Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Native Plant Tok: Find out why this Alabama nature lover was featured in the New York Times
Reading time: 5 minutes
Alabama native Kyle Lybarger is no stranger to having a little bit of the spotlight.
His Instagram + TikTok pages dedicated to nature across the state and the Southeast region have nearly half a million followers each. But when the New York Times reached out to do an article, Lybarger admitted even he was surprised.
The world renowned media outlet featured Lybarger in their “50 States, 50 Fixes” series.
“It’s such an honor to represent Alabama in that way. It was very surprising. I never really started this for that reason, to gain attention or notoriety or anything but it’s definitely humbling and nice. I was definitely honored for them to choose me for Alabama.”
Kyle Lybarger
The article focused on how Lybarger’s passion for natural life in Alabama has turned into a dual role of social media influencer crossed with leading field expert.
You can read the full article below.
In Alabama, A Social Media Influencer Really Gets Wild
“Nerding out on native plants may not seem like a formula for success as a social media influencer. But meet Kyle Lybarger.
“Born and raised in Alabama, often wearing camo, Mr. Lybarger has found an unexpected degree of internet fame by introducing his followers to the overlooked world of Southeastern flora.”
Catrin Einhorn, New York Times article
Lybarger, founder of the Native Habitat Project, was in Nebraska at the time the story published, serving as a keynote speaker at the National Wildlife Federation America’s Grasslands Conference.
Since the story went live, he said the response has been tremendous, both on a local and a national level. It has brought more attention to his work and his social media pages.
“That’s where it all started. If you’re going to make change in the South with conservation, the biggest thing is educating folks and how to get that information out there. That’s the whole reason I started to making content in the first place.”
Kyle Lybarger
‘All these roads led me to this’
Kyle Lybarger always seemed destined to spend his life in nature.
He said he can remember days when he was just a kid, wandering the woods behind his home by himself just to explore the nature around him. Lybarger credits his late father for helping fuel his passion, keeping him outdoors for much of his life.
Lybarger, who was born in Decatur and graduated from Hartselle High School, followed in his dad’s footsteps in becoming an Eagle Scout but he didn’t stop there.
All these roads led me to this one moment where I became obsessed with native plants and advocating for grasslands.
Kyle Lybarger
He points to a time between 2017 and 2018 where his focus and passion began to take the shape of what it is today. He graduated from forestry school and got married just before his dad passed away while Lybarger was on his honeymoon.
When he returned home, Lybarger took to the outdoors for comfort. He began to discover more about his surroundings, taking more time to research native plants and biodiversity around Alabama.
“I knew something was there. People were interested in this information if you told them about it but they had no resource to learn about it, it wasn’t readily available. But TikTok started and that allowed you to reach everybody wherever they were.”
Kyle Lybarger
Passion for the grasslands
Lybarger has done work in several different areas but his focus comes from a strong desire to preserve + restore Alabama’s grasslands.
Pointing to the state’s relatively unknown history with prairies, Lybarger said grasslands can often get the short end of the stick when it comes to conservation. That’s because it may not be as obvious when an area gets destroyed as a forest or other ecosytem.
“I want the response to be the prairies that are left to be saved and protected. It’s such a small percentage, a fraction of one percent, is the remaining prairie. I’d love to see those places protected more. Those are going to be really important places to hopefully restore to larger prairies in the future.”
Kyle Lybarger
Lybarger said there has been a recent shift around the state with more people investing in grasslands research and giving the topic the attention it deserves.
He specifically credits the Southeastern Grassland Institute which is playing a role in increasing those efforts across the region.
In the coming years, Lybarger hopes for a shift to happen around Alabama where there is more public land along with more appreciation of grasslands from private land owners.
“There’s a Wendell Perry quote that says the earth is what we all have in common. I really like that. It doesn’t matter what your background is, there’s always a way that the grasslands tie into it.”
Kyle Lybarger
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