Master Gardener Training Series: Gardening for Wildlife
Greater Snow Geese Bedding Down
When I was a young girl, my great-aunt taught me how to birdwatch. We would go out on the weekends to different parks, take weekend trips to the Chincoteague Birding Festival, and we even went to see the migration of Greater Snow Geese migrate from the Arctic to Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge in Deleware one year. Each of these experiences created core memories that I will never forget. I am certain they helped mold the passions that I hold today. The memories weren’t all grand excursions either, they were found in the day-to-day activities we did together as well. She has created a lovely habitat for birds and wildlife at her home. She still fills the bird feeders regularly and even has a certified wildlife habitat certificate proudly displayed on her back porch. When my girls visit, they love watching the birds and searching the bird books to figure out the names of their feathered friends just like I did when I was a little girl. I hope that I instill in them a love of nature and wildlife just like my great aunt did for me.
I believe that if you’re a gardener, you probably have a sweet spot in your heart for birds and wildlife too. There are some simple things that you can do to draw them into your space and experience the joy of new creatures thriving in the environment that you have created for them.
Many of these tips were inspired by a talk I attended with the Hanover Master Gardener Association as a part of my ongoing Extension Master Gardener Training. Our speaker was Nancy Reinardy who is a fellow Master Gardener with a fabulous urban backyard habitat garden. She shared so many inspirational pictures and videos with us. What a fun class to attend!
First some Facts:
Our 3 Year Old Ballerina searching for her Red Shoulder Hawk friend, Swooper, and American Kestrel, Screetcher.
Virginia’s 2015 Wildlife Action Plan identifies 883 species of animals that are in decline. 31% of these species are insects. The Species of Greatest Conservation Need lists can be found here. So you say Nicole…but I don’t like insects?!?! To which I say, I didn’t like them either, but I am learning to co-habitat with them. Why?! They are one of the most critical components of the food web! 96% of birds feed their young insects not berries and seeds.
Habitat loss is the number one reason why we have declining populations.
This includes obvious development, but also fragmentation (something I wasn’t aware of until I read Doug Tallamy’s Book Nature’s Best Hope). Fragmentation is when development breaks up habitats into smaller, disconnected areas. Certain animals have specific space requirements that they need to thrive. Our current National and State Parks system isn’t large enough to accommodate all wildlife space requirements. The Homegrown National Park Initiative aims to have homeowners reconnect fragmented areas by creating native landscapes on their properties that connect creating much larger habitats for our wildlife.
Invasive Plants outcompete native plants. This is a problem for our non-generalist insects. 90% of insects only eat or lay eggs on certain plants. If those plants are not available, then the species cannot survive. Note that some native plants do more than others. We call the overachievers Keystone Plants because they support so much life.
Overuse of lawns in landscaping
Excessive pesticide and herbicide use
Climate change. Our animals can’t adapt quickly enough to the warming of our planet.
When thinking about gardening for wildlife, it’s important to recognize animal’s basic needs— food, water, shelter, and space.
A successful habitat garden is biodiverse. To accomplish this your landscape should have the following features:
Vertical and Horizontal Structure- think in layers— Mulch layer, Herbaceous layer (ground cover, perennials, grasses, ferns, vines), Sub-Canopy layer (understory small trees and shrubs), and a Canopy Layer (larger trees; if your space allows). Include a natural flow horizontally across the landscape.
Additional Important Components- rocks, water features, brush piles, decaying dead trees (in a safe manner)
So how do we accomplish this?
In 2 ways, through conservation landscaping:
Native Plant Finder Tool showing pollinator support stats.
Plant Natives instead of non-natives (GOAL: 70% native: 30% non-native). Use the Native Plant Finder to help you discover great choices. Here is a screenshot from the tool, I’ve circled how many pollinators the plant supports. Note: Usually there are pictures of each plant, but the website was undergoing maintenance.
Remove invasive plants. Here is a list of them.
Reduce lawn area. This not only helps wildlife. It also helps clean our groundwater.
Reduce/eliminate herbicides and pesticides. Natives likely won’t need them anyway.
Keep fallen leaves, twigs, and dead limbs on site for brush piles. They make great shelters.
Keep vegetation onsite throughout the winter for bee host sites.
Maintain a 35-foot buffer area of plants along streams and waterways to filter runoff.
Create a well-rounded pollinator garden featuring all types of plants that pollinators need
Nectaring Plants for food
Plants that provide pollen
Host plants for their eggs and larvae
Click on the image below for a cute little book on this topic by USDA Department of Forestry
Image Source Excerpt from USDA Forest Service Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden Using Native Plants
And by adding habitat amenities to our yards:
Hawk getting a pedicure.
Snags (these are those dead and decaying trees either safely standing or just lying in the landscape) They support insects and larvae, food for mammals, and can be nests for birds and bees.
Rock and brush piles- provide shelter
Bird, bee, and bat boxes- make sure they are created using specific species requirements. Putting up a cutesy box won’t do a thing if the animals don’t like the size, the hole, the ventilation, etc. They’re picky homemakers.
Water Features (bird baths or fountains and even mud puddles!)
Have fun with it!
Gardening for wildlife can be such a rewarding experience. I look forward to adding more elements to our yard to attract our feathered friends this year! What is one baby step you’ll be implementing in your garden? Write a comment or send me an email. I love speaking with my readers. See you next Flower Friday!
Keep Blooming,
Nicole Dillon, Breemar Flower Farm
