HOMEFRONT COMPASS / GARDEN ECOLOGY

A garden contains
more than plants.

Flowers, insects and passing wildlife are tied together in ways that are hard to see from the patio. Pick one of four relationships in a drawn garden, show the link, then follow it to the California source that covers it.

See the four relationships
FOUR RELATIONSHIPS, ONE DRAWN GARDEN

IN BRIEF

What is going on in my backyard that I can't see?

More than the planting plan shows. Flowers feed pollinators, some insects eat the insects that eat your plants, low cover shelters both, and wildlife passes through on its own routes.

Putting names to any of it takes a real reference: Calscape for native plants and pollinators, UC IPM for garden insects, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for wild animals. The drawing below shows the kinds of links; those references help you check which ones may apply to your yard. Calscape's pollinator matches are predictions to check, not records of what visits.

FOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Which garden relationships are easy to miss?

Pick one, then show the link it draws between two parts of the garden. You are never asked to name a plant, upload a photo or decide whether an insect is good or bad.

DRAWN GARDEN01 / THE FLOWER

NECTAR / POLLEN

FIELD STUDY 01 / 04

A flower connects to a visitor

Native plants and the pollinators they feed

A flower may feed some pollinators and not others. Which insects visit depends on the actual plant, the place and the season, and some specialist pollinators rely on one particular plant species to survive.

Try this: Look up the plants you actually have on Calscape, and treat its matches as predicted plant–pollinator pairings to check, not a record of what visits your yard.

The garden in the drawing is invented. Nothing you pick here is saved or sent anywhere.

ALL FOUR, WRITTEN OUT

What does each relationship mean for a real garden?

The same four notes as the drawing, with the source behind each one. The insects and plants in the drawing are symbols, not species.

01 / THE FLOWER

A flower connects to a visitor

Native plants and the pollinators they feed

A flower may feed some pollinators and not others. Which insects visit depends on the actual plant, the place and the season, and some specialist pollinators rely on one particular plant species to survive.

From CNPS and CBI

The California Native Plant Society announced the Pollinator Hub on Calscape on September 24, 2026: search by pollinator for local native plants, or answer a few questions in its Pollinator Companion Tool for a plant list. The Conservation Biology Institute, which helped build the Companion, says its model predicts plant–pollinator interactions from observation records, bloom periods and pollinator activity, centers on bees for now, and has field validation still planned.

CNPS: Calscape Pollinator Hub announcementCBI: The making of Calscape's Pollinator Companion

Try this: Look up the plants you actually have on Calscape, and treat its matches as predicted plant–pollinator pairings to check, not a record of what visits your yard.

02 / THE LEAF

A second visitor changes the story

Insects that eat other insects

An aphid feeds on a leaf, and a lady beetle or a lacewing larva may be feeding on the aphids. A leaf with insects on it is not automatically a problem to treat.

From UC IPM

UC IPM calls general predators such as lady beetles and green lacewings very important in landscapes with many kinds of plants and pests. Because they eat a variety of insects and mites, they are often already there before pests arrive.

UC IPM: Beneficial Predators

Try this: Identify what is on the leaf before treating anything, and look for ants on the stem. The same UC IPM page says to protect these predators by avoiding pesticides that kill them and keeping ants out of pest-infested plants.

03 / THE UNDERSTORY

The garden has quieter places

Food and shelter for helpful insects

Flowers that open at different times of year, low plants and ground cover give small insects food and shelter at different stages of their lives, including the insects that eat pests.

From UC IPM

UC IPM suggests planting a variety of species that flower at different times, so natural enemies have nectar, pollen and shelter through the growing season. The adults of many insects with predatory larvae, such as green lacewings and syrphid flies, feed only on pollen and nectar.

UC IPM: Biological Control and Natural Enemies

Try this: Watch for ants on plants that have aphids. UC IPM explains that Argentine ants and some other ants protect aphids and other honeydew producers from predators and parasites, and that where natural enemies are present, controlling the ants lets many of those pests decline gradually as the natural enemies build up.

04 / THE SHARED EDGE

A backyard is not an island

Wildlife beyond the fence

Wild animals pass through suburban yards on routes of their own. What a yard offers, such as water, food and shelter, has a say in which of them stop.

From CDFW

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says it is possible to share space and safely coexist with native species. It notes that people can attract wildlife by providing resources such as food, sometimes without knowing it, and names coyotes and foxes in urban areas as a California example of wildlife living closer to people.

CDFW: Living with Wildlife

Try this: Look at what your yard offers without meaning to, such as food left outside, and take away what you can. CDFW also notes that wildlife cannot be trapped and released elsewhere, so for a real conflict, start with its guidance.

SOURCES

Where do I look up the real plants, insects and animals?

CNPS: Calscape Pollinator Hub announcementThe September 2026 launch: search by pollinator, or build a native plant list with the Pollinator Companion Tool.CBI: The making of Calscape's Pollinator CompanionHow the Companion's predictive model was built from GBIF observations, its current focus on bees, and the field validation still to come.CNPS: Gardening and HorticultureCNPS's gardening hub: Calscape, the Pollinator Hub, real native gardens from its Los Angeles and San Diego chapters, and container planting.UC IPM: Natural Enemies GalleryNatural enemies commonly found on California farms and in landscapes, searchable by the pest or by the natural enemy's name.UC IPM: Biological Control and Natural EnemiesHow predators, parasites and pathogens keep garden pests down, why ants get in the way, and how to keep natural enemies around.CDFW: Living with WildlifeCoexisting with wildlife in California, who to call about sick or injured animals, and what the law allows for nuisance wildlife.

Plants, insects and wildlife differ from one California garden to the next and from season to season. This page doesn't identify species, recommend a pest treatment or pesticide, or promise any result from planting. Avoid leaving food out for wildlife, and for a real wildlife conflict follow CDFW and local guidance.

Updated · Sources: CNPS, the Conservation Biology Institute, UC IPM and CDFW.

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