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across the land. Plants that
propagate by running roots
grow outward from clumps.
Study the characteristics
of natural plant associations
in your area. Be sure to note
their form, color, and texture,
and how these attributes
change throughout the year.
Learning about the visual
qualities of native plant
groupings will enable you to
design an attractive site that
will provide year-round centers
of interest, with interesting
contrasts in color and
texture.
For example, the wind
whispers through pines as
they sway in the breeze. Other
trees, such as aspen or beech,
tremble and give off a rustling
sound. Wet leaves reflect light
differently on overcast or
sunny days.
The sun “lights up" yellow
leaves in the fall, making them
appear translucent. The
blooms of spring wildflowers
add lovely but short-lived
color. After shedding their
leaves in the fall, deciduous
trees and shrubs reach
starkly skyward with bare bark
and branches.
Providing Food Year-Round
Wild animals exploit different
food sources through the
seasons. For example, birds or
other wildlife might seek
berries and seeds when the
supply of insects is depleted.
Your backyard habitat will
have a better chance of
attracting wildlife year-round
if you plan with this seasonal
availability in mind.
Early Summer Fruits
Robins, catbirds,
mockingbirds, orioles, and
finches eat early fruits in
addition to insects. The fruit-
producing shrubs listed in the
chart also provide excellent
cover for other animals such as
rabbits.
Fall Fruits
As chilly autumn weather
sets in and insect populations
decline, most birds switch their
diet to fruit. Many birds,
including evening grosbeaks,
robins, cedar waxwings,
cardinals, and wood thrushes
eat the bright red berries of the
dogwood. Chipmunks and
rabbits like them, too. Gray
dogwood colonizes abandoned
farm fields and provides
excellent dense cover and
nesting sites. Cottontail rabbit
trails are often seen zigzagging
to and from scattered gray
dogwood clumps.
Fall Nuts
Resident wildlife species need
to store energy for the cold
winter ahead, and nuts are a
rich source of nutrition for
building up fat reserves.
Acorns from oak trees are a
favorite of squirrels and
chipmunks. Hickories, including
shagbark and mockernut, are
also very popular with squirrels.
Keep in mind that these
mast-producing species are
canopy trees that require a
considerable amount of space.
Oaks are long-lived species
that may produce acorns for
up to 400 years. They also
contain natural cavities that
are used by as many as 96
species of wildlife.
Fall Seeds
Birds such as northern
cardinals, grosbeaks, and purple
finches eat the fall seeds of the
green ash and white ash. Only
the female trees produce seeds.
Persistent Winter Fruits
During the winter when food is
scarce, many people provide
seed for birds in feeders; others
like to have natural foods
available in their backyard
habitat. Some woody plants
produce berries that remain
through the colder season.
Winterberry produces red
berries in the fall, but remaining
berries turn brown and last
through the winter. Staghorn
sumac berries also remain
through the winter. Some
songbirds also eat the
persistent berries of bayberry in
winter and early spring.
Spring/Summer Seeds,
Buds and Flowers
Though squirrels actively
stock up on nuts in the fall, you
may have noticed them
munching on buds and spring
seeds of numerous trees.
Vines
If you plan to use vines in your
site, plant carefully and trim
them back regularly, as vines
tend to take over and choke out
other beneficial plants. However,
they provide beneficial berries
and flowers, as well as good
cover and nesting places.
Virginia creeper has persistent
winter berries. The shredded
bark of wild grape is used by the
