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Need ideas for natives for wildlife

13 years ago

Hey all, new house, huge yard, Woo Hoo! I'm trying to make it a haven for wildlife. I could use suggestions for the best natives for my zone 4. I have everything from sun to deep shade. Shrub, perennials, and reseeding annual ideas would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Pet out.

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Comments (9)

lisanti07028
13 years ago
You are going to have fun!I'm sure that GW posters from WI and from zone 4 in other states will chime in, but here's the link for some information for southern WI natives. However, if you click through to the wisplants.uwsp.edu link, and click through again, you can get a list of WI natives by county which is extremely cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: U of WI Arboretum
petpalikali
Original Author
13 years ago
Hey lisanti, I'm already having so much fun. In the year that I've lived here I've seen a rise in birds visiting. Thanks for your help. Pet out.
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If you have a moist, semi-shady area you could try planting a thicket for the birds using plants like Viburnum trilobum, other viburnum, elderberries, native plum thicket, etc. Lindera benzion, spicebush, grows very well in shady moist areas and birds love the berries (and it provides habitat for spicebush swallowtail caterpillars). Plant a Clematis virginiana (virgin's bower) over it and voila! Instant cover and food sources. I would add Lonicera sempervirens for the hummers if you can (native honeysuckle). Some of your hummer plants are not native, such as the chives, scabiosa, parsley...hummers also enjoy columbine, penstemon, and garden phlox. Seed-eating birds also love the seeds of coreopsis, native sunflowers, rudbeckia and echinacea. Your Bradford pear is unfortunately an invasive species in Virginia and you may want to consider replacing it with a native alternative if you can. Sounds like you're off to a wonderful start with what you have. Adding a water source to your yard will really bring the birds flocking!
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in desperate need of help, cat killin my wildlife
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Lisa, what a horrible situation. I feel so bad for the cats and your wildlife. They are always the ones that suffer because of ignorant pet owners. Anyway, there is an organization called Crash's Landing. It is a no kill cat rescue in Grand Rapids. Here is the link: http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/MI275.html I noticed that they have changed their policy and now only accept cats 6 months or older. They have so many homeless and abandoned cats/kittens. You may want to call them. You may be able to talk her into taking the kittens or she may know of someone that can help you. I know what will happen to the kittens at the animal control. (sometimes I think they are better off than being left alone to try and survive outside)The woman that runs the organization is a vet, she is awesome! I have 4 cats (all inside) because of stupid pet owners. All were abandoned. Someone dropped off a litter of kittens in the soy bean field across the street from my home. We could only find one of the kittens. My husband brought him home. The other 3 were taken in because they were starving to death. Oh geezz, I wish people would take care of their pets!! I hope you can find someone to help you for the sake of the cats and your wildlife. Karen
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Comments (11)
I have a highbush cranberry tree that is about 12' high. I dug it up from a few blocks away and dragged it back to my woodlot backyard and planted it last fall. Despite all the trauma it experienced it has done superbly and presented the birds with tons of bright red berrries that the birds will enjoy when the winter is here. We also have a mulberry, several serviceberry (great shrubs/trees... beautiful white blossoms, berries that start out red and turn bluish black as they mature and the birds go nuts for them) and the ground cover is mostly Blue Cohash which the birds go absolutely crazy for in the fall. We just moved here last fall and the woodlot had to be cleared of dense Garlic Mustard and Oriental Bittersweet which has taken us 2 seasons to do. We expect at least one more season of dense Garlic Mustard but in the mean time we have planted lots of native ferns, various coloured trilliums, jacks etc.. and I went on a berry hunt this fall and strew about loads of Blue Cohash seeds to help take over where the Garlic Mustard has been taken out. As for more species for the birds (our family are avid birders), you could try SweetGum (awesome trees with very strange seed pods), Tulip Trees (nectar), Dogwoods, SpiceBush (this is our next bush to go into the woods... they grow in large groups so we will plant a large stand of them next spring), any of the cherry species like "Pin Cherry" will attract birds and are at least native in my region (southern Ontario) and we have several 60' as well as tons of saplings. Sassafras are good for fruit as well. *sigh* so many cool plants and so little money ;o) Barb Southern Ontario
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Native TX Gardner Needing to Use Non-Native Bamboo
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Comments (6)
Bummer. That said, I am not a purest about anything. I think that if most of your yard is catering to wildlife , that this will not tip the long term effect. I think that bamboo is a good dirt builder and birds love it. Wildlife is also attracted to non native species.. My only concern is the damage that it might do to the foundation over the years. The clumpers do expand out in a formidable root mass when happy. Are they allowed to build right up to the plot line? I had old ubiquitous running bamboo that we contained in retaining walls and it got above 2 floors and would have done most of the third floor. I imagine with the hanging over of the crown yours will create zones of privacy, maybe not complete privacy. I think that you will get used to it after a decade or so. I found that we are flexible humans and the allusion of privacy is often just as good as complete privacy in our minds.. Is there anything else that you can plant. I suspect that the bamboo does capture rain in the leaves and mosquitos love it or so some people say. Others say that is a myth. I had an awful mosquito problem and I had a lot of bamboo in the neighborhood. I also had a river not far away and a dry creek bed with wallows.. I read somewhere that it was the bamboo that attracted them but I have also read the opposite..
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Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
13 years ago
Do you have in mind just what wildlife you would like to make a haven for? Might that be something for you to decide first?
Birds?
Insects?
Other Invertebrates?
Mammals?
Reptiles?
Endangered Species?

Sue

The link below lists Wisconsin Wildlife and tells about them and gives numerous planting suggestions for each one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wisconsin critters.
Eryngi
13 years ago
Hi petpalikali! If you're looking for butterfly plants in your area you could try the butterfly site
http://www.thebutterflyfarm.com/usa-gardening-region-5 this link should tell you what plants can live in your area and which butterflies they'll attrack.
I'm not sure if you want a tree but hackberry trees are attractive towards deer.
Try planting some native grasses but be careful because these might attrack snakes.
petpalikali
Original Author
13 years ago
HEy all. I'm following the list for a certified wildlife garden, so the kind of natives I'm looking for would produce - seeds, nuts, berries and nectar. Not on the same plant of course, LOL. I have full sun in the front yard, so they should be semi-pretty for the neighbors. The back yard is mostly shaded by giant maple trees, a Plum and two Apple trees. Stuff doesn't have tobe so pretty there, mostly useful for wildlife. Keep your suggestions comimg!
edlincoln
13 years ago
Blueberries, American Holly, American Beach Trees.
Eryngi
13 years ago
Wild red columbine could grow in your backyard with the shade. It has nectar and attracts butterflies.
jcalhoun
13 years ago
I suggest contacting your county extension agent about getting a soil test. Cheap, easy, and gives you a lot of information to work with.
Liz
13 years ago
I'm doing the same thing in my NJ yard. I planted serviceberries and native viburnums, and am about to put in a silky dogwood. All cornus are nice, plus native hollies such as winterberry. And don't forget the big trees--oak, birch, prunus, Nyssa sylvatica, hackberry. Lot of choices!
dr. liz

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