Trade
Plant gardens that fight back.
Swap the plants that shelter mosquitoes for native plants that feed the things that eat them.
Some common landscaping creates exactly the conditions mosquitoes love — dense, humid, and sheltered — and starves the birds, bats, and dragonflies that would otherwise eat them.
Trading invasives for native plants flips both: fewer hiding spots for mosquitoes, and more of the predators that keep them in check.
Biodiversity is the goal. There’s no single magic plant — but a few easy swaps go a long way.
A few easy swaps
Where to learn more
We’re not the plant experts. These folks are — start local, then go deeper.
A DC nonprofit that helps residents plan, plant, and register pollinator gardens right here in the District, with workshops, sponsored gardens, and hands-on help getting native plants in the ground.
A national movement to rebuild biodiversity one yard at a time. Their guide walks you through getting started and helps you find what grows where you live.
The invertebrate-conservation folks. Their regional plant lists are chosen specifically to support pollinators and the insects that hold the food web together.