Landscaping for Wildlife - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Landscaping for Wildlife

Sources and Resources Enticing Wildlife into your Yard

Hennepin County Master Gardener Training 6 June 2005

John P. Loegering Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology College of Natural Resources University of Minnesota, St. Paul Natural Resources Department University of Minnesota, Crookston 2900 University Avenue Crookston, MN 56716-5001 218-281-8132, 218-281-8050 fax Email: [email protected] http://webhome.crk.umn.edu/jloegeri/outreach/ http://webhome.crk.umn.edu/jloegeri/outreach/MG/weblinks.htm

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Henderson, C. 1987. Landscaping for Wildlife. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul. 149pp. Directed at home landscaping.

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Henderson, C. L., C. Dindorf, F. Rozumalski. 1998. Lakescaping for Wildlife & Water Quality. Minnesota Bookstore. 176pp. ISBN: 0964745127

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Henderson, C. L. 1995. Wild About Birds. The DNR Bird Feeding Guide. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul. 278pp. ISBN 09647451-0-0

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Henderson, C. L. 1992. Woodworking for Wildlife, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul. 112pp.

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All are available from the Minnesota Bookstore, 651.297.3000 [Twin Cities] or 1.800.657.3757, http://www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/bookstore.asp

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Many, many web sites – search on your own or check out my site (see 1st page)

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Minnesota DNR web site, conservation officer, or regional office

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Sources and Resources Enticing Wildlife into your Yard „

Advanced Options … National

Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat program at http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/

… Cornell

Lab of Ornithology’s Citizen Science programs at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

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http://webhome.crk.umn.edu/jloegeri/outreach/mg/weblinks.htm

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Sources and Resources on Wildlife Damage Management

Go see it! „

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The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

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Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage by Scott E. Hygnstrom, Robert M. Timm, and Gary E. Larson. 1994. University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension … This is the ‘bible’ for managing a variety of wildlife-human interactions. … Books ($45), CD-ROM ($43), or both ($65) … http://wildlifedamage.unl.edu/handbook/handbook/

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The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management at http://wildlifedamage.unl.edu/

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Barryman Institute for Wildlife Damage Management at http://www.berrymaninstitute.org/

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Many Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sites as well at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/

… Wild

About Birds Exhibition (2005), including Hummingbird Garden Display „

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See some of our favorite annuals in this classic garden for hummingbirds. These amazing birds usually visit in the morning, but you can see the plants anytime near the Sensory Garden entryway. Growing June through mid-September

Your local garden center 5

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Four basic needs of wildlife

This is all Habitat for Wildlife

You can provide for one or more

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Potential depends upon your property

Food - Nutritional needs change with age and season „ Water - Bird-baths, ponds, creeks, and wetland – usually abundant in MN „ Cover - Protection from adverse weather and predators, places to raise young „ Space - Home range or territory requirements „

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Landscaping for Wildlife Benefits

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Native plants and seeds

Wildlife Values! Energy & Soil Conservation „ Natural Beauty „ Habitat for Kids (exploration and appreciation) „ Birdwatching „ Photography, Windbreaks, Food production, etc. „

More readily recognized by wildlife Adapted to climate „ Require less maintenance „ Ask at your local garden store, Extension office, or soil and water conservation district „

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Plant Components of Wildlife Habitat Nut and

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Conifers (evergreens) Wildlife Habitat Components

Conifers

Acorn Trees

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Important shelter … Winter

Grasses and Legumes Winter Plants

Summer nesting cover „ Limited food „ Pines, spruces, firs, arborvitae, junipers, cedars, and yews „

Fall Plants

Summer Plants

… Escape

Butterfly, Bee, and Moth Plants Hummingbird Plants 11

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Grasses and Legumes Wildlife Habitat Components

Conifers Wildlife Habitat Components „

… Excellent

Common Juniper, Red (Norway) Pine

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Scotch pine, northern white-cedar

… Moderate

… Low

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Large yards and more rural areas Ground nesting habitat … Pheasants,

mallards, blue-winged teal, meadowlarks, bobolinks, and vesper sparrows.

Food and Cover

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Balsam fir, eastern red cedar, all spruces, eastern hemlock

value

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Food/forage for herbivores … Deer,

cottontail rabbits, woodchucks, meadow voles, etc.

value

Canada Yew – Deer love it!

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Avoid mowing or disturbance until 15 July

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Grasses and Legumes Wildlife Habitat Components

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Butterfly, Bee, and Moth plants Wildlife Habitat Components

Natives are better than the exotics „ Switchgrass, bluestem, etc. (diversity!) „

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Sources of great enjoyment and pride Themes?

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Butterflies

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Bees – several species, Moths

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… Native

… Vigor

maintained by low-intensity burns every 3-5 years … Increasingly popular – seeding mixes are more available. „

… 200+

Exotics - brome, bluegrass, alfalfa, sweet clover … Generally

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Attracting Butterflies to your Yard

species of day- and night-flying Sphynx Moths (hawk or hummingbird moths) as well as others

…

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Attracting Butterflies to your Yard „

Design flower beds to provide several blooming species at a time with flowers available from spring to fall.

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Some suggested species for nectar

Remember the Butterfly Life Cycle …

species in Midwest!

… Several

lose vigor over time 15

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wildflowers, woodland wildflowers

Eggs – Caterpillar – Pupa – Adult 2 “species” in 1

Caterpillars - eat foliage and have species-specific food requirements Adults - feed on nectar and nectar-rich plants

(Appendix I in LFW)

… *Dogbanes

(Apocynum spp) (Asclepias spp), especially the Common (A. syraca) and Swamp (A. incarnata) … Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) … Aster (Aster spp) … Thistles, Goldenrods, Winter Cress, Joe Pye-weed … *Milkweeds

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You probably have 15 – 20 species in your yard. >175 plant associates identified.

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Arrive in Minnesota in early/mid-May through fall

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Monarch Larval Monitoring Program

Monarch Larval Monitoring Project

Search Milkweed plants for different life stages „ Eggs, caterpillars, adults „ Citizen Science in Action „

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http://www.mlmp.org/

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Attracting Ruby-throated Hummingbirds „ „ „ „ „

Hummingbird plants As with butterfly gardens, design flower beds to provide several blooming species at a time with a succession of flowers blooming from May through September. „ Most attractive are red, tubular flowers with abundant nectar „ Fragrance not important „

Fascinating Birds RtHu - Only species in Mn Arrives ~1 to 15 May Wings at 200 beats per second Eats half its weight in food; 8x weight in fluid / day

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Aggressive and territorial

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Feed mostly on nectar and small insects.

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© Roy Dunn, using Fotronix High Speed Flash http://www.fotronix.com/

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Hummingbird plants

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Summer Food Plants for Wildlife

There are many, but here is a short list. Early Flowering „ „ „ „ „

American columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) Petunia (Petunia x hybrida) Foxglove (Digtalis purpurea)* Hardy fuchsia (Fuchsia riccartoni) ‘firebird’ penstemon (Penstemon gloxinoides)

Late Flowering „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „

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Red (scarlet) bergamot (Monarda didyma) Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Dwarf blue gentian (Gentiana septemfida var. lagodechiana) Scarlet trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera x brownii) Plantain lily (Hosta spp) Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) Salvia spp Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) 23

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Fruit and berry plants provide both food and cover Grapes and vines enhance fences and dead trees

Some form thickets Wild plum „ Choke cherry „ Lilac-flowered honeysuckle „ Raspberry, blackberry „ Juneberry/serviceberry „

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Summer Food Plants „

Summer Food Plants „

Many species benefit

Fruit Trees … … …

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… … …

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thrashers, gray catbirds, American robins, cedar waxwings,

Tall Shrubs (15-25’) … …

E.g., mammals … squirrel,

Medium Shrubs (10-15’) …

E.g., songbirds … brown

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Red mulberry Amur chokechery Black cherry

… …

raccoon, red fox,

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Manchurian bush apricot Chokecherry Birdcherrry Alleghany serviceberry

Low shrubs (1-10’) … … … … …

E.g., Invertebrates

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Best Vines …

… butterflies

Grapes (Beta and riverbank)

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American plum Siberian plum Pin cherry Nanking cherry ‘Scarlet’ Mongolian cherry Sand cherry Lilac-flowered honeysuckle Raspberry Elderberry

Best Forb …

Strawberry

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Winter Food Plants

Fall Food Plants „ „

Winter foods are most limiting to resident wildlife

Food value extends into winter if not eaten Important for migratory species, and residents … Red-osier dogwood … gray dogwood ()

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…

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Structural Components of Wildlife Habitat Snags

Extremely important in some environments HUGE long-term investment …

* = “spinach” plants

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Nut and Acorn Plants – “Mast” „

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() … Cotoneaster () … Buffaloberry ()

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(Cornus stolonifera)

Grains (corn, wheat, oats) also used by many species (100, 94, 91; respectively), but not practical for most urban yards

Glossy black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa var. elata ) Siberian, ‘red-splendor,’ and ‘prairie fire’ crabapple (Malus spp ) Common snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp) Staghorn and smooth sumac (Rhus spp)* Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)* American highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)* Red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) Rose (Rosa spp)

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… Winterberry

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Feeders

Up to 400 years of nuts and acorns Cavities for nesting and roosting (96 species use cavities) Water

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White, Bur, Northern red oak (Quercus spp) American and beaked hazel (Corylus spp) Black walnut (Juglans nigra) Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

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(Pine (Pinus spp) & Spruce (Picea) in some areas)

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Nest Boxes

Brush and Rock Piles

Hardy in northern climates 29

Cut Banks, Cliffs and Caves

Dust Beds and Grit Salt 30

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Snags, Logs, and Perches

Nest boxes „ „

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Boxes and platforms used by 46 species. Retaining snags and trees with cavities BEST!

Snags (standing dead trees) are excellent wildlife trees; not firewood! … Primary

and Secondary cavity nesters species of birds … 26 species of mammals

Pair bluebird nest boxes Entrance holes 1½ inches or less discourage starlings Place boxes away from feeders and predators At least 6 feet off ground and away from prevailing winds and direct sun

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The bigger. the better

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Create your own?

… At

least 6” in diameter & 15 feet tall

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Dust beds, grit, and salt

Brush and Rock Piles Great escape cover, especially for rabbits, woodchucks, weasels, and snakes. „ Added components of diversity „ Best if located ‘in the back corner’ of the lot „

Many species use dust for bathing and grit to grind their food „ Can make platform or provide area on ground „ May attract cats „

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Salt block could attract deer and even a few birds (grosbeaks and crossbills). 33

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As Special note on Bats

Cut banks, Cliffs, and Caves Odd features, not to create but protect if you have them „ Used by Belted kingfishers, Bank swallows, Peregrine falcons, and bats. „

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Gardener’s Friend … Eat

many moths and insects

Some are garden pests, „ Some are the species we are attempting to attract „

Very, very cute! „ Bat house designs are available „

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Water

Feeding Wildlife

Availability may affect birds seen in your yard „ Adding water can double the number of birds „ Adding dripping or splashing water can double the number again! „

Not recommended for mammals, Birds OK „ Provide natural food sources where possible „ Most popular food for birds is „

… black-oiled

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… thistle

Maintenance issues seem to be the biggest liability.

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Bird Feed „

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… black-oil

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sunflower (cheap, favored, #1) seeds (not so cheap)

Avoid mixed seeds with high sorghum or millet content

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Suet – prized by woodpecker, and songbirds

Commercially available in blocks „ Ribcages from deer following the hunting season are a wonderful resource „

… Commercial

mixes are not economical favored by platform feeding birds … Sorghum (milo) eaten by very few … Millet

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Avoid mixed seeds with high sorghum or milo content

Bird Feed

Most popular food for birds is … thistle

sunflower (cheap) seeds (not so cheap)

… Might

want to talk to your neighbors first

Many seeds might wind up on the ground – ground feeding birds, squirrels, and rodents will eat them. 39

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Recipes for Birdfeeding

Cleaning and maintenance

Easy Suet cakes

Songbird feeders - clean with dilute bleach solution at least once a month „ Hummingbird feeders - clean weekly with weak vinegar solution „ Keep seeds DRY! „ Continue feeding through winter once birds are attracted to your property „

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2 lbs ground beef suet ½ cup sunflower seeds ½ cup oatmeal 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter Melt suet in a skillet or sauce pan, mix in other ingredients. Pour mixture into plastic margarine containers to a depth of 1-2 inches (or use mini-bunt pans for those special Christmas gifts). Refrigerate or freeze before removing from the pan. Store in freezer.

Hummingbird Nectar „

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Dissolve 1 part sugar in 4 parts boiling water, cool before you fill the feeders Red dye is not needed (most feeders have red parts) Store unused portion in a sealed jar in the refrigerator Do NOT use honey or corn syrup Do NOT alter the ratio!

Feel free to experiment with contents including dried fruit, nuts, seeds, cornmeal, etc. 42

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Home Habitat Plan

Landscaping your yard for wildlife 1. 2. 3.

4.

5.

Set your objectives and priorities Draw a map of your property Review the 16 vegetative and structural components Confer with resource people and check reference books Develop your planting plan

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Avoid Fouling your Yard – Plants to avoid „

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)

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Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

…

…

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1. 2.

Invasive noxious weed

3.

Invasive aquatic weed that dominates wetlands

Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica and R. frangula) …

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Landscaping your yard for wildlife

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Invasive, dominating shrub in woodlands

5.

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) …

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Very invasive in wet prairie areas, has little wildlife value

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Set your objectives and priorities Draw a map of your property Review the 16 vegetative and structural components Confer with resource people and check reference books Develop your planting plan Implement your Plan Maintain your plan Enjoy it!

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You, your neighbors, and beyond Obtain aerial photographs and/or vegetation maps „ Discuss objectives and future plans with your neighbors „ Consult state natural resources agency biologists regarding the value of your land in maintaining biodiversity on landscape scale „

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