As Liz Masur works in the garden at Lee Road Park, she points out the bees, beetles and other insects.
They’re the type of creatures Lawrence officials hope to see more of after planting 5 acres of native gardens across the city’s parks three years ago.
“It’s not just because butterflies are pretty and bees are cute,” Masur said from the garden. “A third of the food that we eat is reliant on pollinators, and if we don’t start doing something about them, we’re impacting our food supply.”
Masur serves on the Lawrence Common Council and helps maintain the gardens, which the councilor says can support the city’s Live Longer in Lawrence campaign. The initiative was created by Mayor Deb Whitfield earlier this year to improve the city’s health and quality of life.
Masur believes in the effort so much that she’s bringing native landscaping to her own neighborhood, Kensington Farms.
Masur, who serves on her neighborhood association’s board, has planted dozens of native plants on her own property and in common spaces around the community. She encourages her neighbors to lean into native landscaping as well.
Purple coneflower grows in the City of Lawrence Butterfly and Pollinator Habitat on July 16, 2025, at Lee Road Park.There are over 20 varieties of flowers and five native grasses growing in the habitat, according to Masur. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Some residents fear the native plants will attract unwanted wildlife. But, experts say native plants are crucial to creating a more sustainable world.
Which is why Masur wants more people to get on board with native landscaping.
“I want people not just to live longer, but I want them to live better,” Masur said. “And there are ways we can do that.”
What are native plants?
Native plants are species that naturally grow in a region. They have adapted to the local environment and provide benefits. They support local ecosystems, improve soil health and aid in stormwater management.
Invasive plants, on the other hand, are not native to an area and can harm an ecosystem. Some species can change the chemical composition of soil, said John Hazlett, district manager of the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District.
John Hazlett and his wife maintain a landscape with native and non-invasive plants at their Indianapolis home. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Many invasive plants, such as Bradford pear trees, are used in home landscaping. Some invasive plants, like shrubby honeysuckle, were used for erosion control decades ago without the knowledge that the plants would spread and take over.
“They are both poisoning the soil and destabilizing it,” Hazlett said. “And they do nothing to help as host plants for the various bugs in particular that we want to attract to serve as food for birds and other wildlife.”
Unlearning landscaping practices
Masur has registered her Kensington Farms yard with Marion County so she won’t be cited for tall grass.
She hasn’t received any complaints about her own yard. But, she said, some neighbors have complained about native plants near a neighborhood pond and along walking paths. They worry the area looks weedy and overgrown, and some are concerned about snakes and mosquitoes.
Grayhead coneflowers and black-eyed susans grows in the City of Lawrence Butterfly and Pollinator Habitat on July 16, 2025, at Lee Road Park. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Masur reached out to several experts, including Hazlett, about it. He confirmed that tall grass does not attract mosquitos. Sitting water does.
Masur said she shared this and other information about the native landscaping efforts in an email to one of her neighbors.
“As to the insects,” Masur wrote in the email, “we are hoping monarch butterflies will lay eggs on the milkweed and reproduce, and that the other pollinators, such as the multiple varieties of bees, will flourish.”
Masur hopes to help people unlearn landscaping practices that have become the norm over the last 50 years — practices such as maintaining turf grass.
Elizabeth Masur works to maintain a patch of land with native flowers and grass on July 16, 2025, at the City of Lawrence Butterfly and Pollinator Habitat at Lee Road Park. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America
She said the well-manicured lawns found in many homes and public spaces don’t provide much habitat and are expensive to maintain.
“I want there to be turf grass to throw a Frisbee for a dog or for kids to play soccer,” Masur said. “But we do not need all the turf grass. It takes a lot of resources, and a lot of it is treated with chemicals which end up in the water.”
Masur’s message has reached at least one neighbor. Allison Cole, who also lives in Kensington Farms, frequently joins Masur to trim the native gardens around Lawrence.
Cole said she wasn’t much of a gardener before, but she has learned a lot about native plants and the benefits they bring.
“I have a lot of these plants in my yard now that are just so life giving,” Cole said. “I’ve seen a monarch butterfly now in my yard.”
Cole hopes more people get on board with native landscaping. She said the effect native plants have goes beyond one’s own backyard.
“It’s really useful and beautiful and is frankly low cost,” she said. “What’s not to love?”
Create your own native garden
John Hazlett is in the process of reclaiming his backyard in Community Heights with native plants, and shared ways you can, too.
Though some might think native plants look weedy or are hard to manage, Hazlett said there are many different types. He encourages people to start small.
“It’s all about right plant, right place,” Hazlett said. “You would always want to put your taller plants, say, in the back of a planting or against a fence to sort of frame the planting.”
John Hazlett and his wife maintain a landscape with native and non-invasive plants at their Indianapolis home. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America
The Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District can help homeowners identify invasive plants in their yard and recommend what can be planted instead. The organization also has workshops throughout the year.
And, like Masur, residents can register their native yards with the city to receive a sign for their yard.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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