Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kits

The Xerces Society is providing selected project partners with habitat kits of native, pollinator-friendly wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs to community-serving urban agricultural producers, community gardens, and community organizations in Metro Detroit. 

Partners are selected based on the project information set out in their proposal form as well as considerations such as shovel-ready planting sites (low weed pressure), locations, quality of site prep and maintenance plans, and public outreach potential. Additional priority will be given to first-time habitat kit partners. However, previous kit partners may submit a proposal form for consideration if they are up to date on completing all post-planting notification and reporting forms.
 

Please note that there are a limited number of habitat kits available and we expect to receive more requests than we are able to fulfill. Not everyone who submits a project proposal form will receive a habitat kit. 

Please note at this time, Xerces Detroit pollinator kits may NOT be used for NRCS contracted pollinator habitat planting projects.

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

Priority areas for kit partners are within Detroit and the Detroit Metro area. Those outside of, but near the priority area may be considered, but partners will need to drive to Detroit to pick up their kit from Keep Growing Detroit. Kit partners must have approximately 300-350 square feet of planting area per habitat kit to accommodate all plants (herbaceous wildflowers, grasses, sedges, and woody species). Partners must also be able to use the entire kit on their property, however, one kit can be divided across multiple locations within the property if desired. Please thoroughly describe your proposed planting location(s) in the project proposal form. 

When planning and selecting spaces for your kit, we recommend you select areas where soils are free of contaminants, including obstructions in the soils (structural foundations, garbage, permanent landscape fabrics, etc.) or elevated levels of heavy metals such as lead. Additionally, planting sites with high weed pressure are generally not recommended for spring 2025 planting as we want your projects to be successful. If your proposed habitat planting site needs more time for site preparation, please reach out to Stefanie and discuss opportunities for next year.

If you lease the property where you reside, you must ask your property manager for permission to plant the habitat kit and be able to provide contact information for the person who will maintain and provide reports on the plantings if you move.

The Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit program has one type of kit, designed for sites with medium to medium-dry moisture soils and in full sun. Locations where soils are dry or medium-wet with part sun may also be considered. 

Habitat kits include 4 trays of 32 two-inch transplants of native perennial wildflowers, grasses, sedges, and native shrubs (2 plugs), totaling 130 plants. We recommend spacing your herbaceous grasses, sedges, and flowers about 12-18 inches apart from the plants’ center and the shrubs about 3-6 feet apart. These plants are multi-functional and will benefit you and the variety of pollinators and beneficial insects from spring to fall.          

       
Plants are grown by Wildtype Native Plant Nursery from locally sourced seeds of wild plants. A smaller selection of 6-8 pots of overwintered native plants will also be provided by Keep Growing Detroit (plants TBD). All selected participants in the habitat kit program will receive two Xerces pollinator habitat signs (one in English and one in Spanish or Arabic) to display with their habitat plantings.
 

Habitat kit species may change depending on availability with growing success from our partnered native plant nursery. Please review the 2025 Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit Plant List to learn more about the plants included in this year’s kit.

Looking for ideas on how to plan and prepare your site for your habitat kits? Please review 1) What Makes a Successful Habitat Kit Proposal and Planting document, and 2) examples from habitat kit case studies from partners in Wisconsin on site prep methods and their success.

Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit proposal forms will be open from February 7th to March 20th, 2025. If you would like the opportunity to participate in this program, please fill out the Detroit Project Partner Proposal Form. We recommend that you review the “What Makes a Successful Habitat Kit Proposal and Planting” before submitting your proposal. Site visits (in person or virtual) of proposed project areas will also be available with Stefanie, Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit coordinator, during the open proposal time, February 7-March 20th.

Partners are selected based on the project information set out in their proposal form as well as considerations such as shovel-ready planting sites (low weed pressure), appropriate locations, quality of site prep and maintenance plans, and educational outreach potential. 

Selected participants will be required to pick up their native plant kit from Keep Growing Detroit in Detroit in late May / early June (date to be determined) and submit follow-up informational surveys and photos after planting. 

Please note that there are a limited number of habitat kits available and we expect to receive more requests than we are able to fulfill. Not everyone who submits a project proposal form will receive a habitat kit. 

Distribution

Habitat kits will be picked up from Keep Growing Detroit around the 31st of May, 2025. More information on kit distribution details will be available to selected kit partners. All kit partners will be required to pick up their habitat kit at the designated location, however, accommodations for local delivery requested in advance will be considered.
 

Planting, Maintenance, Reporting

Project partners that are selected to receive habitat kits are responsible for creating a habitat installation and maintenance plan to ensure plants establish and provide long-term conservation benefits. Partners are then responsible for planting, care, and maintenance of the plants which Xerces provides. This includes watering, weeding, and protection - from pesticides and mammal browse. Watering includes ensuring at least 1 inch of water per week and possibly extra in the event of drought. Shrubs may require more watering than the wildflowers and grasses. All project partners also must submit a short project survey in the fall after receiving their kit and a final project report the following fall. 

• General Pollinator Habitat Kit Guidance
  • What Makes a Successful Habitat Kit Proposal and Planting?
  • Wisconsin Habitat Kit Case Studies
• 2025 Pollinator Habitat Kit Partner Information
  • Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit Plant List
  • Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit Planting and Maintenance Guide
• 2024 Pollinator Habitat Kit Partner Information
  • Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit Plant List
  • Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kit Planting and Maintenance Guide
• 2023 Pollinator Habitat Kit Partner Information
  • Detroit pollinator habitat kit plant species list
  • Detroit pollinator habitat kit planting guide

Who should I contact if I have questions?
You can contact Stefanie Steele, [email protected], with any questions about our Detroit pollinator habitat kit program.
 

How do I participate in the Xerces Habitat Kit program?
Project partner proposal forms for the Detroit pollinator habitat kits will be available on February 5, 2024. 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.
 

What is required of all selected kit partners?
All selected kit partners are asked to:

• Have good communication with Stefanie - she is here to help, so please feel free to reach out!
• Complete and return your Project Partner Collaborative Agreement that outlines all requirements prior to picking up the kit.  
• Prepare your site for planting your habitat kit plants - remove current vegetation and we recommend acquiring mulch (woodchips or weed-free straw) to cover your habitat area.
• Pick up your kit plants on time at the designated location, or inquire about other reasonable accommodations.
• Until kit plants are in the ground, water plants daily and keep out of full sunlight to decrease stress.
• Plant your kit plants within two weeks of receiving them (highly recommended for best survival success, but we understand delaying for periods of drought or other events).
• Once the kit is planted, you must complete the provided planting notification form to let us know your kit is planted and share a few photos.
• In the summer of the same year, you are asked to provide optional feedback on the kit program and your interest in a kit partner gathering.
• In the fall of the following year, you are asked to complete a final project report in a survey provided to you to provide more detailed information on the success of the planting, such as plant survival numbers, photos of plantings, comments on pollinator visitors, and outreach activities.
   

What plants are in the kits?
Please see the downloadable list of the tentative plant species and other information will be available soon. The final plant list may minimally change as species are substituted/omitted depending on nursery availability.
 

How much space do I need for a kit?
For one kit, you will need approximately 300-350 square feet in total. See the plant list for the approximate size of each plant species. For herbaceous species, we recommend planting at 12-18 inch spacing. This closer spacing allows the plants to establish more densely and better out-compete weedy species that may otherwise pop up in the empty space between plants. 
 

When will the kits be available?
We are planning for kits to be available around the end of May 2025 - more details soon. 
 

How do I get my kit?
Kits will be transported from Wildtype Native Plant Nursery and available for pick up at Keep Growing Detroit in Detroit, MI. More details to follow for recipients. 
 

Can I have the kit delivered to me?
It is strongly preferred that habitat kit partners pick up their kits from Keep Growing Detroit. Partners that are unable to pick up their habitat kit can submit a special request to see if delivery is available.
 

Can I purchase a kit on my own?

No, unfortunately, these kits are not available for public purchase. 
 

How did you decide what plants to include in the kits?
Plants were chosen to provide a diversity of foraging and host plant resources for native pollinators and beneficial insects (predators of common crop pests) on Detroit urban farms and gardens throughout the growing season. Feedback from past kit partners was taken into consideration, such as preference for certain species or including more plants that could also be used by people. Other considerations that determined species selection included plant availability, as well as Detroit’s unique urban environment: plant suitability of urban soils, drought tolerance, and plant heights (~ 4 feet and shorter). Numerous sources were also consulted, including the Xerces Society’s Great Lakes Pollinator Resource Center (native plant lists, habitat installation guides), ERA Tool, Bill Schneider with Wildtype Native Plant Nursery, Mary Jamieson with Oakland University, MSU’s Michigan Pollinator Initiative. 
 

Can I get technical assistance for creating a pollinator habitat, preparing for planting, and maintaining my kit?
Yes! We are happy to help as best we can within our capacity. You may contact [email protected] with questions about your project and for advice on how to ensure that your project will be successful. You can also find a variety of informational materials on our website. Please review the What Makes a Successful Habitat Kit Proposal and Planting document, and a planting guide for our Detroit Urban Ag Pollinator Habitat Kits. 
In-person assistance with your habitat kit planting is also available on a limited basis based on staff capacity - current and past kit partners are welcome to inquire with Stefanie! 
 

How many pollinator habitat kits can I request?
Interested partners may request between 1 to 2 kits, but kits will be limited based on the number of project proposals received. Please let us know if you require a certain number of kits for your proposed project to be successful. 
 

Can I use my habitat kit(s) in projects for which I am receiving financial assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or another federally funded agency? 
No, at this time Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kits cannot be used to complete habitat work that a federal agency has funded, such as the NRCS.
If you want to learn more about NRCS programs or apply for financial assistance from the NRCS, please contact your local service center in Ann Arbor, or reach out to Stefanie Steele ([email protected]) for help in connecting with the appropriate conservation planner at the NRCS.   
 

I do not live in Detroit or the Metro Detroit area. Am I eligible for a kit?
Unfortunately, we can only provide kits to people who will be planting them in the defined priority sites in Detroit and the surrounding Metro Detroit area. If you are just outside of the Metro Detroit area, please contact Stefanie to see if your site is applicable. If you are located outside of Michigan, we also have habitat kit programs in other regions of the U.S., and over time, we hope to expand our habitat kit program to further parts of the country.
 

How can I support the Xerces Habitat Kit program?
The Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kits are possible thanks to the generosity of Xerces Society donors, members, and federal grant agreements with the USDA. Find out how you can support the Xerces Society at xerces.org/donate

Meet our Detroit Habitat Kit Team:

Stefanie Steele
Pollinator Conservation Specialist 
 

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

Please also share your contact information with us to be reminded of these dates and to receive pollinator habitat kit program updates, or other Xerces news and events for Metro Detroit and the Great Lakes.