[AUDIO LOGO] BARBARA KIPFER: When we moved here in 1973, this was a very sterile neighborhood.

Everybody had the same plants in their yard, the same things that didn't support any wildlife at all, just looked decent.

And then at some point, I learned that if I planted native plants, I would have a much more interesting yard.

And that certainly is what has happened.

Native plants, once they're established, do so well.

You don't have to water them or fertilize them.

And the best time to plant them is actually in the fall when they don't have the issues of heat and drought.

Native plants are a beautiful and wonderful tool for water quality.

They're also good for reasons like habitat.

The more species you have, the more ecological niches are filled, the more resilient that system is.

You're nurturing more than just plants.

You're nurturing birds, reptiles, animals of all kinds.

It makes your yard really interesting.

It's not boring.

So in the springtime, the first thing that blooms is the clove currant over there.

It smells heavenly.

And you'll see all kinds of critters all over the clove currant.

You can see just an immense amount of pollinators on it.

I see honeybees.

I see native bees.

A lot of these organisms need native plants to survive.

So this is Cliff Goldenrod.

They can just stick out like you see here.

You can see the little berries that are forming on there, and that will feed some of the wildlife.

To have a healthy corridor is to have a corridor with lots of Native plants, lots of grasses and trees, particularly shrubs.

Dense vegetation, that helps slow down floods.

It helps prevent erosion, helps keep the water cool.

Ultimately, it helps the stream be healthier and keep your yard or your hayfield from eroding away.

So it's a great strategy to plan and mitigate climate impacts that we're seeing here in the Ozarks right now.

We really advocate for native plants.

They're food for local wildlife.

They're adapted to our local soils, so they don't need fertilizer.

They're adapted to our climate.

Once they're established, they don't need to be irrigated.

They have wonderfully deep roots, which are a great water quality benefit.

They improve soil.

They help uptake nutrients that would maybe otherwise run off.

And they're just beautiful.

So native plants are such a wonderful thing for anybody to learn about and to grow.

BARBARA KIPFER: I also get to share this with my neighbors.

So when they see, sometimes some of them actually become converted.