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Gardening Is For Birds?. Thomas G. Barnes, Ph.D. Extension Professor Department of Forestry. If you build it, they will come. The Key is to Create Wildlife Habitat. Food Water Cover Space. American Goldfinch love sunflower seeds (common weedy sunflower) but love other
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Gardening Is For Birds? Thomas G. Barnes, Ph.D. Extension Professor Department of Forestry
The Key is to Create Wildlife Habitat Food Water Cover Space American Goldfinch love sunflower seeds (common weedy sunflower) but love other species like coreopsis, purple coneflowers, and black-eyed Susan even more!!!!!
Important Points to Remember • A little less lawn please! This leads to the creation of a healthy environment. • Diversify your plantings – the more variety of plants, the more variety of animals that will use them. • Use the plants the critters are adapted to using – natives!!!
Is Turf Good Wildlife Habitat? • It depends • Yes - starlings, robins • No - Songbirds & butterflies
The Single Most Important Factor in Creating Habitat • Reduce the amount of lawn
Gas mower (1 hr) 63 g VOC 858 g CO 4.2 g NO x 67.2 g Smog .43 g particulate 1990 g CO2 New Subcompact Car /mi driven .09 g VOC 4.20 g CO .3 g NO x .39 g Smog .08 g particulate The Turf Wars Source: EPA Note: string trimmers even worse than mowers
Think Ecologically!Create Healthy Environment • Batty about bugs • Birds & other predator food supply!
Once You Reduce Lawn:What’s NEXT????? • Diversity of Plant Material • Most Bang for the Buck • Flowers • Flowering (fruit) Shrubs
Use a Variety of Groups & Species Within Groups • Large Trees • Small Trees • Deciduous • Evergreen • Shrubs • Flowers, ferns • Vines • Grasses
Large Trees • Long term investments • Think outside the box --- don’t use those that are over planted (silver, red maple, pin oak, etc.) • Unusual – like buckeye, persimmon
Small Trees Think Fruiting Serviceberry, paw-paw, dogwood
Evergreens Spruce, pine, cedar Use for providing a cover screen against winter winds
Shrubs Think flowering & fruiting Serviceberry shrubby dogwoods viburnums hawthorns native mulberry gooseberry blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Wildflowers • Those that provide seeds • Those that provide nectar (hummingbirds) • Those that attract insects
Native Grasses • Widely underused • Provide excellent winter color in landscape • Birds & butterflies use food & or cover
What Type of Plants?? • Why Native of Course! • Wildlife Are Adapted to Using Them • Naturally Hardy • Incredible Diversity & Beauty • Meet Any Challenging Gardening Situation
Hummingbird Vines & Shrubs • Trumpet Creeper • Cross-vine • Trumpet Honeysuckle • Azaleas • Rhododendrons • New Jersey Tea
The Seed Producers The Best of the Best – Sunflowers & Silphiums
The Seed Producers The Best of the Best – Sunflowers & Silphiums
The Seed Producers The Best of the Best and Now The Rest
The Seed Producers The Best of the Best and Now The Rest
The Seed Producers The Best of the Best and Now The Rest
Vines • Virginia creeper, passionflower, leather flower
Woo Wildlife With Water • Shallow – no more than 2” deep • Dripping & flowing is better
Bird Baths • Best if placed on the ground
Water Gardens • Death traps for songbirds • Great for herons, raccoons
There are some downsides to feeding wildlife • If you provide it, they will come – • Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, etc.
Remember • Create a healthy environment • We are asked to be good stewards of our environment, including our yards
Remember Reduce the amount of lawn Provide food, water, cover Diversify your plantings Use native plants