marked by the muse logo

welcome to a glimpse into my

tiny urban garden

It’s dedicated to being a safe haven for ALL pollinators.

Native nectar & pollen-producing flowers are selected with care to ensure pollinators are well-fed throughout the season.

Since I live in the city, my garden is tiny. It’s under 1500sq feet. Yet hums with the buzzes of Bumble bees and the glows with the magic of fireflies.

I started small with only four banister planters on my front porch. They allowed me to create an instant pollinator micro-garden which required little effort on my part. I’m still amazed at the number of pollinators who visited each day.

Slowly, over time and with help from friends and family (and lots of research), I maximized every plantable space— which brought more pollinators to the garden and increased my knowledge of  fluttering and buzzing friends.
The smallest garden invites pollinators, size really doesn’t matter.

What matters most? The Plants.

Plants are food to pollinators. Start thinking about what Monarchs like to eat, what two plants do gulf fritillary butterflies need to exist? Or what does the Common Eastern Bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) prefer? It’s all about providing the right plants (food) for the pollinators visiting your yard to live.

The more we began to understand about butterflies, bumble bees, fireflies, etc, the more we changed what our land offered visiting wildlife.

This tiny urban garden has transformed into more than a place to watch flowers bloom. It’s a place that grows my heart and expands my mind.

Below is a small gallery of the pollinators and beneficial insects that have a safe space to live free in my garden

(in return for free room & board, I do ask to learn something new from each visitor that buzzes, flies, blooms, or hums)

All photography and artwork on this page is copyrighted by me, stephey baker. All Rights Reserved. Please 1st obtain written permission from me before using any content.

butterfly botanical artist stephey

What I've Learned (and continue to learn)

pollinator lives matter

Don't Let Native Bees and Butterflies Go Hungry

Plant Superfood Flowers.

Basically, a plant is promoted to SUPERFOOD status when it offers high levels of desirable nutrients to pollinators such as nectar & pollen, is known to prevent disease, or is believed to offer several simultaneous health benefits beyond its nutritional value.

Strive to limit the non-native (junk food) varieties of flowers as much as you can—unless it’s Cosmos.

If you ask me, there can never be enough Cosmos.