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While it is not necessary to
give up entirely on having a lawn,
limiting its size will not only
benefit wildlife, it will also save
you time and money.
Mowing, chemical treatments,
weeding, and watering are all
costly – both in terms of what
you pay for them and the
number of hours that you spend
doing them.
If you choose wildlife-friendly
ground covers, you won’t have to
poison the environment with
chemicals or spend your
weekends mowing.
Native plants require less (or
no) pruning, less water, and are
more resistant to disease, thus
lessening the need for
pesticides.
There is even an entire style of
gardening known as “xeriscaping"
which emphasizes the use of
drought-hardy plants suitable
for areas with limited rainfall.
The place where two or more
different plant communities or
successional stages meet (such
as where a forest meets an open
area) is called edge.
Sometimes there is an abrupt
change between plant
communities. Other times there
is no sharp or distinct
difference, but only a gradual
change from one plant
community to another. The
latter attracts the most
wildlife.
The function served by plants
and structures is more
important than their
appearance. Don’t base your
planting decisions solely on
what a plant looks like.
Jonathan Kays, Maryland
Regional Extension Specialist
for Natural Resources, says if
there is one single rule to follow
in attracting wildlife, it is make
your landscape as diverse as
possible with many plant
species.
Then, your habitat is less
vulnerable to insect damage or
diseases that can wipe out
single species. In ecosystems,
diversity means stability and
ability to withstand change.
If you follow nature’s lead, you
will find that wildlife thrives
when you landscape using a
wide variety of plants. Some will
be evergreen or form thickets
for cover, while others will be
valuable because of the flowers
and fruits that they bear.
Planting in “layers" is
another important concept,
recognizing the importance of
having a descending order of
tall trees, medium shrubs, and
shorter flowers and bushes.
This will allow for the different
feeding and nesting habits of
many species. Become aware of
the needs of the wildlife species
in your area.
Fancy double-petaled ruffled
blossoms are lovely in the
garden, but butterflies can’t
access the nectar in them, so
you should also provide the
flatter, more open blooms that
they prefer.
Kousa dogwoods are current
favorites of landscapers and
they are beautiful trees, but
their berries are too large for
most birds to swallow, so
include some native dogwoods
as well.
Always be careful not to plant
invasive exotic species, such as
Multiflora rose and Japanese
honeysuckle, which can
overwhelm native plants and be
nearly impossible to irradicate.
A term that you will often hear
in reference to wildlife habitat is
“niche." This refers to the
concept that each individual
species in a community has its
own role within that community.
For instance, it is the
“occupation" of woodpeckers to
eat insects under tree bark and
to excavate holes in tree trunks,
while beavers can be expected to
cut down trees and create
dams. Those are examples of
species which are fairly
specialized.
Other creatures could be
called “generalists" and they will
tend to be more in competition
with one another. For example,
raccoons, foxes, and other
medium-size omnivores all seek
the same fruits and small
mammals for food, but the
variety of their food sources lets
them compete successfully.
In terms of conservation, this
concept is important because
major habitat changes can be
very destructive to specialized
species, while having less impact
on those which depend on a
wider choice of elements.
If there is a single patch of
wildflowers upon which
hummingbirds are dependent for
nectar and it is eliminated, the
hummingbirds will have to
relocate.
Other birds may also be eating
insects attracted by those
same flowers, but they can find
