Photos by Richard Maack A concrete parking slab once occupied what is now the entry to this northern Arizona home. Today, it is planted with vegetation that draws wildlife from near and far. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate), violet-blooming Caryopteris incana ‘Blue Mist’ and purple coneflower line the flagstone walkway.

Vibrant butterflies flitter near purple blooms at the Prescott, Ariz., home of Steve Morgan and Nichole Trushell. This pleasing scene is not an accident of nature. It is an example of an easy-to-maintain landscape that allows nature to balance itself and encourages wildlife diversity. “Most lots are scraped bare during construction and later replanted with species that have nothing to do with our region,” notes Morgan, a landscape architect with 24 years’ experience in the Southwest. “I concentrate on reintroducing native plants to landscapes.”

“Creating natural systems in our yard is a passion for us,” adds Trushell. “We believe it’s important to retain and create habitat in landscapes to reduce some of the impact of growth and development. Steve refers to it as ‘rehabitation by design.’”

Trushell, who was executive director of the Highlands Center for Natural History for 16 years, retired last December to pursue other interests and work with Morgan in his business. Helping adults and children discover the value of the area’s incredible diversity of species is an important goal at the center, she says. “If people see only weeds or brush, they develop little connection to our natural world. In my experience, once they know a plant’s name, its relationship to wildlife, and how it fits within the whole picture, they are less likely to classify it as a weed that needs to be cut down.”

Homeowners Nichole Trushell and Steve Morgan rest on the steps leading to their house.

For instance, many people would like to attract butterflies to their gardens, but they may be turning them away by inadvertently eliminating the plants that attract these insects. Trushell explains that butterflies lay eggs on a variety of plants, such as the Southwest’s native perennials and grasses. “If you cut them all back in fall, you have destroyed some of the next generation of butterflies,” she points out. “People believe they need to immediately clean up everything in fall, but such hyper-neatness doesn’t work for many organisms.” Because chances of wildfires in winter are slim, she recommends cutting back perennials and grasses near the house for safety, while leaving some areas away from the house uncut until late March, just as new growth begins.

Morgan’s design process often includes inviting clients to visit the couple’s property to see firsthand how habitats can be created and how well plants, creatures and humans can share space. “Our landscape supported a breeding pair of western screech owls, and we watched their fledglings outside our bedroom window. We also have this incredible collection of lizards, including Clark spiny lizards, which have beautiful blue throats,” he notes. Lizards and many birds consume insects, which is an example of nature balancing itself and eliminating the need for human intervention, he explains; so it is not necessary to apply pesticides.