Ecological restoration & stewardship · Indianapolis, Marion County, Boone County, Hendricks County, and Hamilton County
Every property is part of a larger living world. The question is what kind of life we choose to make room for.
We help clients with properties in Indianapolis, Marion County, Boone County, Hendricks County, and Hamilton County transform their land through invasive plant management, habitat restoration, ecological consultation, and ongoing stewardship.
01 / Possibility
A stand of invasive honeysuckle might be hiding a woodland of native wildflowers. A patch of lawn could become thriving pollinator habitat. Even a few containers on a balcony can support life.
Every landscape has its own story, and its own potential. We're here to help you see what's possible, set priorities, and turn that understanding into action.
You start by paying attention.
Focused projects around entry gardens, foundation beds, side yards, and pockets of neglected space.
Integrated work across lawn conversions, ornamental areas, woodland edges, and the places you live with every day.
Selective restoration in bigger landscape zones where invasive pressure, native recovery, and habitat improvement all intersect.
For now, projects are capped at approximately five acres of total treated area so the work can stay thoughtful and high quality.
You don't need a lot of land to make an impact. From a planter on an apartment balcony up to 5 acres of total treated area, Beyond the Lawn can help you transform your land.
Our current scope is up to five acres of total treated area per project.
02 / Services
Get to know your land.
Discover what's possible.
Walk your property with a knowledgeable guide, recognize native and invasive plants, set priorities, and leave with practical next steps and resources for DIY work.
Ask about this serviceReclaim your landscape.
Make room for what belongs.
Selective, ecologically informed management that controls invasive species while protecting desirable vegetation and making room for native communities.
Ask about this serviceHelp your land become
a thriving ecosystem again.
Support native plant communities, improve wildlife habitat, and guide recovering landscapes toward greater ecological health, diversity, and resilience.
Ask about this serviceA living landscape
is never finished.
Ongoing monitoring, seasonal care, and thoughtful guidance to nurture ecological progress and respond to your land's changing needs.
Ask about this service03 / Framework
A simple framework for healthier landscapes and a more meaningful relationship with the natural world.
The potential of your land
See beyond the invasive thickets, neglected corners, and conventional expectations. Learn what you have, what belongs, and what's possible.
The relationships that make a place alive
Through thoughtful intervention, native plant communities, and long-term care, help your landscape recover its capacity to support life.
Your place in the living world
Learn to notice the extraordinary nuance, beauty, and complexity of the natural systems you've helped nurture. Experience the satisfaction and fulfillment of caring for a place to which you belong.
04 / Philosophy
It's right outside your door.
We have a place in nature. And a role to play.
We can do more than simply reduce the harm we inflict on the natural world. We can help it heal, flourish, and thrive.
By nurturing native plants, restoring habitat, and caring for the places within our reach, we participate in a healthier, more resilient living world.
What if ecological restoration isn't just something we do for nature, but one of the ways we discover what it means to be human?
05 / About & Service Area
I'm Zach Day, the founder of Beyond the Lawn. My path to ecological restoration has been anything but conventional. After graduating from Purdue University with a degree in Agricultural Economics, I served in the U.S. Army, with deployments to Afghanistan and East Africa. After active duty, I supported the special operations community as a civilian intelligence contractor before building a career in technology at Salesforce and Okta.
Despite a successful career, I felt increasingly disconnected from the corporate world and overwhelmed by the scale of our environmental and ecological challenges. I wanted to make a difference but didn't know where to begin. With inspiration from Doug Tallamy's "Nature's Best Hope" book, I discovered that meaningful restoration could start right outside my own door.
What began as a personal project became a passion. Over several years, I transformed most of my 0.6-acre property from conventional lawn into a thriving mosaic of native ecosystems—from shaded woodland to dry prairie, with a wildlife pond, more than 250 native plant species, and over a third of a mile of winding trails. Along the way, I served as president of the Indiana Native Plant Society's Central Chapter and developed my own practical, affordable, low-maintenance approaches to residential ecological restoration.
But the most profound transformation wasn't the land. It was my relationship with it. I discovered that in restoring the land, I was also restoring something in myself.
I founded Beyond the Lawn to share that experience—to help others transform their landscapes into thriving ecosystems and rediscover a deeper sense of belonging in the more-than-human world.
Service area: Indianapolis, Marion County, Boone County, Hendricks County, and Hamilton County. We work with residential yards, woodland edges, meadows, and habitat areas, including projects of up to approximately five acres of total treated area.
Rooted in place
Selective management and long-term stewardship can protect existing native plants while helping the rest of the landscape recover.
Discuss your property06 / Common questions
An ecological consultation can help identify native and invasive plants, explain which species are causing problems, and prioritize practical next steps.
That is the goal of selective management. We assess what is already growing and choose a property-specific approach designed to protect desirable plants. Methods and feasibility depend on the site.
Recovery is a process, not a single visit. Depending on the property, next steps may include monitoring regrowth, supporting existing native plants, habitat improvements, or additional stewardship.
Yes. Ecological consultations and DIY coaching help property owners understand what is growing, decide where to start, and plan achievable work.
No. We work with projects ranging from small gardens to larger habitat areas. Our current project scope is up to approximately five acres of total treated area.
We serve properties in Indianapolis, Marion County, Boone County, Hendricks County, and Hamilton County. Contact us with your property location to discuss service availability.
07 / Contact
You don't need acres of woodland, an elaborate restoration plan, or years of ecological knowledge to begin. You simply need curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a place to start.
Whether you want professional help, a few guiding priorities, or support with your own project, let's discover what's possible for your land.
Call us: (317) 741-2000
We have a place in nature.
And a role to play.
Let’s talk about your land
A few details will help us understand how we can help. We'll follow up by email.
