Southern California Residential Habitat Kits

PILOT SEASON 2024

Southern California is home to a unique flora and fauna, including thousands of endemic species. Unfortunately, many of our beneficial pollinator populations are declining in California, including bees and butterflies. The population of western monarch butterflies has declined 95% since the 1980s. Eight of California’s 25 bumble bee species, including Crotch’s bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), are at risk. Reasons include habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change.  But there is a way you can help!

If interested, you could collaborate with the Xerces Society in our Habitat Kit Program. We are proud to announce that we are now offering habitat kits to residential partners in Southern California! We will provide plants and resources free of charge. You just have to commit to planting the kit and caring for it. With that, you will contribute to creating habitat for our native pollinator species by introducing flowering plants into your garden.

Did you know?

Xerces’ California Habitat kits will have provided almost 250,000 plants to partners and pollinators across California by the end of 2024. We are excited to continue this work!

Qualifying Projects

The kits are intended to be used to create or enhance monarch butterfly and pollinator habitat on residential properties, home gardens, school yards, community gardens, and urban gardens. These residential kits are smaller than others available to California which are intended for larger projects on non-residential properties.

We hope to engage members of communities in areas with limited green space, under-resourced neighborhoods, and populations that have been subjected to environmental injustice.

If you have questions about your project’s suitability or requests for technical guidance on your project, please email our regional lead at [email protected].
 

Qualifying Locations

For our 2024 pilot season, we have selected to focus on the Pala community in North San Diego County and neighborhoods in the greater Los Angeles area.

If your project is not located within these regions, we unfortunately do not have the capacity to provide a plant kit for your project at this time. Please join our mailing list to learn when our 2025 season opens up to more areas in the Southern California Region. 
 

Participation Process in 5 easy steps!

1)Fill out a proposal form.

We are accepting proposals for the 2024 pilot year beginning August 26th through September 27th for residents in Los Angeles County and members of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. Project proposal forms are available in English and Spanish.

The Project Proposal Form collects information about where the kit will be planted, the size of the area, plans for site preparation, plans to maintain the habitat, as well as a commitment to eliminate the use of pesticides in your garden and willingness to learn and educate your neighbors about pollinator friendly habitats!

A limited number of habitat kits are available and we expect to receive more requests than we are able to fulfill. Participants are selected based on the project information set out in proposals as well as considerations such as location and site preparation and maintenance plans. So please try your best to fill the form to the best of your ability with details about your habitat project.

These kits are not designed to be divided for multiple project locations*, but may be planted in multiple areas within the project site. For example, if you do not have sufficient space in your front yard, you can split the habitat kit and plant the other half in your backyard. Additionally, we do not have the capacity to provide partial kits or to customize kits for specific projects. Participants should submit a proposal with the intention of using the entire kit for their project.

*If you are applying for multiple projects, please fill out a separate proposal for each project.

2)Pick up your habitat kit from a distribution location.

Kits will be available for pick-up from November 20th - 22nd. More details regarding habitat kit distribution and locations will become available if/when your proposal is awarded a kit(s).

• Kits for Los Angeles recipients can be picked up at TBD
• Kits for Pala recipients can be picked up at TBD

3)Plant your kit & maintain your garden.

Our kit partners are expected to plant the kit within a month after receiving the kit, and to follow the plan outlined in their proposal. This will increase the likelihood of plant establishment success.

4)Report back to us once the kit is planted.

Xerces asks for a confirmation of planting in the project site with photo proof using our planting notification form! A link will be sent to recipients after they pick up the kits

5)Submit an updated report in June!

A brief update form is due the following June which asks questions regarding the amount of area planted and the establishment success of the plants. If awarded a kit, you will receive a project partner collaborative agreement that outlines all requirements.
 

2024 Pilot Habitat Kit Details

Residential 

Each kit contains 18 plants with 11 different species. This number of plants should be sufficient to cover approximately 100 - 150 sq ft. If you are concerned about the amount of space you have for the kit, please use this tool to help determine how much space you have. The kit breakdown is as follows:

You are welcome to reference this plant list to create and purchase your own pollinator-friendly garden plants. Visit CalScape to find nurseries with retail spaces open to the public and specialize in native plants.

Meet our Southern California Habitat Kit Team:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who should I contact if I have questions?

You can contact our Southern California Habitat Specialist, Giovanni, at [email protected] with any questions about our California residential habitat kit program.

How do I participate in the California Residential Habitat Kit Program?

Project proposals will open each year in late summer beginning in 2025 for all Southern California residents. The form asks for information about where the kit will be planted, size of the area, and plans for site preparation, management, and maintenance, as well as plans for pesticide risk mitigation and outreach opportunities, if applicable.

We have a webinar with more information and tips on filling out the project proposal form.

Can I participate in the California Residential Habitat Kit Program pilot year?

Unless your community was referred to above (Pala Band of Mission Indians and Los Angeles neighborhoods) we do not have the capacity to provide kits for individuals outside of these areas. Please join our mailing list to learn when our 2025 season opens up to more areas in the Southern California Region.

Can I have the kit delivered to me?

We do not have the capacity to deliver kits to our project partners. If selected to receive a kit, partners must pick up their kit from one of our kit distribution locations (Pala, TBD; Los Angeles, TBD)

Can I get more than 1 habitat kit?

Yes! In your project proposal, please select how many kits you would like to incorporate into your project. Take into consideration how much space you have on your property and ensure you can manage planting all the plants in the kit within a reasonable timeframe. While we would be happy to provide everyone with their desired number of kits, we will prioritize providing kits for as many qualifying projects as possible. If there are kits remaining, we will try our best to assign multiple kits to those that have requested on their proposal forms.

How did you decide what plants to include in the kits?

The plant species included in the kits have been chosen based on monarch nectaring observations compiled from numerous sources, including published and technical reports, research datasets, and personal communications with monarch researchers, botanists, and other experts. Visitation data provides good general guidance on which plants are preferred by monarchs. Additional factors, such as availability, climate adaptiveness, regional and site suitability and general pollinator attractiveness, were also taken into consideration. We also include important host and nectar plants for other declining pollinators whenever possible. All plant species in the habitat kits are native to California.

I would like to create a pollinator garden at a school (or other public place). Can I apply to the residential kit program?

Yes! We designed the residential habitat kit to work for both residential properties and small school gardens or public spaces. This kit includes 18 individual plants. If you feel that your non-residential project could accommodate more plants, we encourage you to look at the “Garden Kits” under the California Habitat Kit Program.

Are habitat kits organic?

Habitat kits are not certified organic but are grown without the use of harmful pesticides.

Can I purchase a kit on my own?

While you cannot purchase the kits Xerces created, you are welcome to use our plant list to source plants from local nurseries on your own!

Can I get technical assistance for creating and maintaining my kit?

Yes! We are happy to help. You may contact our Southern California Habitat Specialist, Giovanni, at [email protected], with questions about your project and for advice on how to ensure that your project will be successful.

We have created a planting guide for our California habitat kits. You can also find a variety of information and materials on our website, particularly in the Pollinator Conservation Resource Center.

I do not live in California. Am I eligible for a kit?

While this particular habitat kit program is only for Southern Californians, we do have habitat kit programs in other regions.

How can I support the Xerces Habitat Kit program?

The habitat kits are possible thanks to the generosity of Xerces Society donors and members.
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