Inviting Wildlife Presentation

7/30/2019 Inviting Wildlife Presentation

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Inviting Wildlife

to Your GardenKey elements needed to attract a wide

variety of wildlife.


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NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat

Water Food Cover Place to Raise Young

Sustainable Gardening


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Water Features

Deep Water Beach Slow-moving Shallow Water Bog/Puddles

Splash Drip Misters


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Food

Trees/Shrubs: Nuts, Berries, Fruit, Sap,Foliage, Twigs

Plants: Seeds, Nectar, Foliage, Flowers,Pollen

Insects/Invertebrates: Dragonflies,Butterflies, Grubs, Worms

Birds, Small Rodents, Amphibians, Fish


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CoverWeather/Predators

Woods/Large Trees Evergreens

Thickets/Brambles Ground Cover Caves

Meadows/Prairies Ponds Burrows

Roosting Boxes Toad Abodes

Brush/Log Piles Rock Piles Water Garden

Leaf Litter/Mulch


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Place to Raise Young

Allow for Mating/Courtship Behavior Habitat & Materials for Nest Building Food Sources for Young Encompassed in Cover but with

variations


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Sustainable Gardening

Reduce Water Usage: Xeriscaping, Rainwater Capture, Drip/Soaker

Irrigation Reduce Erosion Reduce Chemical Pesticides & Fertilizer Reduce Non-native Plants & Turf Area Compost Mulch


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Butterflies & Moths

Best Website:

www.butterfliesandmoths.org
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/


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Butterflies & Moths

Protected sunny, non-windy area Low traffic Specific Host Plants for caterpillars* Nectar Plants for adults*

Boggy puddles Citrus wedges/nectar feeders


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Caterpillar Host Plants

Swallowtail: Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Queen Annes Lace Monarchs: Milkweeds (asclepias)

Silvery Blue: Lupine Zebra Swallowtail: Pawpaw (asmina) Buckeye: Snapdragons (antirrhinum), Monkeyflower

(mimulus), linaria

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth: Honeysuckle, Hawthorn,Cherries/Plums

Great Ash Sphinx Moth: Lilac, Aspen, Ash


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Butterfly Adult Nectar Sources

Perennials

Azaleas/Rhododendron Bee Balms (monarda) Butterfly Bush

(buddleias) Honeysuckle

Phlox Milkweeds Vibernums

Annuals

Lantana Snapdragons Verbenas Petunias Nasturtiums


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Dragonflies & Damselflies

Still Water (beach to 2 feet deep, 5-10 feetdiameter)

Protection from wind Underwater Vegetation (nymph hiding) Waters edge perching plants Light-colored flat sunny basking rocks Area free from fish

Feeds on smaller insects (mosquitos)


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Amphibians & Reptiles

Best Websites:

www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/ www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians
http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/


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Salamanders & Newts

Eastern Newt Tiger Salamander Blue-Spotted Salamander Habitat/Food

permanent woodland ponds leaf & rotting log litter eat fish & frog eggs, crawfish, water insects,

earthworms, snails


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Frogs & Toads

Spring Peeper Eastern Gray/Copes Gray Tree American Toad Northern Leopard

Green Bull


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Snakes

Plains/Eastern/Red-sided Garter Snake Habitat: Pond edge, animal burrows, Log piles,

Damp woods, Tall grass/meadows Eats: Anything. Earthworms, Frogs, Toads,

Salamanders, Mice, Bird Eggs, Fish, Carrion

Redbelly Snake Habitat: Flat boards/logs in woods, dry sandy,

near marshes Eats: Slugs, worms, insect larvae


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Skinks

Prairie Skink (5- 8 long) Habitat: Burrows under rock piles, boards

or logs in sunny prairies, under railroad ties Eats: Grasshoppers, Crickets, Beetles,

Caterpillars


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Hummingbirds

Multiple feeders, 4:1 water:sugar Bright Ribbon in Trees/Shrubs (mid-march) Year-round blooming plants* Snags within 50 feet of feeders Water misters & drippers Encourage spiderwebs Large tree with horizontal/downward

branches facing open area


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Hummingbird Plant Favorites

Annuals in baskets (plant extra early!) Petunias, Verbena

Tubular Perennials Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Bee Balm, Cardinal

Flower, Red Columbine

Native Annuals Spotted jewelweed

Other favorite annuals Nicotiana, Snapdragons, Nasturtium, Zinnia, Cleome


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General Songbirds

Feeders that include both hanging and platform,away from windows

Feed within 5-15 feet of dense shrub or evergreen Black sunflower, white millet, peanuts Add variety such as suet, mealworms & fruit

Slow-moving water 2-3 inches deep with roughsurface


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Suet Recipe

1 cup Lard/Suet 1 cup Peanut Butter (crunchy or smooth) 1 cup cornmeal 3 cups oats 1 cup sugar Dried fruit (optional)


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Cardinals

Feed: Prefer platform, but will do perch

Seeds: sunflower, safflower Peanuts, raisins, meal worms, grape jelly

Nest 4-6 feet above ground in dense low-trafficshrubs edging open areas

Stake territory from tallest structure inneighborhood

Attracted to shallow moving water year-round


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Baltimore Orioles

April 15-May1st put out food: oranges halved on spikes in trees

grape jelly on platforms Hummingbird feeders with perches

June 1 st and beyond: Add insects (mealworms) and suet

Nesting material = string pieces 8- 12 inlength


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Bluebirds

Feed: insects in a protected feeder Fall: add berries, shelled seeds and suet (love

raisins, dried cranberries and cherries) Nest boxes: hole 1 no perch, mounted on

predator-proof pole within 5-10 feet of woodsoverlooking mowed grass/meadow, paired boxesfor each bluebird

Remove twiggy dummy wren nests from one box Monitor box weekly for blowfly larvae


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Rodents

Mice & Voles Chipmunks Red Squirrels


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Native Mice & Voles

Northern Grasshopper Mouse Deer Mouse (Prairie & Woodland) Western Harvest Mouse Meadow Vole Southern Red-Backed Vole Meadow Jumping Mouse* Plains Pocket Mouse*


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Native Mice

Northern Grasshopper Mouse Grasshoppers, beetles, moths, flies, wasps, spiders Hunt in packs, defend against intruders, howl

Deer Mouse (Prairie & Woodland) Seeds (bush clover), keep stashes Burrows, under logs, hollow stumps

Western Harvest Mouse Weed & grass seeds, caterpillars, hide for later Grass nests at base of dense shrub or tall grass


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Native Voles

Meadow Vole Greens & seeds, garden produce

Create tunnels in grass Southern Red-Backed Vole

cache food: seeds, nuts, fruits, leaves, bark, roots,fungi, and insects

Forest dwellers, territorial, favorite source of foodfor predators


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Other Rodents

Chipmunks Black-oil sunflower seeds , berries, other plant seeds

Burrows, natural boulder walls, log piles (firewood) Solitary, fight over food, semi-hibernate, leave

territory where born

Red Squirrels insects, seeds, bark, nuts, fruits, mushrooms and

pine seeds or cones . Young birds & mice. Forests, hollows of trees, solitary, vocal


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General Predatory Birds

Attract both nest habitat and food source Place the preys food source open travel

distance from its habitat Provide a vantage point for the predatory

bird to wait it out


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MN Suburban Predatory Birds

Birds that feed primarily on smaller birds Coopers Hawk

Sharp Shinned Hawk Birds that feed on rodents, amphibians,

reptiles & small birds

American Kestral Barred Owl Broad-winged Hawk


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Fish-eating Predators

Great Blue Heron Snowy Egret Green Heron Kingfisher Raccoons Mink


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Location, Location, Location

Best Laid Plans


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Put bluebird houses here


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612-865-0440 www.happyponds.net

Documents

Inviting Wildlife Presentation