Think Wildlife When Planting Your Garden
By: Lesa Parham
When landscaping or planting gardens, don't forget these basic
strategies to attract and welcome wildlife to your yard. When you
sit down with your morning coffee, the site of a bright blue jay
or cardinal is a nice pick-me-up during the dead of winter.
1. When planting, make sure to include shrubs or trees that
provide food sources for your feathered friends. Birds love
anything with berries, seeds, fruit or nectar. You may be treated
to a colorful migrating bird such as a tanager, oriole, or Cedar
Waxwing if they stop for a snack along the way. Butterflies help
to pollinate your garden and are attracted to flowers containing
nectar such as the Aster, Jupiter's-beard, red bee-balm (use the
leaves to make Earl Grey tea), or purple anise hyssop. Trees with
nuts and seeds are essential for squirrels and chipmunks.
2. Provide a variety of vegetation to provide not only a food
source, but nesting area, and protection from predators or the
elements. Have some groundcover, flower vines, trees and shrubs.
Make sure there are lots of nooks and crannies for quick getaways.
3. Water can be in short supply during the winter months and it's
vital to keep a source of dripping water available. It should be
low to the ground, but protected from cats or other predators.
There are drippers that can be added to birdbaths to help keep the
water moving. Keep the water in your birdbath no deeper than 2
inches and change it often.
Don't forget to clean the birdbaths from time to time to prevent
the spread of disease and conjunctivitis.
4. Set aside an area with some nesting materials such as a burlap
or net bags, small pieces of string (less than 2 inches long), or
clean dryer lint.
5. Provide additional food in the form of suet balls, nuts and
seeds or dried fruit in bird feeders. If you string popcorn or
cranberries on your Christmas tree, place the strands on your
outside trees after the holidays.
6. Set up perches for birds and butterflies using dead twigs. A
thin pole made of bamboo, stuck in the ground is the perfect
resting spot for dragon flies. A simple flowerpot overturned and
propped up with a rock, provides a hiding spot for visiting toads
or other critters.
7. Garden ponds make great little homes for frogs, but if you want
fish in your pond, they tend to eat the frog eggs and tadpoles.
Have plenty of camouflage and protection such as rocks, vegetation
and perches for them to escape to. Layer flag stone to create
shallow areas for visiting birds to bathe.
8. To attract Chimney Swifts, build a small wooden (fire-free)
chimney as a nesting tower and bird house.
9. Don't remove that old dead tree. Create a garden sculpture by
hanging interesting bird houses or feeders from its branches. They
also make perfect habitats for birds and small animals.
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