• Why Naturescape?
  

• Fort Whyte Alive Backyard Biodiversity Program
  

• BYB Progam Components
  

• Other Lawn Alternatives
  

• Organic Lawn Care
  

• References
  

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Traditional lawns are environmentally costly.  In order to maintain a healthy, lush, bright green appearance, they consume large quantities of water, require mowing, which consumes fuel and emits greenhouse gases, provide little habitat value for wildlife, and require fertilizers and pesticides, which consume energy in production and may contaminate local streams and groundwater. Due to these considerations, many people are choosing to reduce the size of their lawns, switch to alternative landscapes, or care for their lawns using natural products and techniques.

Why Naturescape?

In addition to saving energy, time, and money, transforming your yard from a lawn into a diverse landscape with native trees, shrubs, and flowers will provide habitat for local wildlife.  Not only will this provide an area rich in colour, texture, and discovery but it will also help restore the vanishing tall grass prairie landscape or repair the ecological functions of a damaged riverbank.  Manitoba’s tall grass prairie has rapidly vanished and today covers less 1% of its original extent (Morgan, 1999).  By planting native prairie vegetation from local seeds, it helps to ensure that our prairie ecosystem will not disappear altogether (Morgan, 1999). Adding native milkweed plants to your yard will support the reproduction of the endangered Monarch butterfly (Morgan, 1999).  However, tall grass prairie is not the only natural ecosystem in the Winnipeg region.  Aspen parkland, a mix of open grasslands and aspen forest stands, is the most common natural habitat existing in Winnipeg (Naturescape Manitoba, 2006). Other ecosystems include riverbottom forest characterizing stream banks and the wetland ecosystems comprised of swamps, marshes sloughs, bogs and wet meadows. (Naturescape Manitoba, 2006). Therefore naturescaping your yard may involve a variety of projects with different looks, which contribute to a particular ecosystem. A naturescaped yard can be started fresh or integrated into the current landscape by introducing native plants into existing flowerbeds.

Aspen parkland. Source: I. Ward, p.12 in Naturescape Manitoba

Milkweed. Source: I. Ward, p. 141 in Naturescape Manitoba

Yard before naturescaping. Source: J.Shearer, p.31 in Naturescape Manitoba

Yard after naturescaping. Source: J.Shearer, p.31 in Naturescape Manitoba

Riverbottom forest. Source: D. Kumec, p.13 in Naturescape Manitoba