What Are You Growing to Attract Wildlife?

I'm thoroughly enjoying all the pictures of wildlife on this site, and it makes me curious to know what people are growing to attract these critters. Are there certain plants, shrubs and trees that your wildlife use for food and shelter? Do you have rock piles, snags and wood piles? Do you live in the country, city or burbs? Do you plant native species or exotics?

I live in a quarter acre plot in a suburb outside of Philadelphia and I'm trying to "go native" to attract and balance my ecosystem. But I'm not a purist and have hosta, daylilies, camillia, etc. I've noticed birds eating berries in the Prunus serotina (Black cherry tree), Viburnam dentatum (Arrowwood viburnum), Viburnum trilobum (Cranberry bush) and the Morus alba (White mulberry). Something (bunnies?) is eating the Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England Asters) and the berries on the Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's Seal). The acorns from the pin oak attract the squirrels. I see lots of birds in the hemlock tree, but I don't know if they're eating anything there. Birds and butterflies are on the Echinacea purpurea (Purple coneflower) and the Lonicera sempervirens (Native honeysuckle).

I'm planning a hedgerow and a native grass area.

I'd love to hear from others out there.

Sherry

Rectently, I have been ejoying watching the hummers feed off the lobelia cardinalis.

And I found a monarch egg on my aslepias syriaca yesterday.

I got some pipevine seeds and am hoping to attract some pipevine swallowtails with those.

I get lots of tiger swallowtails and giant swallowtails feeding on the purple coneflowers.

The culversroot is started to form seed heads.

The rosinweed and cupplant are blooming right now, when they go to seed, the finches will be all over them.

We left our property native except for butterfly plants, a few exotics that we couldn't resist, and an orchard.. Other than the natives, the wildlife seems to prefer the fruit ... grapes, figs, peaches, and the only pear I ever grew in my life..
Tomato's are a hit with racoons..
The deer went thru the peaches overnight..
Squirrels in the Oak trees..
Sometimes understory brush isn't very pretty but the animals need it for habitat..
Don't forget to add water
lol

joepyeweed,
You must have great eyesight to see a Monarch egg! Got to get me some Asclepias syriaca (milkweed)! There's a pond a few blocks from my house that's absolutely loaded with milkweed and Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed). I may just snag a seed pod or two once they pop. I checked out the other plants you mentioned and particularly like the Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root).

princessnonie,
Sounds like you have a wonderful attitude about things. I don't know that I'd be so calm if the "deer went through the peaches overnight." But you bring up one of the most important thing of all for wildlife--water. Right now all I have are two birdbaths, but I'm hoping to add a small pond in the spring.

My neighbor put in a pond..isn't that great? and we do have a creek in the far back of the property..
We'd rather have deer than peaches anyhow , peaches are inexpensive in Texas, and the pears and apple trees are a joke..
ONE pear in 7 years..No apples..
The truth is we bought this property because we wanted wildlife and we enjoy providing for them..

Its easy to see an Monarch egg. Turn over leaves on milkweed until you see a small white thing that looks like a half of a peice of rice - that's a monarch egg. In a few days it will be tiny tiny caterpillar - and then they start eating and grow really fast.

I bet if you check out the leaves on the plants around that pond near your house you will find one. You can collect a leaf with an egg on it and put it in an terrarium. When the caterpillar emerges - keep feeding it fresh milkweed leaves and eventually it will form a chrysalis and then a butterfly. Its pretty easy to do. And Cats that are fed and protected are much more likely to form a butterfly than ones left in the wild.

princess, you're so right. I can get peaches anywhere. You're so lucky to have a creek on your property. That must be a wildlife magnet. I'd especially like to have one here today. It's 100 degrees. I can't complain, though, because we've had pretty regular rain and are not in a drought like so many are right now. I'm changing the water in the birdbaths twice a day and scrubbing the algae out every other day.

joepye, I will be checking milkweed leaves tomorrow morning! I don't have a terrarium, but I've got a punch bowl and a large glass platter I could put over the top. Would that work? Oh, heck, I'll go online and see if I can find information. The idea is very intriguing. I know what you mean about "protected." I had gorgeous swallowtail catepillars all over my fennel this spring and before I could get my digital to take a picture, the cardinals were feasting on them. They didn't leave a one.

Oh Ouch..now that does bother me..( The cardinals eating the Swallowtail cat's).
Right now, there's a crab spider on my milkweed and I'm afraid she's going to eat the
Monarch cats..
Sometime's I just have to close my eyes and leave the rest to Mother Nature..Or maybe I'll try Joepyeweed's technique..

!00 degrees in NJ..I don't think even Houston reached that today..

I don't go to the stream EVER in summer..Too afraid of Water moc's

Cheers,

It is good to get the eggs on a plant in a pot and then put that in a cat cage:

two craft rings - with a length of overlapped tulle in between. I close the ends off with twist ties.

I have kept the cages inside. The cage gets dirty, but once the butterflies leave, I throw away the tulle.

Can't save all of them, but can grow some away from predators.

I usually clean the cage out a few times before it makes the chrysalis. I wipe out the droppings with clean paper towel - no soap or water or anything.

You can use almost any container as long as it is clean, dry and ventilated. I think a punch bowl and a platter might not let enough air in.

I use the plastic terrariums that you can buy - they are pretty inexpensive and they look like this:

Water mocs! Yikes! Yes, I think I'd be staying away, too.

Thanks for the suggestions on terrariums. Since I don't have a cat cage either, I think I'll go looking for the plastic one this weekend. I examined leaves on the milkweed this morning and found several with what I think are monarch eggs. I'm psyched!

Sherry,

Thought you might want to know the chickadees in my yard really like the hemlocks.

Other plants I'm glad I have are:

- spicebush (Lindera benzoin) -- the catbirds love the berries and it's a host plant for spicebush butterflies

- summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) - nectar for butterflies, and other pollinators

- bee balm (Monarda didyma) - it's not the prettiest plant once mildew get to the leaves, but I think it's
the main reason I was actually seeing hummingbirds here (although last year I saw one on Lobelia cardinalis that joepyeweed has already mentioned)

- blue cardinal flower (Lobelia siphilitica) - butterflies and besides that, they're good looking and provide late summer color

Lori

Lori, thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like you have a lovely native garden.

I'm planning a hedgerow and Spicebush might be a nice addition. I have quite a few catbirds in my yard that eat Barberry and White Mulberry. Since these are invasive species, I plan on removing them, but want to replace them with a native food source for the catbirds. Good to know they like Spicebush.

Yep, chickadees are in my hemlocks, too.

I put Monarda didyma in last year, but haven't seen any hummingbirds yet. Like you, I'm a bit disappointed with the look of this plant, but if it brings me hummingbirds or even good pollinators it can stay.

I definitely would like to get some Lobelia. I saw a really lovely magenta-colored one at a local nursery and am still kicking myself for not picking it up when I had the chance.

According to a book I have the gray catbird likes these plants for food and shelter:

serviceberries (Amelanchier sp) - I think these are overlooked, very pretty native trees/shrubs
Hackberries (Celtis sp.)
Dogwoods (cornus sp)
Hollies (Ilex)
Bayberries ( Myrica) - yellow rumped warblers and orioles like these, too - b/c they keep their berries - could save a bird's life who travels too soon in spring - need male and female
Wild cherries (prunus) - orioles like cherries, too
Sumacs (Rhus)
Common Blackberry (Rubus)
Elderberry (Sambucus) - if you get a native or native cultivar - the flowers have a nice perfume and the berries are very very good for you, too, but needs space.
Mountain Ash (sorbus)
Highbush blueberry (vaccinium)
Viburnums
Wild grapes (Vitis) - these are good for orioles, too.

Many of these plants attract lots of bird life. Hackberry and cherry are host plants and some viburnums are nectar plants. Enjoy.

Sherry. I love my yard, but it's far from being a native garden. It came with many natives, like hemlock, white ash, and blueberry, but also many invasive exotics like burning bush. I plant mostly natives, but also non-invasive exotics. Unfortunately, I'm still looking for a good substitute for the English ivy here. (DH is insisting on something evergreen, so my only real success so far has been native honeysuckle in sunny areas. Have a couple more plants I want to try).

If you want a mailorder source for the straight species cardinal flower you can try toadshade.com.

indirt,

I bet you were using the book "American Wildlife & Plants A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits". I find that book to be very useful.

Lori

No, but that book sounds very interesting....

Indirt,
Wow, quite a list. Thanks. I had already planned on serviceberry, native viburnum, highbush blueberries and redosier dogwood. I agree, serviceberry is lovely and should be used more. I'll check out the others in the plant files. What book are you using? I'd also like to keep my Cardinals and Carolina wrens happy.

Lori,
Thanks for the recommendation for Toadshade. I'll definitely give them a look. As to your replacement for English Ivy, have you considered Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens). It's our native Pachysandra and is really lovely. Much prettier than the exotic you see everywhere. Check it out in the plant files. I saw it in a neighbors garden and am tempted to ask her for a piece because I haven't seen it in the nurseries around here. Hey, maybe Toadshade has that, too. I'll check it out.

Fahrvergnügen:

Yes; see tree/shrub list. Rock piles, soil piles, brush piles, wood piles, old fence board piles, snags, pruning errors, meadows, fencelines, woodlands, and a raised deck all offer shelter to something or another. Country boy here, who plants what won't escape (that's primarily native/indigenous species, if you really want to support the native/indigenous critters).

Building on indirt's contribution, here's a bunch of woody wildlife winners growing around this central KY landscape:

Abies concolor white fir
Abies nordmanniana Nordmann fir
Aesculus spp. buckeyes
Amelanchier spp. serviceberries
Aralia spinosa devil's walkingstick
Aronia spp. chokeberries
Asimina triloba pawpaw
Bignonia capreolata crossvine
Callicarpa americana beautyberry
Carya cordiformis bitternut hickory
Carya laciniosa shellbark hickory
Carya ovata shagbark hickory
Castanea pumila dwarf chinkapin
Catalpa speciosa catalpa
Celtis occidentalis hackberry
Cercis canadensis redbud
Cladrastis kentukea yellowwood
Clematis virginiana virgin's bower
Clethra alnifolia summersweet
Cornus amomum silky dogwood
Cornus florida flowering dogwood
Cornus racemosa gray dogwood
Crataegus mollis downy hawthorn
Diospyros virginiana persimmon
Euonymus atropurpureus eastern wahoo
Fothergilla gardenii dwarf fothergilla
Franklinia alatamaha Franklin tree
Hamamelis virginiana witch hazel
Ilex decidua possumhaw holly
Ilex opaca American holly
Ilex verticillata winterberry holly
Itea virginica Virginia sweetspire
Juglans nigra black walnut
Juniperus virginiana red cedar
Liriodendron tulipifera tulip poplar
Lonicera flava yellow trumpet honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens red trumpet honeysuckle
Magnolia spp. magnolias
Malus clones crabapples
Morus rubra red mulberry
Myrica pensylvanica bayberry
Nyssa sylvatica blackgum
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper
Picea omorika Serbian spruce
Picea orientalis Oriental spruce
Pinus strobus white pine
Prunus spp. wild native cherries
Ptelea trifoliata hoptree, wafer ash
Quercus spp. oaks (about a dozen species)
Rhus spp. sumacs
Robinia pseudoacacia black locust
Rubus spp. blackberries and black raspberries
Sambucus canadensis elderberry
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus coralberry
Thuja plicata western red cedar
Toxicodendron radicans poison ivy
Viburnum spp. viburnum (about 100 different ones now)
Vitis spp. wild grapes
Zanthoxylum americanum prickly ash

I've worn off my fingertips; time for a rest.

I grow Catmint for the bees & butterflies, & was waiting for the flowers to die back - so I could deadhead. Catmint does not spread by runners like many members of the mint family, but will self sow everywhere. But I was surprised this morning to see a male & female American Goldfinch - eating the Catmint seeds. They remained there, picking the seeds from the plant, for over 20 minutes. I know Finches will wait until thistles are in blossom to nest, so this mating pair is right on schedule. But now I can offer some other sources of food too. I was peeking out a second story window, so I was only about 6 feet away - what a treat to watch them so close!
Julie

Sherry,

Thanks for the suggestion. I was lucky enough to be given a few pieces of Allengheny spurge this past spring. It's doing fine so far, but I think it's supposed to behave like a semi-evergreen as far north as I am which may be ok for my purpose. Don't know if it matters to you, but Allegheny spurge is a southern native, not native to NJ. On the other hand, for this type of plant, I'd even be thrilled to find non-invasive exotics that can deal with some foot traffic for various shade and sun situations. I've tried creeping phlox. It didn't die, but didn't spread very much. I still plan on trying barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides), and rat stripper (Paxistima canbyi).

You can try asking Toadshade. They say they don't list everything they have.

Lori

JRush - according to NWF, goldfinches are the only native bird that feeds its young on seeds alone

The book is Birdscaping Your Garden by George Adams - since wrens eat mostly insects, so the best way to attract is by hanging a wren house w/ a hole that is no bigger than 1 1/4" dia. This book does say grasses, oaks and poplars for wrens. Also, the cardinal pretty much likes anything the gray catbird likes.

Fireweed - I hope to plant a serviceberry someday as an understory. I am unsure if it will live due to droughts here - perhaps by a water feature? I found a Reverchon hawthorn under one of my oaks - guess a bird planted it there. Hawthorns are another underplanted tree - they are hosts to butterflies and have winter berries for birds. The thorns are great for cover and nesting for the little birds, but there are thornless varieties.

If anyone can grow a Ptelea trifoliata or wafer ash, I highly suggest it. Cover it with netting for the first few years to keep the butterflies off until it can get a decent size. The large caterpillars of three kinds of swallowtails will defoliate it quickly. It is a very pretty tree and can hold its own when it gets big.

ViburnumValley - what do Fothergillas attract? I can't grow them here, but have seen them in the catalogs.

Fothergilla is indigenous to the eastern US but is more of a southeastern native. It is said to be honey scented (I've tried my best to sniff it and still don't find it to be honey scented). This honey scent allegedly attract butterflies by the groves. I do see butterflies hanging around mine but not by the groves. The fall berries definitely attract both song and game birds as well as small mammals. Fothergilla additionally provides shelter.

WOW - The catalogs should use those features to sell the plant. I've seen it marked as a SE native, but not the benefits to wildlife.

Equi - how big is your Fothergilla? How big does it get?

I have several. The fall color on all of them is far more exceptionally spectacular than any Asian Euonymus alata any day! For that reason and that reason alone these plants are phenomenal additions to any landscape.

I have the Mt Airy that I purchased from a source Terry #1 recommended to me a few years ago. That is just now beginning to take off but it is only about 3' tall currently. I also have the straight species of gardenii (dwarf) and major. My gardenii are about 2' tall and the spread is about the same. My major aren't more than 3' but they won't be fully established for another year or so after which I suspect they will begin to take off.

I don't know off hand how tall the Mt. Airy will get but I suspect it will be up there with the major. The gardenii will go to about 3' and the major should cap off at around 8' but some people have them and they are hitting heights of 10'.

Fothergilla kicks butt in the wildlife arena!

I don't know if you are aware of this but butterflies like bright sunny areas and they like to bask in the sun when they are feeding. Who would have "thunk" that butterflies like to bask just like a snake! I am told the sun actually elevates their body temperatures which enables them to stay active. Have you ever noticed butterflies hanging out on stone walls virtually motionless before taking to flight again? This would be why. I've found that butterflies gravitate to the level surfaces of my retaining blocks that I used for some of my raised beds. This got me to thinking about providing them with additional level surfaces. I picked up a few slabs of anything I could get my hands on for free and sure enough, they gravitated to the level surfaces. I will add more level surfaces in the future to continue to encourage butterflies to come in and soak up the rays for a spell on my property. Also too, butterflies need shelter from inclement weather and high winds which is easily provided by integrating native shrubs into your landscape as well as rock/brush piles and such.

Equi - you come w/ such great info! and you described your shrubs well - I can just picture them. They probably out- rival the mimosa borealis w/ blooms and the cretageus in wildlife value! You are so lucky to be able to grow them!

If you can find any rocks with pits in them that will collect water- for puddlers. You could create a butterfly bath with a small container to a birdbath size filled with sand or mud and perhaps a little salt. Add water such that it doesn't cover the sand. And, per Equilibrium's input - place in full sun , but close to protective cover.

They're definitely up there with Crataegus.

I feel so, puddleless. I have no butterfly baths here! My level surfaces have no pits in them! Oh horrors, I need pits. I can't have my butterflies going pitless. Never thought of that. Great suggestion indirt. I know some moths will drink tears from small mammals but I don't know if any butterflies do that. Now you've got me wondering how to create pits in my level surfaces for butterflies. Did your rocks come with pits or did you add the pits? If you added pits, how did you do it? I am accident prone so please have mercy on me and make something up that is simple enough for me to do without causing bodily harm to myself.

The basking is one reason why many favorite butterfly plants have flat flowering surfaces - so they can bask and collect dew ...

EQ, look for a flat piece of limestone, its naturally pitted...

I have a small St. Francis statue that is holding a dish - the dish collects water and dew and the butterflies like to sit on his head in the sun.

I also have a rock that has words "experimental weed farm" etched into it. The butterflies will sit on that rock and water collects in the etched words...

There are two monarch caterpillars on the milkweed that I checked for eggs last week.

Equi - ROTFL! when I lived in MN had the same problem - felt the same way! Could bury one of those terra-cotta thingys that catches the water from the pot, fill w/ sand and large, flat center rock? If you want a rock for your garden, they can't be that much for just one at those places that sell landscape stone. Then you can pick one w/ "character". Or, you could drive down 35 and come choose one from my yard sometime!

Joepye- this is probably your last batch - these will go to Mexico! You can follow the migration on www.monarchwatch.org

Drive down 35 in this weather? I'd never survive. You all can't fool me! It's hotter in Texas than it is here in the Chicago land area! I'd look like a little dehydrated something or other by the time I made it to the Texas border. Seeeeeeeeend me a rock! Just kidding as I know darn well the cost would be outrageous. I guess I'm going to have to pay attention to what I'm picking up so I can get me some flat rocks with pits. And here I was intentionally selecting the flattest I could find for my babies.

I bought my one son a St Francis statue. I really like the statue. It does collect water but I've never noticed any butterflies or moths using it. Is it possible we have a defective St Francis statue? Just kidding again... it's late and I'm over tired. We normally keep sunflower seeds in his cupped hands because we like to watch the Bluejays land their big bodies on such a tiny area to grab a treat.

A week here and you will think 90 is cool and 85 or less ya turn off the A/C. 70 ya turn on the heat. LOL

You have those babies spoiled already and you know it!

Do frog larva in the rain bucket count as gardening for wildlife?

I already think that 85 means turn off the ac, I'm in the scorched Midwest... remember? We don't turn on the heat until we hit 60 or below though. We're tough.

I can't see well enough but frog tadpoles would count for me! Any chance you can expand their temporary living quarters by moving them into a kiddie pool and give them a very small whisper air pump with an air stone and a little green veggies like boiled spinach or lettuce?

I was wondering what to feed them. The eggs shown is only about 20% of what is in that bucket. My sister has two Koi ponds, but I am sure they would dine on my little darlings. I haven't any outlets outside of my rental duplex so I am hoping that some will survive where they are, in the conditions that Mom dropped them in.

Any experts out there with advice?

I provide herp habitat for my County. Tads from vernal ponds that have a history of going prematurely dry are relocated to my property and when the tads (both toad and frog) are about ready to morph, they are transferred back to the ecosystem from which they were taken. I also take in juvenile Salamanders and juvenile Eastern Painted Turtles.

Yes, your sister's koi would have them for breakfast lunch and dinner.

There's a thread right now where a similar situation is discussed.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/632582/

Although your heart is definitely in the right place, I am relatively confident that if you attempt to keep them in that bucket they will all die. Your load is far too high and you have no means by which to oxygenate your water without an electrical source. It might be best to ask your Mom where they came from and return them. The other possibility would be to contact a native wildlife rehabber or possibly even your local herp society and perhaps somebody there would have a set up to be able to accept them from you.

You might be interested in trying to contact one of these organizations-
http://www.fwra.org/
http://www.suncoastherpsociety.20fr.com/
or
Tampa Bay Herpetological Society, 3310-A Carlton Arms Dr., Tampa, FL 33614

We have loads of frogs the size of a diameter of a quarter. They started out the size of a dime, so I guess they are growing. Do they eat insects as small as they are? I haven't seen any insects their size at the pond - just dragonflies. We hardly have any mosquitoes - maybe *b/c* of baby frogs? Do dragonflies eat frogs? Do kingfishers eat frogs? I've seen one at the pond swoop out and catch something, but I can never get a good look at what he's after. Dragonflies were all about him, but he didn't seem to go for them. That or he eats em whole before he gets to the perch again.

I feel like a little kid w/ all my questions!

Terribly sorry - I meant Kingbird, not Kingfisher! Besides, I think what I saw was a black phoebe - just at the time the bird seemed longer than 6 1/2" and the bird seemed to have more white on it, but the behavior matches exactly.

Frogs eat anything they can fit in their mouth and I do mean anything. Dragonflies included.

Dragonflies do not eat frogs. KIngbirds are flycatchers. I don't know much about birds but I think their diet consists mostly of insects. Although they probably don't exclusively exist on insects, I don't know if a Kingsbird will eat a frog or not. Good question.

The dragonflies are so much bigger than the frogs are currently. Perhaps someday...

This thread is really interesting. Is there a gardening for wildlife forum here? I've gotten certified by National Wildlife Federation. I find the plant discussion very interesting, and all the lists. The dilemma I have now, is that I have no more part sun, moist soil areas. I need full sun drought tolerant hardy perennial suggestions. Anyone have those?

Never mind. I get it.