Please send your
question regarding habitat development and
gardening for birds to gardening@birdzilla.com.
We'll answer as many as we can and post selected
answers here.
Q.
Wildlife doesn't just randomly occur in a given
area; it is there in response to habitat which
meets its needs. What are the four essential
elements of a wildlife habitat, including for
birds? DF -
Atlanta, GA
A. Food,
water, cover (protection from weather and
predators) and space to raise a family.
Tom
Patrick is president of the
Windstar
Wildlife
Institute.
Tom's company provides training and
certification in wildlife habitat
development programs. Thanks to Tom and
some of his Certified Wildlife Habitat
Naturalists for answering the
questions.
Q.
Feeders are used to supplement the foods provided
by trees, shrubs, flowers, crops in food plots,
vines and ground covers. What are the different
types of feeders? TR - LA,
CA.
A. Cylindrical,
hopper, suet, hummingbird, squirrel and
fruit.
Tennessee
Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation Landscaping
Do you enjoy
observing nature...hearing the song of the
chickadee...watching hummingbirds fill up on nectar
from trumpet vines...listening to the chattering of
squirrels...seeing the beauty and grace of a
monarch butterfly perched on a milkweed...
experiencing the antics of a Mockingbird...the
cooing of the Mourning Doves...the swiftness of the
Cottontail...and the brilliance of a Cardinal or
Baltimore Oriole?
If the answer is
"yes", you'll probably want to landscape your
property for wildlife so you can experience even
more from Mother Nature by attracting more wildlife
to your property.
Wildlife doesn't
just randomly appear in a given area. It is there
because of favorable habitat. The essential
elements that you must provide in your habitat are
food, water, cover and a place to raise a family.
To attract the most wildlife, you need native
trees, shrubs, groundcover, vines and wildflowers,
many of which will provide food and
shelter.
Native or
indigenous plants naturally occur in the region in
which they evolved. They are adapted to local soil,
rainfall and temperature conditions, and have
developed natural defenses to many insects and
diseases. Because of these traits, native plants
will grow with minimal use of water, fertilizers
and pesticides. Wildlife species evolve with
plants; therefore, they use native plant
communities as their habitat. Using native plants
helps preserve the balance and beauty of natural
ecosystems.
Remember the
function served by plants and structures is more
important than their appearance. In other words,
don't base your planting decisions solely on what a
plant looks like. Following are WindStar Wildlife
Institute's plant recommendations for wildlife
habitats in Tennessee.
Trees
Hornbean; Red Buckeye; River Birch; Hackberry;
Redbud; Fringe Tree; Flowering Dogwood; Witch
Hazel; Possum Haw; American Holly; Black Walnut;
Sweet Gum; Sweetbay; Black Gum; Sourwood; Shortleaf
and Loblolly Pine; Sycamore; Wild Plum; Carolina
Buckthorn
Shrubs
Downy Serviceberry; Juneberry; Indigo Bush;
American Beautyberry; Carolina Allspice;
Buttonbush; Pogoda Dogwood; Southern Bush
Honeysuckle; Wahoo; Yaupon; Winterberry; Spicebush;
Christmas Berry; Huckleberry; Shining and Smooth
Sumac; Sparkleberry; Black Haw; Witherod
Viburnum
Wildflowers
Sweet Flag; Blue Star; Columbine;
Jack-in-the-pulpit; Wild Ginger; Swamp Milkweed;
Butterflyweed; Bushy, New England and Frost Aster;
White False Indigo; Wild Hyacinth; American
Bellflower; Turtlehead; Early and Tall Coreopsis;
Shooting Star; Purple Coneflower; Rattlesnake
Master; Joe- pye Weed; Narrow-leaved and Ox-eye
Sunflower; Marsh Blazing Star; Gayfeather; Blazing
Star; Cardinal Flower; Great Blue Lobelia;
Partridge Berry; Carolina and Blue Phlox;
Black-eyed Susan; Cut-leaf Coneflower; Golden
Ragwort; Blue-stemmed, Sweet and Rough-leaved
Goldenrod; Foam Flower; Rose Vervain; Common Blue
and Birdsfoot Violet
Grasses
Big and Little Bluestem; Broom Sedge; Switchgrass;
Inland Sea Oats; Purple Lovegrass; Sugarcane Plume;
Bottlebrush; Gulf Muhly; Indiangrass; Eastern
Gamagrass
Stretching 440
miles from east to west, Tennessee characterized by
6 main land regions; The Blue Ridge, the
Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, the
Appalachian Plateau, the Highland Rim, the
Nashville Basin and the Gulf Coastal Plain. The
Blue Ridge area lies on the eastern edge of
Tennessee is characterized by high mountains,
including the Great Smoky Mountains, the Chilhowee
Mountains, and the Snowbird Mountains. The
Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region is covered by
fertile valleys separated by wooded ridges. The
Appalachian Platieau is covered with flat-topped
mountains separated by sharp valleys. The Highland
Rim is an elevated plain that surrounds the
Nashville Basin.The Nashville Basin is
characterized by rich, fertile farm country. The
Gulf Coastal Plain is, in terms of area, the
predominant land region in Tennessee. The Gulf
Coastal Plain is divided into three sections that
extend from the Tennessee River, in the east, to
the Mississippi River in the west. The Tennessee
Native Plant Society can provide lists of plants
for a specific region.
For more
information on improving your wildlife habitat,
visit the WindStar
Wildlife Institute web
site. On
the web site, you can also apply to certify your
property as a wildlife habitat, register for the
"Certified Wildlife Habitat Naturalist e-Learning
course, become a member and sign up for the FREE
WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-mail
newsletter.
