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Most back-to-natives gardeners find that getting close to nature is easier than they expected and even more rewarding than they imagined. Ken Stoffel, a dentist in the Chicago suburb of Palos Park, noticed that he never set foot in his front yard except to mow it. That's when he decided to tear up the sod and seed in a prairie. This spring he noticed a hawk hovering overhead, hunting for prey. A rabbit built its nest amid the tall grass. A fox prowled through. "We've taken over all this habitat that used to belong to other species," says Stoffel. "This is my way of sharing the living space."