Native Plants

Schools have the potential to play a vital ecological role in Los Angeles by filling their schoolyards with native vegetation.

Images credit Kat Superfisky/STUDIO MLA

Los Angeles is one of thirty-six biodiversity hotspots in the world, meaning our city boasts exceptional levels of biodiversity but faces significant challenges in preserving it. The primary threat is habitat loss due to urban development and the spread of invasive plants. As the largest landowner in LA County, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has schools strategically located throughout the city, making them ideal sites for planting native habitat gardens. This initiative could potentially create over 1,000 new habitats, which together would form vital wildlife corridors.

Moreover, Los Angeles serves as an important migratory hotspot for birds traveling between Canada and South America, thanks to the diverse range of habitats available in LA County, from sandy shores to mountains.

For children, these habitat gardens can offer more than just ecological benefits. They create rich, sensory learning environments where kids can experience the interactions between plants and animals up close, providing unique opportunities for hands-on learning and connection to nature.

  • Miyawaki Method - Mid City Prescott's School for Enriched Sciences (LAUSD)

    Using the Miyawaki method is a great way to create a dense, healthy, biodiverse native forest. Learn more at LA Micro Forests

  • One Year Later

    The Miyawaki method entails the randomized planting of small saplings from a diverse selection of native shrubs and trees in close proximity, ensuring that no two trees or shrubs of the same height are planted side by side.

    This intricate layering allows each tree to reach its optimal size without directly competing with neighboring trees of the same height, while also maximizing the use of available space within the forest.

  • Toland Way Elementary (LAUSD)

    Habitat gardens are excellent learning environments, though should be planted separate from play areas so they won't be trampled. This garden was planted by the Wild Yards Project

Resources