U of MN Extension Service AG-MI-07448-GO
Revised 5/2000

Restore Your Back Yard and Your Shoreland With Native Vegetation.

Vera Krischik

INCREASE HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE

Native plants provide food for native wildlife such as birds, butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects that help control insect pests

REDUCE YOUR LAWN MAINTENANCE

Native plants are adapted to the local environment and need less watering and fertilizing. Practice integrated pest management (IPM) and use fewer chemicals for a healthier land and environment

Lake with Lilypads and a Forest in the Background

PROTECT WATER QUALITY

A vegetated buffer along your lakeshore helps to filter out pollutants and sediment before they enter the lake. Aquatic plants are especially efficient at trapping nutrients before they pollute the waterways

Natural Vegetation with a Lake in the Background

BEAUTIFY YOUR PROPERTY

Native plants along the water's edge create a more attractive view. Add meandering walkways and sitting benches to enjoy the landscape.

Natural shorelands are delicate ecosystems critical to the health of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes

You can create a more natural shoreland through the process of native revegetation or landscaping with native plants. Choosing the right plants for you back yard helps to restore plant communities, creating diverse habitat for wildlife. Natural shorelands give us privacy, enhance our property values, control erosion, improve water quality and fish habitat, and increase native plant and animal diversity.

UPLAND	WET PRARIE	EMERGENT	SUBMERGENT
Liatris species blazing star	Asclepias incarnata swamp milkweed	Alisma plantago-aquatic water plantain	Nelumbo lutea American lotus
Enchinacea angustifolia purple coneflower	Carex comosa bottlebrush sedge	Pontederia cordata pickerelweed	Vallisneria americana wild celery
Andropogon gerardii big bluestem	Iris versicolor blue flag iris	Sagittaria latifolia arrowhead	Nymphaea odorata white water-lily
Monarda fistulosa wild bergamot	Juncus effusus soft rush	Scripus species bulrush
Ratibida pinnata gray-headed coneflower	Lobelia cardinalis cardinal flower	Typha latifolia cattail
Veronicastrum virginicum Culver's root		Sparganium americanums bur-reed

For More Information
Websites: CUES, Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability, www.entomology.umn.edu/cues
MN DNR, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, www.dnr.state.mn.us
University of Minnesota Extension Serviec, www.extension.umn.edu
Funding: Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities Area, Gervais Lake Shoreland Project
Cooperators: Gervais Lake Association; Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District; Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; University of Minnesota Extension Service

Plant species vary by region. Consult an expert for final determination. Transplanting aquatic species to DNR protected waters requires a DNR permit.

Watershed Logo DNR Logo CUES Logo

Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension Service.

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