Charlotte offers new registry to protect pollinator gardens from code violations

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte residents can now register their yards as natural habitats, a new program designed to protect pollinator gardens from potential code violations while supporting the city’s environmental and climate goals.

This is the first year Charlotte residents can register their yards as natural habitats. It’s a move gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts hope will get folks to rethink what their lawn can be.

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“All of these stems from the goldenrod and from the ironweed and a bunch of other stuff, have pits or hollows in them and a lot of native bees that we love,” said Murray, a gardener. “They sleep in there, and they lay their eggs in there.”

He also understands that to most people, towering plants aren’t usually a sign of a healthy yard.

“We have been trained by modern landscaping to expect a very certain kind of look,” he said.

Murray asked the city council to differentiate intentionally planted pollinator gardens from overgrowth.

Murray asked city council to make the exemption.

They responded with a registry, which allows residents to apply for city recognition as natural landscapes, exempting them from potential citations.

“For us to have over 161 to apply says that this is something that the community has been very interested in,” said Councilmember LaWana Mayfield.

It’s not just about aesthetics.

City offers new registry to protect pollinator gardens from code violations

Mayfield said it’s a way for the city to live up to its climate goals.

Insect populations are declining across the Carolinas, mostly due to urbanization and habitat loss. The gardens are a way to rebuild those former pollinator highways.