenrod,” this species has graceful arching stems and incredible texture that adds movement and softness to the garden. It’s a true late-season pollinator powerhouse and part of the incredibly important goldenrod keystone group often highlighted by Doug Tallamy for supporting biodiversity and native insects.

And Nodding Wild Onion might just be one of the prettiest native onions around. The soft pink dangling blooms almost look ornamental, but they’re also valuable to pollinators and surprisingly easy to tuck into sunny gardens.

As always, these are young plants now, but they’ll grow into hardy long-lived native perennials that support bees, butterflies, and biodiversity for years to come.

Please only take one of each species unless we’ve made arrangements ahead of time. This helps us spread plants throughout as many gardens as possible across the community.

FREE porch pickup while supplies last. PM for address, possibility of drop off if I’m in your area.

And don’t forget — we would LOVE to see these plants thriving in your gardens later this season! Every photo shared through our photo contest helps inspire others, normalize native plants in everyday landscapes, and spread awareness throughout Huron County.

Special thanks to our amazing photo contest sponsors:
Golden Alexanders
John Hindmarsh Environmental Fund

Let’s keep working toward our shared goal:

60,000 native plants planted every year.
A plant for every person in Huron County.

05/26/2026

🌱💚 𝐖𝐎𝐖… 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟕𝟎 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒! 💚🌱 ...and more to come!

That’s over 170 new opportunities to support pollinators, restore habitat, and make our community a greener, healthier place. 🐝🦋

But what’s been even more inspiring has been hearing all of your plans. So many people have shared their excitement about creating pollinator gardens, transforming sections of lawn into habitat, or adding native plants to existing flower beds. 🌼

Every time someone shares a photo of their newly planted native plant, it plants a seed for someone else to consider adding just one native plant to THEIR space too.

One yard inspires another.
One garden inspires another.
One plant at a time. 🌱

That’s how grows — and how we move toward our goal of:
💚 𝐀 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 💚

A huge thank you as well to our generous monthly draw sponsors:

🌿 Golden Alexanders for generously donating a gift card prize to support the initiative — and for offering such an AMAZING catalogue of native plants for our community to explore!

📚 John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund for generously covering the cost of the autographed copies of Our Green Heart by Diana Beresford-Kroeger included in the monthly prize draws.

Community support like this helps make these giveaways possible, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has participated, shared posts, picked up plants, encouraged friends, or followed along with enthusiasm.

Let’s keep planting kindness, beauty, and biodiversity together. 🌎💚