In 2022, 73-year-old Kentucky resident Jacquelyn Hawkins-McGrail was ordered by the city of Prospect to remove half of her native plant garden or face fines of $50 per day, the Courier Journal reported.
Hawkins-McGrail, a retired psychologist and certified master gardener, had maintained the garden for 16 years, she told the Courier Journal. She designed it to be a haven for pollinating insects and birds, pruning it sparingly to allow the beneficial wildlife to use the plants as shelter.
Spaces like this one are vital, as pollinators are necessary for many important food crops and other plants to reproduce. At one time, Hawkins-McGrail had signs in the garden from the Audubon Society that declared it a certified wildlife habitat, although she was asked to remove the signs due to a local ordinance…