Tuesday, May 13, 2008 5:55 PM CDT
Enhance landscaping with plants that benefit wildlife
By DAVE SHILEY
Spring gardening and landscaping season is in full swing in central Illinois. If you enjoy watching birds and other wildlife species, you may want to enhance your landscape with plants that are beneficial to wildlife.
Landscaping your yard for wildlife might begin by contacting a landscape architect for advice and a plan. If you are a “do it yourselfer,” then you should begin by drawing a simple plan for your planting. You will need to draw your yard or planting area to scale to help you determine how many mature trees, shrubs and flower beds will fit into the space. Make sure you include space for your family’s activities in your plan.
Wildlife have three basic needs for survival: water, food, and shelter for nesting or protection from predators and adverse weather conditions. With these basic needs in mind you can begin analyzing your yard’s current condition. For example, if no open water is present, a simple bird bath might be added. Place the bird bath in the open, but near shrubs or small trees so birds can land safely to scan the area for predators before visiting your water source.
Food for seed eating birds can be provided artificially by installing a bird feeder, or you could consider planting natural food sources for seed eating birds such as purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, butterfly weed, sunflowers and native prairie grasses. Native flowering plants also will attract butterflies to your yard.
When creating backyard habitat remember one thing, diversity! Planting a variety of fruit-producing shrubs, large broad-leaf shade trees, and evergreen trees will increase the diversity in your backyard. This diversity will provide more potential areas for nesting, feeding and protection. Some plants offer dual benefits, for example the native eastern red cedar tree provides both a great food source for birds, as well as, shelter from winter winds.
Shrubs native to Illinois that you might want to consider adding to your backyard include winterberry, shadblow serviceberry, hazelnut, highbush cranberry, and smooth or winged sumac. Some native shrubs can get fairly large, so check the mature height and spread before adding too many to your backyard. Many of the native shrubs also require a location with full sun or at least partial sun, so plan and plant accordingly.
If you have a fence or other space for planting vines, they can be both visually pleasing to you and beneficial to wildlife. Two common vines, the wild grape and Virginia creeper, produce fruit relished by many bird species. The trumpet creeper vine produces orange trumpet shaped flowers which can provide a nectar source for hummingbirds.
Planning and planting your own backyard habitat may take more time and effort, but it can be a very rewarding experience. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and University of Illinois have a book available entitled “Creating Habitats and Homes for Illinois Wildlife,” which can be ordered by visiting https://pubsplus.uiuc.edu/DNR01.html. You can also find information about creating wildlife habitat in Illinois by visiting the IDNR Web site at http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/Wildliferesources/pubs/guide/.
If you have any questions about developing your own backyard wildlife habitat, contact the University of Illinois Extension, Coles County at 345-7034.
Dave Shiley is a University of Illinois Extension educator, natural resource management.
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