New Journey

Hey I am brand new to this subreddit so I would love any advice yall could give.

I’ve been in an environmental science class for college this semester and it’s inspired me to start planting native species in my yard! My mother and I both love plants but have always struggled with finding things that are reliably low maintenance and pet friendly. We don’t have alot of time to maintain anything complicated during the summer because of the hours we work.

Ideally I’d like to make a space that pollinators and other wildlife would enjoy. Our neighborhood has very little life apart from squirrels and birds with the occasional bunny. I’d love to look into some options that would encourage more life to visit our yard. I have no idea where to begin so I thought I’d start here.

I’m located in central Illinois on the edge of a fairly large city. We are considered county so there’s more green space than a normal suburb. No HOH or community guidelines that we need to follow. The main things I’m looking for are somewhat low maintenance, pet friendly, and will grow back every year.

Thank you all in advance!