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.
Nevada
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 Nevada.
Trees
River Birch; Eastern Hemlock; Eastern White, Jack
and Virginia Pine; Eastern Red and Northern White
Cedar; Bald Cypress; Green and White Ash; American
Beech; Blackgum; Black Cherry; Shellbark and
Shagbark Hickory; Hackberry; Black, Bur,
Chinquapin, Pin, Red, Scarlet, Swamp Chestnut,
Swamp White and White Oak; Pecan; Persimmon;
American Sweetgum; American Sycamore; Tuliptree;
and Black Walnut.
Shrubs
Serviceberry, Elderberry, Blackhaw; Floweing, Rough
Leaved, Gray, Red-osier and Silky Dogwood;
Chokecherry, Nannyberry, Redbud, Shining, Smooth
and Staghorn Sumac; Arrowwood; buttonbush; Black
Chokeberry; Hazelnut; Ninebark; Wild Plum;
Spicebush; and Winterberry
Grasses
Big and Little Bluestem; Indiangrass; Switchgrass;
Hairy Dropseed; Sideouts Grama; Tufted Hairgrass;
Woodrush; Indian Ricegrass
The Nevada
landscape is represented by sandy deserts, rugged,
snow covered mountains, forested mountain slopes
and grassy valleys. Located almost entirely within
the Great Basin. Nevada can be divided into three
main land regions; the Columbia Plateau, the Sierra
Nevada, and the Basin and Range Region. In the
northeaster corner of Nevada, the land is supported
by lava bedrock. Rivers and streams have cut deeply
into the bedrock, leaving deep canyons with steep
ridges. Near the Idaho border the land turns to
open prairie. This is part of the Columbia Plateau.
The Sierra Nevada is the rugged mountain range that
cuts across a portion of Nevada south of Carson
City. Lake Tahoe, a beautiful glacial lake, on the
California/Nevada border lies in one of the valleys
of the Sierra Nevada. The rest of the state is part
of the Basin and Range Region. This region is
divided by more than 150 mountain ranges running
from north to south. Scattered between all of the
ranges are buttes (single lone hills) and mesas
(flat-topped mountains) as well as flat valleys
with lakes or alkalie flats. The Mohave 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.
