Attracting the wildlife

Floridian, So happy to hear that the one that came down your chimney made it ok. The bird houses that the flying squirrels are in were not made for the flying squirrels, But, They like them anyway.

VV-- Good points, VV---so what are you growing that has been particularly successful for attracting wildlife? t.

The picutes are....what's the word?? Cool is just, well lame. Awesome? lol....
My dad has those, but he's in the country also. It was pretty neat to sit, burning all the invasives out of his woods, and hear the owls, hear the coyotes.....hmmm....what would the town do if a coyote was spotted in my yard, in the middle of town? I get giddy thinking about it! I have never seen a flying squirrel!

floridian, you said the flying squirrel was stunned, what about you? Flabbergasted?

Hi John, yes that's what I was looking for. Thank you for saying what I didn't! I don't want to come off as some native nazi, it is their house after all.How's your knee? Surgery go alright? I'm waiting for my elderberries....you'll be here when??

And like t, I'm waiting for your reply!

Terry (aka terrier, aka wild raisin..according to John aka viburnum valley)

This message was edited Feb 1, 2006 4:01 PM

Ha! We were surprised but just kids so more curious than anything. When the little FS bit my sister we knew it was awake and ready to go back outside.

I put pictures from the Withlacoochee trip on the Camping, Hiking and Boating Forum http://davesgarden.com/place/t/572517/

This weekend the plan is to go see the Chassahowitzka River and NWR. Chassahowitzka is where they bring one group of the young Whooping Cranes on the ultra light guided migration. Wouldn't it be neat to see a Whooper in the wild??!!

Lilifan, the possum pictures are absolutly cute . Couple years ago we had a pair of juveniles that came and fed on leftover cat food that I put out for them in the evening . They would come out about 9PM and have the plate clean in no time. This past summer we had a raccoon visiting , I think that he was the reason for which the frogs kept on disapearring.... now I only have birds, squirrels,and the bunnies in the front yard at 4 AM, my husband see's them every morning on the lawn...
here is apicture of my squirrels.l

Hi tabasco and Wild Raisin:

I have the good fortune to be living for 16 years on 10 acres of recovering cropland and cattle pasture. No golf green was as closely cropped as this when I first strolled across it in 1989, considering its possibilities. Now it's 2006, and it's hard to see from one end to the other. I'm happy about that.

I was/still am a horticulturist, and now practice as a landscape architect. My "landscape" has evolved with collecting ornamental plants (often leftovers from landscape jobs) to concentrating on planting missing woody natives, to observing natural regeneration from happenstance germination, and all the above melding with all the viburnums brought to the Valley.

I've continued the constant battle against invasives: multiflora rose and Amur honeysuckle are the Evil Empire, with some Japanese honeysuckle and wintercreeper euonymus trying to get a foothold. Gradual elimination of tall fescue occurs as new planting areas are created.

All the fruiting shrubs and trees are successful to bring in birds and small mammals. That's just a normal expectation. Leaving standing dead trees provides habitat for cavity nesters. Leaving brushpiles has encouraged way too many rabbits, but maybe that'll attract the talons of some of the larger birds and they can have it out. Providing some wet "way stations" also contributes to diversity, with some turtles, frogs, and salamander types spotted occasionally. I'm on karst topography (big sinkhole at the back of the farm) so water doesn't tend to congregate naturally.

Regrowth of the herbaceous meadow species suppressed by grazing, mowing, and tall fescue has released opportunities for zillions of insects and birds. This is not only great to observe, but allows for untold benefit in pollinating activities on "my plants, and dispersal of seed from all of the above. Additionally, ground nesting birds and other mammals have greater opportunities amongst the taller grasses and forbs.

Now, I understand not everyone has the wide open space I have, and not everyone may enjoy (or even tolerate) the look of a pioneer and/or successional landscape. That's OK. One of the great things about gardening is that no two landscapes have to be alike. Look at the principles as a guide, and then apply that to your aesthetic.

Where I don't mind having frost asters, ironweed, and goldenrod coming up like garlic mustard amongst my viburnums, others may be screaming for a flamethrower to wipe them out. So be it. Those folks can use these for trades (by digging or seed collecting) or offering them to those "less fortunate"(!) that want to try out the native wildflowers. Or haul them to donate to a native plant sale, or contribute your time to install them on a restoration project nearby. If nothing else, these species are rewarding to those who think that they have black thumbs. Speaking of which, who can't grow a Sambucus? What's up with that?

Apparently I have difficulty giving short answers to simple questions. Here goes a list of woodies, to reply to tabasco.

Viburnums, viburnums, viburnums; it'd be easier to ask me which ones are NOT wildlife-friendly. I'll list the bestest ones:

Viburnum acerifolium
V. dentatum
V. nudum
V. prunifolium
V. rufidulum
V. sieboldii

Other very successful species for me:

Aesculus flava/octandra
Aesculus pavia
Aesculus parviflora
Amelanchier laevis
Aralia spinosa
Aronia arbutifolia
Aronia melanocarpa
Bignonia capreolata
Callicarpa americana
Carya cordiformis
Celtis occidentalis
Clematis virginiana
Clethra alnifolia
Cornus amomum
Cornus florida
Cornus racemosa
Crataegus mollis
Euonymus atropurpureus
Fothergilla gardenii
Hamamelis virginiana
Ilex decidua
Ilex verticillata
Juglans nigra
Juniperus virginiana
Lonicera sempervirens
Malus; crabapple selections
Morus rubra
Nyssa sylvatica
Prunus americana
Prunus serotina
Quercus; all species are helpful unless invasive non-natives
Rhus glabra
Rubus species; all blackberries and raspberries work
Sambucus canadensis
Spiraea alba
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Vitis species are all good

Just about every broadleaf evergreen and needled conifer also provides cover and nesting sites.

Yes, VV, your list is quite extensive and seemingly all inclusive for wildlife attractors in KY! Glad you are getting some activity on your property. It sounds like you are enjoying your restoration project.

The white plant/shrub in your last photo was very attractive, a lovely specimen, especially for a suburban yard-- would you mind telling us the name of the white flowered plant? And is it particularly attractive to butterflies?

We have quite a range of trees, shrubs, and plants, many of them natives, too, and we are surrounded by nearly 2000 acres of (old growth, much of it) woodland and restored meadow which offers a wonderful habitat for all kinds of wildlife. We enjoy the setting, especially since we are just minutes from downtown Cincinnati.

I loved the Flying Squirrel pics and the possum visitors, and all the beautiful photography of the berries. The winterscape can be so beautiful with berry bushes enhanced by our marauding feathered friends!

Stacey, the fs bit your sister? I'll take a look at your pictures when I'm done writing this. If you do see a whooping crane, make sure you have your camera ready!

orchid, we moved to TN in July of 03, and when fall came and the trees started to lose all their leaves, I noticed this huge nest in a tree out back. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what would create such a big thing. Spring came, I was taking a much needed break on the deck, and I saw a squirrel. I watched it, wondering if the nest was hers/his. Hmmm....it climbed up the tree, but them jumped to the one next to it, kept going up, went past the nest, but then hopped back to the other and came down into the nest. I was so excited to think of them nesting in my own backyard! Where we lived before that, up here, in a house we lived in for 21 yrs, I only saw a squirrel twice. I don't know why, but they just didn't come to that part of town. So I was like a kid at Christmas when I figured out it was actually a squirrel nest! Your picture is very cute, thank you!

John, I don't see a v.cassinoides on your list! What's up with that? I want your yard, done my way, and of course scaled down to fit on 60 feet by 132 feet. I will be that crazy lady on the street...or even in the town. I envy those of you who have acreage. I can only wish :o) I planted all the perennials (and then some) you listed above last fall, we'll see how many come up this spring. AND , stop the dig already on my poor sambucus! My grandpop used to say I had the greenest thumb of anybody he'd ever met. I never heard him say that about you! My next question that you obviously ignored above....when are you coming to bring me all those sambucus babies?? And as long as you're coming, bring me up whatever else you want to dig up *wink wink*! I'm a waiting......

I'm helping my dad rid his timber of the nasties. Funny how that multi flora rose grabs you while you're cutting it down, and keeps itself firmly attatched while you try to throw it into the fire! unfortunately, neither he or I are good at IDing what all is in there. I do know the rose and the honeysuckle.....but not much else. I'll be posting pics of those once it warms up and I can take a pic of something that has leaves on it. Of course it would be easier, since you're coming this way, to just come on out there and ID for us. Also, it that your house? With a wrap around porch?

t, how neat that you have so much acreage around you, yet are still so close to a town! I'm surprised some developer hasn't bought it up! I'm just minutes to a corn field, not the same huh? :o)

Terry (or Wild Raisin to John)

Once more, with gusto. While looking through photos, lost the whole post. Drat!

The plant that caught your eye is bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora). This is an excellent butterfly attractant, and grows easily in this part of the world. Many other little winged critters also gather 'round the fragrant blooms from June into July; it seldom fails to please.

Those in the picture date to about 1990 or 1991, leftovers from a planting job and when we had first moved here without city water. They started as twigs in 2G pots. They are now 9'x9', grown into each other and crowding me out of my circular driveway. Ingrates.

Here's another image from bounteous blooms.

I found one of my pics of the fs outside it's box.....

A pic of 'Daisy' the skunk .....

Awwww, I LOVE these wildlife pictures! I know there are flying squirrels around here but I've never seen one. I sure would love to though.

I absolutely LOVE this thread. I just took a lot of notes and also printed out your list VV! Where I moved from, my pond attracted tree frogs, toads and bullfrogs and small turtles. Of course oppossum and raccoons were also frequent visitors that would rip the lids off the garbage cans and fling trash everywhere. It was common to see deer walk right up the middle of our dead end street and cut through yards and easily leap fences. They never bothered anything in my yard but had a great time at the top of the street ripping out the Taylor's columnar apples and other fruti trees.

Now that we have moved *out to the country*, we see lots more of most of them. For the first month or so, there were four deer that cut through all the time. That changed to six the following month. Last week when hubby and I were in the field and nine of them walked through, about 50 feet from us, stopped and looked at us and continued on. Most of the plants that are here are all wild plants or were planted many, many years ago with the exception of a few unimpressive things here or there. Then of course I brought a ton of stuff with me. LOL I did put in a pond before I even moved in and will be changing the contour of the 'yard' part of the property to leave some areas further from the house wet through the year. It is naturally very wet here which I don't want to get rid of, but will change somewhat to make the best use of, for all concerned.

Anyway, thank you for this neat thread and I WILL be popping in and out to see what's new. :)

Hi Badseed! Good to "see" you again!. How exciting your new place sounds!! Like a clean palate for an artist to fill. The serviceberry and blueberry area anchors a really big daylily bed. surprise surprise lol! I have never seen any hummers express interest in the daylily blooms even though they are listed in lots of lists as good for hummers. But I have seen one take a bath in an upturned bloom that had water in it from being watered. That left me breathless. Wish I'd had a camera. Your place sounds like paradise - I hope you post some pictures for us!

edited for spelling - OMG it was unreadable lol!

This message was edited Feb 5, 2006 7:22 PM

Hi back at ya! Yeah, I can't say I have ever seen a hummer on daylily and trust me there was plenty of opportunity. :) They seem to always like the Buddliea of course and any plants with bright centers or marked centers like foxglove, gladiola,petunias, etc. I often saw them on my Leonotis and that is something I go out of my way to grow every year. They liked mondarda and salvias and zinnias and...I could go on all day but still never saw them on daylilies. LOL Oh, don't let me forget the fuschias! The purple and red variety seemed to be the fave.

I did get to hold a hummber once. It was still here in October and it was a cooler year. I was on the deck with my huskies and the hummer dropped from the fuschia, down right next to the dogs. I had no choice but to scoop it up before it was eaten. I called the zoo and asked what to do with it as it was fairly lethargic. They had me mix it up some sugar water which I got it to drink some then put the mix and the bird into a hanging flower basket. After awhile, all sugared up, it flew off. It stopped at a telephone line and looked back either stressed or thankful and away it went. ;)

My place is a bit of a wreck at the moment but we didn't move in until November and are still running back and forth to the other house. Once that sells and it warms up here, STAND BACK and watch for dust and flying mud!

We didn't get to Chasshowitzka, we had terrible storms. Almost 9" of rain at our house and up to 15" locally. Wow! 4th wettest day in history.

I checked with my sister about the Flying Squirrel...seems it bit our dad not my sister. Poor little thing had all these humans checking it out...what's a critter to do?? This was back in the late 60's so my memory wasn't too clear...imagine

Love the pictures Iris. Is Daisy a regular?

Chele, I do believe we're all waiting to see what miracles you work with your new land. Wow! What a dream come true!

There really is so much good info here...we're just starting to work in the yard again...weeds! Ugh!

If you all could take up a collection and buy me a bobcat or a hovercraft with an escavator, I could get done much faster. LOL Really, it will be fun and interesting and I'm not one to walk away from a challenge!

Aren't all the pics just great?! My ten year old was sitting here ooohing and aaahing over all of them, especially the opossum and flying squirrel. We see lots of dead critters our here, especially deer. She would have me bring them all home and bury them if I would go for it. When I was little, I wanted to grow up and have a Daktari back yard and I think she is the same. LOL Do you guys remember that show?

Hey, you complain about those weeds. My yard is covered in ice! Winter came back night before last. Bleck!

LOL You're right, I'd rather have weeds growing 365 days than ice...
Last week we used the AC, this morning it was in the 40s but spring is definitely here as seen in the wildflowers and bird antics

Hush your mouth! LOL A/C?? They are talking about us having the coldest day of winter. LOL It has warmed to 25 here! I have to say, up until 2 days ago, this has been the strangest winter I have ever lived through! We had a bit of a cool blast back in December and a few cold days and even snow here and there but it has mostly been in the 50-60s. February is always our coldest time but even when you know it is coming, you aren't ready for it.

Floridian, No, I only see Daisy once in a while, I believe she has a den out in the woods at the back of our property, But not really sure.
Heres a pic of a 'confused frog' lol ...

And another..

Oh, mon cheri...umm hello? Frog? Are you listening to me??

Chubby cherub chaser? :)

LOL Badseed! I like the second quote... chubby cherub chaser

:) Having a giddy moment. LOL

"Oh, mon cheri" - said like Pepe LePew?

We usually get one last frost in February...and it only got up to 58 today, chilly and grey.

Iris, same frog in both pictures?