Showing what a year can do, one Redditor shared photos of their pollinator garden explosion.

The first of the three photos in the r/NativePlantGardening showed how things looked after the original poster "tore out" their existing lawn. 

The second pic showcases the newly planted natives, while the third one displays the garden in full bloom.

"This year I've watched them explode, covered with a variety of bugs, bees, butterflies and moths," the original poster said. "Can't wait to see how it continues to develop!"

As the photos show, upgrading your yard to a native haven can bring colorful aesthetics and a bounty of friendly nature to your home. Providing a space for bees, moths, and butterflies to roam aids the food chain that these creatures maintain. 

Pollinators need native plants for food, foraging, and protective nesting — without them, they can die off or be forced to search elsewhere for vital resources.

After landscape mishaps like plastic netting and landscape fabric, converting to a pollinator garden can save your outdoor space. Natural yards are less expensive to maintain than monoculture lawns since they require less water and overall care. The most intense work is at the beginning when you're rewilding the space with mulch and compost, deweeding, researching native seeds, and planting. 

As your plants bloom, say goodbye to the carbon exhaust and noise pollution from gas-powered lawn mowing. Plus, native plants produce oxygen and absorb excess carbon that would otherwise trap heat in the atmosphere. Less mowing means one less expense, whether you pay for maintenance or buy equipment to do it yourself.

One can grow flowering ornamental plants like butterfly weed or healthy produce that saves trips to the grocery store. Groundcovers like clover and foamflower can shade out weeds and stabilize soil to prevent erosion. 

Positive feedback and advice for more progress flowed in the comments. 

How would you describe your gardening skills? I can grow anything 😎 I can grow some stuff 🧑‍🌾 I don't kill every plant 😬 I shouldn't be allowed near plants ☠️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"This rules! You've got some gorgeous soil under all that, too!" said one.

Some mentioned the patches of bare soil that may be at risk of weeds, and they properly advised using mulch. Mulching is a vital step in rewilding a space in preparation for a native garden since it adds nutrients and moisture to the soil as it breaks down.

Another gardener expressed, "I've turned into a Bug Pokémon lover since I started native gardening."

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