District officials are set to hand out thousands of seed packets for D.C. native plants in Columbia Heights and other neighborhoods this week as part of a campaign to create habitats for bees, butterflies and other area pollinators.

The District’s Department of Energy and Environment is slated to run its seed giveaway outside more than a dozen D.C. Metro stops from 8 to 9 a.m. Friday, agency spokeswoman Julia Robey Christian said today. But the Columbia Heights stop is the only place in the Borderstan coverage area to snag the Earth Day freebies.

The packets include a mix of seeds for black-eyed susans, oxeye sunflowers and butterfly milkweed, among other plants.

Christian added in an email:

In line with the District’s State Wildlife Action Plan, DOEE is putting particular focus on expanding meadows in the District to provide critical habitat for bees, butterflies, and other native pollinators. As part of this effort, the agency is engaging the public to plant backyard habitats. Even a small backyard garden or balcony with the appropriate native plants can support pollinators that are necessary for healthy and diverse plant life in our city.

Photo courtesy of Julia Robey Christian