Bee City Wichita
Habitat Certification
Add your habitat footprint, whether it’s a private backyard garden or a large-scale restoration effort, to the city-wide impact of Bee City Wichita.
On this page:
A garden certified through the Bee City Wichita initiative is one that puts pollinators first and provides food, shelter, and a place for our native pollinators to raise their young. There is no minimum size requirement; even a small space can make a big impact.
Why certify habitat with Bee City Wichita?
1) Receive a gorgeous 9 x 12″ Polymetal outdoor sign designed and printed locally. GG volunteer Sara Earle designed this colorful sign and the badges. Two pairs of drilled holes allow flexibility in where and how you choose to display it at your site. The sign also features the Bee City Wichita logo designed by GG co-founder Rachel Roth and is printed in Wichita by City Blue Print.
2) Spread awareness of pollinator-friendly native gardening practices by showing the neighborhood that your space provides tangible ecosystem benefits. This also spreads awareness of the Bee City Wichita initiative and helps our mission of expanding usable pollinator habitat.
3) Add your habitat footprint to the city-wide impact of Bee City Wichita. Certifying your space helps us accurately measure the impact of pollinator-friendly gardens in the metropolitan area!
4) Receive invitations to exclusive events for our local certified habitat stewards, including an annual seed swap with community members.
Certification Requirements
Certified gardens or habitat restorations will meet all of these six requirements:
1) Reduced or zero pesticide and herbicide use.
Reducing pesticides is one of the most vital steps we can take to create a pollinator friendly garden and a healthier environment. See Xerces Society’s website for ways to reduce pesticide impacts. Ideally, pollinator gardens should have no pesticide or herbicide use in or around them.
2) Five species of plants native to Kansas.
these can be trees, shrubs, wildflowers, or grasses. You can have more than five species and can include non-native species in addition to your five native plant choices. When possible, include local ecotypes and avoid cultivated natives (but any native is better than none!).
3) Two species of pollinator host plants.
Two of your five chosen native species should be known pollinator host plants. While providing nectar sources is a great first start, supporting the entire insect lifecycle when possible is important.
4) Year-long blooms.
At least one species of flowering plant must be in bloom during spring, summer, and fall. We recommend at least two species per season to give pollinators more options as different colors and shapes of flowers will attract different insects.
5) Removal of invasive species.
Some non-native species of plants are known to be invasive which can overtake a space or even escape gardens and endanger surrounding areas. See Kansas Native Plant Society’s Invasive Plant Fact Sheet for a list of plants to look for.
6) Non-refundable application fee or scholarship award.
The following pricing options are available for this application fee:
- Standard Certification | $25 | This fee covers the costs of your certification and sign, and supports public Bee City Wichita gardens.
- Pay-It-Forward Certification | $40 to $50 | This includes a built-in donation that sponsors certification scholarships for Wichita residents, schools, and other community groups seeking certification aid.
- Scholarship Certification. Free or reduced-cost scholarships are available to those to apply and receive a scholarship award. View the scholarship application here.
- Renewal: $10 every three years. Scholarships are also available for renewals.
Successful applications should include photographs.
The application will allow for uploading photographs, so be prepared to include photographs of your garden for evaluation. Photographs will ONLY be used internally by members of the Bee City Committee to evaluate the habitat for certification, unless permission explicitly granted.
Ready to apply? Submit your application.
For PDF applications, please email completed application and photos of the garden to Nicole Brown: nicole@grasslandgroupies.org
Application Process and Timeline
1) Submit your application.
You can expect a emailed response to your application within two-three weeks depending on how many applications are in the queue. Wait time is often shorter.
2) Screening
After your application has been reviewed you have the option to set up a short, thirty minute visit with a member of the Bee City Wichita committee. They will present your sign to you in-person and provide any feedback or recommendations you’re interested in. You may also have your sign shipped to you if preferred ($5 shipping fee).
3) Determination
After your habitat is fully certified, we will add it to our online map (unless requested otherwise) usually within one week.
Anyone reapplying within 1 year of initial application is exempt from the $25 fee.
4) Recertification and Upkeep
It is required that certified gardens be well taken care of and kept up to date with certification requirements. To help with this requirement, each garden must be recertified every three years. When due, garden managers must submit current photos of the garden and pay a $10 fee which directly supports the Bee City Wichita initiative.
Renewal fee: $10 every three years. Fee includes weatherproof renewal sticker for your garden sign.
Renewing ensures that the garden continues to provide the benefits of a certified pollinator-friendly native garden, allows us to celebrate your improvements and growth, and supports the public garden work of the Bee City Wichita initiative.
Certification Scholarships
Scholarships are awarded based on available funds, and responses to applications should be expected within two weeks (usually sooner). You are welcome to also fill out the Garden Certification Application at this time or wait until your scholarship is approved.
Support This Scholarship Program
When applying for your certification, you can choose to support this scholarship program. Select the Pay-It-Forward option when you pay.
You can also donate directly to Grassland Groupies and designate the “Certification Scholarship” as the area of support on the second page.
Apply for a Habitat Certification
Ready to apply? Submit your application.
For PDF applications, please email completed application and photos of the garden to Nicole Brown: nicole@grasslandgroupies.org
Badges: Gardens that go above and beyond
For the overachievers who want to go above and beyond, wildlife badges show your garden’s specific natural community service. Badges are available as weatherproof stickers to add to your Bee City Wichita habitat sign and are only available after you have already gone through the certification process.
How to earn a badge:
1) Have a completed and up-to-date Bee City Wichita certification.
2) Complete at least 3 of the 5 requirements for each badge you wish to earn.
3) Pay the $5 application fee per badge. This covers the cost of printing the weather proof stickers and shipping.
Badge Application
Please clearly check off which requirements your garden meets for each badge you wish to obtain. Send completed application to nicole@grasslandgroupies.org along with pictures of your garden showing required steps for your badge(s)
Get started with your native garden:
The Bee City Wichita committee has hand-picked these resources to get you started on your native garden journey.
This page is part of the Bee City Wichita initiative.
In February of 2023 Wichita became the first Bee City USA affiliate in the state of Kansas. This is our effort to making pollinator-friendly gardening more accessible in Wichita, KS, and the surrounding area.
