Planting for Wildlife
One of the more common questions we get asked at the nursery is, “What can I plant to attract wildlife?” (Another question is, “What plants are deer proof?”, but that’s another story!)
We are delighted to help folks encourage wildlife into their gardens. The integration of the needs of humans and wildlife can be accomplished in a number of ways. Even a small yard can provide for a people-friendly, wildlife-encouraging environment. What is important is to provide habitat that meets the life requirements of So we ask, “Which plants provide edible seed, fruits, nectar and pollen?” “Is there a source for water to drink, bathe in, moisture for amphibians to keep their skins wet?” “In addition to nesting sites, is there cover for wildlife to hide from predators, avoid the heat and cold, raise their young?” Space is a limiting factor over which there may be little control, but the amount of paving, lawn, and the like can make a difference. Sometimes, neighbors can connect their yards to increase the available space, even create a wildlife corridor linking larger areas. Increase the number and variety of wildlife species in your yard by improving the habitat. Ways to do this include increasing diversity, adding layers, and including native plant material. Wildlife find food in many different places. Watch a swallow catch insects in the air, a Nuthatch on the bark of a tree. A spiders tend their webs; towhees scratch under a shrub; butterflies hover over elderberry blossoms, and a shiny garter snake looks for garden pests from a brush pile. A small pool or birdbath hosts a thirsty squirrel, while a frog croaks from the damp fern bed. The more different parts to the habitat, the more creatures can use it. 
Structural diversity is important, and can be achieved in many ways. Trees, with upper and lower trunk, large and small branches, inner and outer foliage, provide for different species’ needs. Snags, brush piles, rock piles or stone structures, and water sources all supply structural diversity. Bat boxes, bird feeders and nesting boxes add structural inducements to invite wildlife into your yard. The use of evergreen and deciduous plants, dense and open areas, including wide varieties of plants, appealing at different seasons, increase the diversity of the habitat. Layering is an important element of habitat. Trees offer nesting sites and perches; mid-level and low shrubs are used for cover, food sources, and nesting sites preferred by some birds, while others seek out the insects and worms found at ground level. Often, a single animal uses many layers. A raccoon digs grubs from rotting material in a brush pile, washes them in a small pool, and then climbs a tree to escape danger. Layering also provides a pleasing transition from trees and taller shrubs to lawn or meadow areas, like the transition from forest woodland to sunny glade.
Trees are generally the tallest element in your landscape, and the longest living, as well. Increasing with value as they mature, they continue to be beneficial even after they die, providing other kinds of nesting sites, perches and shelter, and different kinds of food--grubs and insects instead of seed. Evergreen trees are useful for their density and winter protection; and deciduous trees that grow quickly provide summer shade and visual screening. Fall foliage of deciduous varieties brightens the garden, and bare branches let in winter sun.
Shrubs can serve many functions in addition to supplying food and shelter. Taller forms can substitute for trees in a small site, and screen unwanted views. Medium shrubs bring blossoms and seeds to ‘viewable’ levels, while low shrubs can be closely planted as ground covers to control weeds. Thorny plants and plants that make dense thickets provide valuable protection for ground-nesting birds and other wildlife. Plants that hold their fruits through the winter make food available when other sources have dropped their fruits to muddy or snow-covered ground. Wild roses with their hips, and snowberry and mountain ash are good for late winter meals.
Groundcovers keep the soil cool, shade out weeds, and can be planted in sites difficult to access--like steep banks or atop a wall. Like shrubs, they provide food and shelter. Vines have many landscape values for softening fences, covering trellises, and hiding unsightly walls. Growing up a snag, or over a stump or brush pile, they not only are aesthetically pleasing, but their blooms and seed tufts are used by songbirds, including hummers and wrens. A sturdy vine will often harbor sparrow, finch or robin nests.
Nut-producing plants are important sources of food rich in fat, protein and minerals. They are long lasting, ‘storable’ foods as well. Seed-bearing plants are the main dietary staples for many small mammals and songbirds. Seeds of wheat, rye, corn, sunflower and millet are used in bird feeders, but where room allows, a few plants of these species are welcome, too. Trees such as alder and birch are attractive to many species. Juncos and sparrows, kinglets, pine siskins, goldfinches and others flock to the tiny seeds offered by these trees throughout the winter. Pines, firs, and incense cedar rank high as food sources, both for their seed and for the insects that seek shelter in their rough barks. A grassland substitute for large lawns also enhances wildlife habitat. Low mowing decreases diversity when all plants are kept the same height. Mown grasses don’t have a chance to develop seed, and the mowing can harm wildlife. We recommend that mown lawns be limited to paths, firebreaks, and special use spots. Mown, grassy paths invite wandering and provide evidence that the site is being cared for. The rest of the grassland can be managed with a weed-eater from time to time, and allowed to flower and seed. Natural grasslands contain many plants other than grasses, and usually, more than one species of grass. Your landscape can include wide varieties as well.
Every garden needs flowering plants, for their color and beauty, and for their rich nectar to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other nectar-loving wildlife. Flowering red currant, columbine, clarkia, penstemon and mock orange are examples of native nectar plants that add much beauty to the landscape. A native plant landscape can be as beautiful as any other landscape, and it has the added beauty of providing food and habitat for birds, butterflies, and all of the other creatures that enrich our lives.
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