Wildlife gardens may benefit from some intervention, such as removing plants from species that are becoming overly dominant

[You shouldn’t] take the rake and the leaf blower and cut down all the dead things, especially under trees, and in your meadow areas, because a lot of insects are overwintering in those dead stems and in that leaf litter,” cautions Narango.

Take the luna moth. In its caterpillar stage, the insect drops from a tree in the hope of finding a safe place to pupate. A leaf pile or a small native garden can provide this “soft landing“, a term coined by the pollinator conservationist Heather Holm.

“If all [the caterpillar] finds is compacted soil and lawn, it can’t do anything. It’s dead. It didn’t matter that you even planted the tree [as far as the insect is concerned],” says Narango.

Meanwhile, other pollinators benefit from slightly different forms of neglect.

“The majority of bees nest underground, so leaving areas of bare or unmulched soil [without a covering of compost, leaf mould or wood chippings to suppress weeds or retain moisture] is important,” says Lerman. “Other species are pith-nesters, so leaving dead plants in the yard is beneficial since bees (and wasps) either excavate or use existing tunnels in the spongy inner part of stems. In general, less intensive management of our yards can benefit a whole suite of species,” she says.

If you’re ready to start a pollinator garden, Narango suggests first taking a look around your property and seeing what native species you already have.

Narango recommends using a plant-identifying app to take photos of plants and insects to learn about the present ecosystem. Once you get a sense of what’s there, she recommends going to a plant nursery specialising in selling native plants. “Many of these nurseries also sell plants that they can guarantee don’t have systemic pesticides,” she notes.

If you’re specifically hoping to attract native bees, Miller Helmholdt explains that you might want to research which flowering plants the native bees in your area like the most. “In New York, [for example], there are over 90 native bees, and each one has specific flowers that they’re attracted to,” she says.

You can even create a bee lawn, a specific grass mix that won’t grow tall but has flowers that will attract pollinators, in case you’re worried about any residential rules in your area. “Many cities in the US have weed ordinances, and many homeowners’ associations have landscaping rules that are often restrictive and at odds with a wildlife garden,” says Shepherd.

Shepherd says that making wilder gardens can help to expand the area of usable habitat and directly contribute towards the recovery of insects. “If you do it, your neighbour, your friend in the next block, incrementally, we can create a patchwork of habitat that will collectively transform our landscapes,” he says.