Acre for acre, lawn is the most widely grown “crop” in the United States—providing recreation and beauty for people—but little life-sustaining value. Pollinators, either directly or indirectly, are responsible for one-third of the value of crops produced in the world, but lawn provides nothing for pollinators. In fact, the saying is that lawn is a desert for pollinators. If you’re one of the many interested in pollinator health, it makes sense to give up a little lawn in order to receive the benefits provided by a healthy population of pollinators.

Consider removing lawn from locations in your landscape where it isn’t thriving or isn’t really used for recreation and replace it with a bed of Utah-friendly plants that also provide forage for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other beneficial organisms. You don’t need to dedicate a large area to this purpose. The planting bed shown below is designed just 15 feet long by 6-8 feet wide, but it will create all-season beauty for you while providing a needed food supply and shelter for pollinators. Win/win!