Notre Dame in recent years has created 21 acres of designated native pollinator areas, mostly in large plots along the edges of campus — surrounding the ice arena, in a field north of the WNDU-TV studio and in a triangle of land east of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, for example. Some of the areas are seeded with a mix of nearly 30 native wildflower species.

In addition, the campus Landscape Services department is incorporating some native plants and flowers (and cultivars of natives) into smaller flower beds across campus, alongside more familiar annuals and perennials.

The native pollinator areas demand little manpower. They require no regular mowing, no watering, no fertilizer or chemicals, and they are seeded with perennials.