One Square Foot WWF teams up with Botanica by Air Wick® and Air Wick® Scented Oils to reseed 1 billion square feet of wildflowers and grasslands in the Northern Great Plains

Botanica by Air Wick, Air Wick® Scented Oils and WWF have launched a three-year partnership that will reseed 1 billion square feet (~23,000 acres) of previously disturbed grasslands and wildflower habitats in the Northern Great Plains. The “One Square Foot” campaign will aim to provide food and shelter for pollinators, grassland birds, and the many other species that are native to the region.

“Grasslands are some of the most threatened habitats on the planet. Each year hundreds of thousands of acres of the Northern Great Plains are plowed up for row crop agriculture,” said Martha Kauffman, vice president of WWF’s Northern Great Plains program. “Our collaboration with Air Wick to reseed marginal croplands back to native grass and wildflowers will benefit wildlife and help ranchers achieve their goals.”

Since 2009, the United States has lost 33 million acres of grassland and wildflower habitats in the US Great Plains, which equates to half the size of Colorado. For more than seven years, grasslands in this region have been plowed-up at an average rate of four football fields per minute, prioritizing row-crop agriculture over the preservation of wildlife. In turn, every year more and more acres of native habitats are lost, risking the demise of vital wildlife species and one of the world’s only remaining temperate grasslands. Air Wick® Scented Oils and WWF’s commitment will help to restore and protect one of the last remaining regions of its kind.

Air Wick's purpose is to connect people to nature, and WWF’s purpose is to help people and nature thrive. Together, we will raise awareness of the critical need for more wildflower habitats and encourage the public to take part in improving the biodiversity of their local spaces.

Pink Rocky Mountain BeePlant, stinking-clover blooming on a day at farm (Cleome serrulata)

Want to help wildlife? All you need is one square foot.

If you'd like to offer pollinators a helping hand you can do so by planting wildflowers in your backyard, or in pots on your patio or balcony. Even a single square foot can provide food for bumble bees, butterflies, or hummingbirds. Whenever possible, it is a good idea to plant wildflowers that are native to your part of the world, and to choose a mix of plants that bloom throughout the season.

To get you started, we've put together a list of plants that are great for pollinators in the map below.

Wildflower map

Click on the regions below to learn more about which wildflowers to plant.

West Midwest Northeast Southeast

Native Northeast Mix

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
Pink milkweed Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed Perennial Pink 48" Summer
cluster of Aster novae-angliae or Purple Dome Aster novae angliae New England Aster Perennial Purple 48" Summer, Fall
Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatum Spotted Joe Pye Weed Perennial Pink 96" Summer, Fall
Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot Perennial Pink 48" Summer, Fall
Evening primrose Oenothera biennis Evening Primrose Biennial Yellow 48" Summer
Rudbeckia hirta flowers Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan Perennial Yellow 30" Summer, Fall
Rigid goldenrod Solidago rigida Rigid Goldenrod Perennial Yellow 60" Summer
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Native Southeast mix

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
Orange butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed Perennial Orange 36" Summer
A vibrant growing patch of Echinacea Purpurea Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower Perennial Purple 36" Summer, Fall
Liatris spicata flowers closeup Liatris spicata Blazing Star or Gayfeather Perennial Purple 48" Summer, Fall
Lemon mint flowers Monarda citriodora Lemon Mint Annual Pink 31" Summer
Rudbeckia hirta flowers Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan Perennial Yellow 30" Summer, Fall
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Native Midwest Mix

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
Orange butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed Perennial Orange 36" Summer
Monarch Butterfly on clump of Purple Aster flowers, Wings Vetical in Profile Aster tanacetifolius Prairie Aster Annual Yellow 18" Mid/Late Summer
A vibrant growing patch of Echinacea Purpurea Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower Perennial Purple 36" Summer, Fall
Prairie blazing star flower cluster (Liatris pycnostachya) isolated againt green background. Liatris pycnostachya Prairie Blazing Star Perennial Purple 48" Summer, Fall
Rudbeckia triloba flower Rudbeckia triloba Brown-eyed Susan Annual Yellow 60" Fall
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Native West Mix

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
Monarch Butterfly on clump of Purple Aster flowers, Wings Vetical in Profile Aster tanacetifolius Prairie Aster Annual Yellow 18" Mid/Late Summer
Rocky Mtn. Bee Plant Cleome serrulata Rocky Mtn. Bee Plant Annual Pink 48" Summer
Gaillardia aristata Blanket Flower Perennial Yellow 30" Summer, Fall
Lewis flax flower close-up Linum perenne lewisii Blue Flax Perennial Blue 24" Summer, Fall
white evening primrose close-up Oenothera pallida White Evening Primrose Perennial White 24" Spring, Summer
Ratibida columnaris yellow flower Ratibida columnaris Mexican Hat Perennial Red, Yellow 36" Summer, Fall
Rudbeckia hirta flowers Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan Perennial Yellow 30" Summer, Fall
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Alaska Species

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
Field of fireweed Chamerium augustifolium Fireweed
Narrowleaf arnica Arnica agustifolia Narrowleaf arnica
Northern geranium close-up flower Geranium erianthum Northern Geranium
Crimson Columbine Aquilega formosa Western Columbine
Yellow monkey flower Mimulus guttatus Yellow monkey flower
Leopard's bane Doronicum orientale Leopard's Bane
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Hawaii Species

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
Aeae plant Bacopa monnieri Aeae
Bidens ssp flowers Bidens ssp Koo-Koolau Summer, Fall
Boerhavia glabrata white flowers closeup Boerhavia glabrata Alena
Ipomoea indica blue flowers closeup Ipomoea indica Koaliawa
Jacquemontia sandwicensis flowers Jacquemontia sandwicensis Pauohiiaka
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Puerto Rico Species

Image Botanical Name Common Name Life Cycle Color Height Bloom Season
erect spiderling flower Boerhavia erecta Erect Spiderling
Spurred butterfly pea flower Centrosema virgianum Spurred Butterfly Pea
Slender goat's rue flower Tehphrosia cinerea Slender goat's rue
Ludiwgia octovalis flowers Ludwigia octovalvis Mexican primrose-willow
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If you're interested in learning more about the wildlife that visits your wildflower patch download the Seek app. With this free app you’ll be able to identify any living thing in your patch—plants, flowers, insects, fungi, birds, and animals. It’s like having a naturalist in your pocket! When you identify a species you’ll be able to find out all about it, and see how common or rare it is for your area and the time of year.