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LandscapingOne Acre

For Wildlife

If you are lucky enoughto have an acre ofland around yourhome, how do you

begin to enhance yourproperty for wildlife.

S ince you are reading this,you are probably concerned

about the challenges facingwildlife today. There are manythreats to species survival,including loss of habitat fromdevelopment, the overuse ofpesticides, and formallandscaping that offers little inthe way of cover or food forbirds and animals.

Four ElementsWildlife has four essential

needs: food, water, cover, andspace. Evaluate your yard andnote which needs are alreadybeing met, and which ones youwant to add.

A simple sketch of yourproperty will be very helpful. Inaddition to existing structuresand natural features, make anote of your soil conditions,amount of sunlight, how muchrainfall you usually receive, thedirection of the prevailing winds,and what climate zone you livein.

Your local CooperativeExtension Service can be veryhelpful in obtaining thisinformation. Also take time tothink about your personalinterests. Do you want toenhance a certain view. Take

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photos. Have a play area forchildren.

The plan’s selections relyheavily on “native" plantsbecause experience has shownthat they are best-suited forthe wildlife with which they haveevolved. These plants also tendto be hardier and lessdependent on chemicals thanmore exotic species.

However, there are also manynon-native choices which aregood for wildlife, and your finallandscape should reflect whatis pleasing to you.

Although they aren’tcommonly used by the averageperson today, the Latin namesof plants are included to avoidconfusion. "Popular" names canvary greatly for the same plant,and you will have more successresearching and buying exactlywhat you want if you can referto the scientific name.

For most people, “space"brings to mind open areas,frequently carpeted with greenlawn. While mowed grass canmake a pleasant frame arounda house, it is of little value towildlife and should be limited.

Less lawn will also mean lessdependence on herbicides andless work and expense for you.

Groundcovers offer manyalternatives to traditional lawn,and often work more effectivelyon difficult sites. They cansupply benefits to wildlife andvisual interest to thelandscape.

Some are low and can bewalked on, like thyme (Thymusvulgaris) or Corsican mint(Mentha requienii). Others fill anarea with more texture andheight, such as juniper(Juniperus horizontalis) andlavender (Lavandulaangustifolia).

Native grasses are alsoexcellent choices for largerareas, providing food and coveras well as all-season interest.Our habitat plan includespanic grass (Panicumdichotomiflorum), but there aremany others including buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides),

One Acre Habitat Design

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little bluestem (Schizachyriumscoparium), blue grama(Bouteloua gracilis), and Indianricegrass (Oryzopsishumenoides).

The trees shown in our planwere chosen for their value towildlife as well as their beauty.

The willow oaks (Quercus phellos)and pin oak (Q. palustris) willproduce acorns for a variety ofanimals and fall color for you.

The black gum (Nyssasylvatica) and sweet gum(Liquidambar styraciflua) alsooffer autumn color as well as

fruit for wildlife. Other largetrees with changing foliage andfood value are the sugar maple(Acer saccharum), persimmon(Diospyros virginiana), andhackberry (Celtis occidentalis).

Group Evergreens

Evergreen trees, especiallywhen planted in groups, provideexcellent winter cover for wildlifeand, when positioned correctly,a windbreak for your property.The seeds supply food for birds,and evergreens add color andstructure to the landscapeafter deciduous trees have losttheir leaves. Our plan hasstands of white pine (Pinusstrobus) and red cedar(Juniperus virginiana) along theproperty line in several places.

As in nature, you will be mostsuccessful in attracting avariety of wildlife – and findthat the view is most pleasingto the eye – if you concentrateon diversity. As you chooseplants, include a range ofheights, shapes, bloom times,seeds and fruits, evergreen and

deciduous species. This willensure that there are lots ofnatural nesting sites plus foodand cover throughout the year.

Food and Flowers

With the intention of varyingheights, a number of smallertrees are included in our samplelandscape. There are manytypes of apples and crabapplesfrom which to choose, all ofwhich will give you lovely springflowers as well as fruit. Birdswill delight in the berries of

RECOMMENDED PLANTS

The following suggested plants are a very small sampling ofpossibilities. For additional suggestions, consult guidebooks,a nature center or extension service, local nurseries, or theInternet.

GROUND COVERS

Stonecrop ..............................................Sedum spp.Dwarf spruce.........................................Picea pungensCotoneaster ..........................................C. horizontalisPeriwinkle .................................................Vinca spp.Lily-of-the-Valley ..................................Convallaria majalisSweet woodruff ....................................Galium odoratum

SHRUBS

Gray dogwood .......................................Cornus racemosaWinterberry ............................................Ilex verticillataAutumn olive..........................................Osmanthus americanusBlackhaw ................................................Viburnum prunifoliumSouthern bayberry ..............................Myrica ceriferaWild rose .................................................Rosa plaustrisRaspberries and blackberries

FAVORITE FLOWERS FOR HUMMINGBIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES:

Lantana ..................................................Lantana camaraCosmos ...................................................Cosmos sulphureusPentas .....................................................Pentas lanciolataJoe-Pye weed.........................................Eupatorium spp.Purple coneflower .................................Echinacea purpureaButterfly weed ......................................Asclepias tuberosaButterfly bush ......................................BuddleiaCardinal flower ......................................Lobelia cardinalisBee balm .................................................Monarda didymaScarlet sage .........................................Salvia coccinea

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sweet bay magnolia (Magnoliavirginiana), mulberry (Morusrubra), and mountain ash(Sorbus americana).

Shrubs create still otherlevels in the landscape, andours have been chosen primarilyfor the berries that theyproduce. Some will persist intowinter to provide valuable cold-weather food for wildlife.

Vines are another valuableresource for berries, nectar, andnesting sites. Grapes are showncovering an arbor, but if youhave a fence, dead trees, ortrellises you can attracthummingbirds with coralhoneysuckle (Lonicerasempervirens), yellow jasmine(Gelsemium sempervirens), orcross vine (Bignoniacapreolata).

When it comes to flowers, thechoices are nearly limitless.Depending on the amount oftime that you want to spend onyour garden, you can chooseannuals, which die back inwinter, or perennials which comeback every year. Many flowersare especially attractive tobutterflies and hummingbirds,while others have seedheadsthat will attract songbirds.

Try WildflowersOne of the best ways to

attract a variety of wildlife is toplant a wildflower meadow,especially if you include nativewarm season grasses. There areseed mixtures for every climatezone, and you will be amazed bythe changing picture of color

and movement that a meadowprovides.

Since wildflower meadows aremowed only once a year, be surethat there are no zoningrestrictions where you live.

Adding paths, fences, andbenches to the "wilder" part ofa landscape can make it lookmore groomed and acceptableto neighbors used to amanicured yard.

Growing your own vegetablesis satisfying on many levels.There is joy in working a gardenthat produces fresh food foryour family.

If you devote part of thatspace to sunflowers(Helianthus), you will delightbirds of all kinds.

Black-eyed Susans(Rudbeckia) and goldenrod(Solidago) also have seedheadsthat will attract featheredvisitors to your yard.

Set Up Feeding StationWhen planning for birds, save

space for feeders of differentkinds and place them atdifferent heights. Black oilsunflower seed is the favoriteall-around food, but there areother types of seed andnectars that are also popular.

There are many field guidesavailable in your library orbookstore that can provideinformation on the birds thatyou want to attract, as well asother wildlife and the plantsthat grow in your backyardhabitat.

Many birds have specificnesting requirements, so nestboxes should be built for aparticular species and mountedappropriately. With the declinein natural nesting cavities,these boxes are important.

Bluebirds in particular havebeen brought back from a severedecline in numbers by theincrease in man-made nestboxes.

Dirt is GoodAdding grit and dust areas

nearby may not sound very

"By paying moreattention to how

nature does things, wecan enrich our gardenswith some of the graceand endurance of wild

places while beingkinder to the

environment and lesswasteful of nature’s

resources and our ownefforts."

– Roger HolmesNatural Gardening

“A good hollow treeis almost worth itsweight in wildlife and

is a resource wellworth preserving."

– Roger HolmesNatural Gardening

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glamorous, but both elementsare necessary for birds and willbe appreciated.

Always be sure to provide atree within 5' to 15' of a houseor feeder so that the birds canescape predators. To cut downon annoying flying insects, adda bat house to your plan. Theseflying mammals consume hugenumbers of mosquitoes.

Along one side of the planare features that you mightnot see in the typical suburbanyard, but which will definitelyenhance the wildlife-friendlyhabitat.

More than 40 species ofbirds and 20 kinds of animalsmake use of dead trees(snags) which are becomingmore and more scarce asnatural areas get developed.

If you have some on yourproperty, leave them. If theyrepresent a danger to peopleor a building, move them to asafer location.

Making room for a brush pileand a rock pile, as well as astack of logs, will provide coverall year long for many smallanimals. You can keep theseshelters at the edge of yourproperty, shielded by attractivevegetation.

Must Have WaterWater is necessary for all

wildlife, and there are manyways to provide it.

Birdbaths are easy anddecorative accents, andespecially useful if they areheated in winter when manynatural water sources arefrozen.

Small ponds will attract avariety of creatures, and shouldhave rocks and shallow spotsfor resting and sunning safely.Deeper parts of a pond allowyou to grow water plants.Moving water, whether from afountain or simple drip system,is the most attractive towildlife.

This article was written by Maryland Master Wildlife Habitat Naturalist

Cathy Gilleland.

For more information or for the name of a Master Wildlife Habitat

Naturalist in your area, please contact:

WindStar Wildlife Institute

E-mail: wildlife@windstar.orghttp://www.windstar.org

WindStar Wildlife Institute is a national, non-profit, conservation

organization whose mission is to help individuals and families establish orimprove the wildlife habitat on their properties.