Gardening Is For Birds?

1. Gardening Is For Birds? Thomas G. Barnes, Ph.D. Extension Professor Department of Forestry

2. If you build it, they will come

3. 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!!!!!

4. 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!!!

5. Is Turf Good Wildlife Habitat? • It depends • Yes - starlings, robins • No - Songbirds & butterflies

6. The Single Most Important Factor in Creating Habitat • Reduce the amount of lawn

7. 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

8. Think Ecologically!Create Healthy Environment • Batty about bugs • Birds & other predator food supply!

9. Once You Reduce Lawn:What’s NEXT????? • Diversity of Plant Material • Most Bang for the Buck • Flowers • Flowering (fruit) Shrubs

10. Use a Variety of Groups & Species Within Groups • Large Trees • Small Trees • Deciduous • Evergreen • Shrubs • Flowers, ferns • Vines • Grasses

11. 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

12. Small Trees Think Fruiting Serviceberry, paw-paw, dogwood

13. Evergreens Spruce, pine, cedar Use for providing a cover screen against winter winds

14. Shrubs Think flowering & fruiting Serviceberry shrubby dogwoods viburnums hawthorns native mulberry gooseberry blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

15. Wildflowers • Those that provide seeds • Those that provide nectar (hummingbirds) • Those that attract insects

16. Native Grasses • Widely underused • Provide excellent winter color in landscape • Birds & butterflies use food & or cover

17. What Type of Plants?? • Why Native of Course! • Wildlife Are Adapted to Using Them • Naturally Hardy • Incredible Diversity & Beauty • Meet Any Challenging Gardening Situation

18. Spring - Hummingbirds

19. Late-Spring - Hummingbirds

20. Early -summer Hummingbirds

21. Early -summer Hummingbirds

22. Summer Hummingbird Flowers

23. Summer Hummingbird Flowers

24. Summer Hummingbird Flowers

25. Summer Hummingbird Flowers

26. Late- Summer Hummingbird Flowers

27. Hummingbird Vines & Shrubs • Trumpet Creeper • Cross-vine • Trumpet Honeysuckle • Azaleas • Rhododendrons • New Jersey Tea

28. The Seed Producers The Best of the Best – Sunflowers & Silphiums

29. The Seed Producers The Best of the Best – Sunflowers & Silphiums

30. The Seed Producers The Best of the Best and Now The Rest

31. The Seed Producers The Best of the Best and Now The Rest

32. The Seed Producers The Best of the Best and Now The Rest

33. The Insect Attractors

34. The Insect Attractors

35. Vines • Virginia creeper, passionflower, leather flower

36. Woo Wildlife With Water • Shallow – no more than 2” deep • Dripping & flowing is better

37. Bird Baths • Best if placed on the ground

38. Water Gardens • Death traps for songbirds • Great for herons, raccoons

39. The Best & Most Consistent Attractor • Seeds

40. There are some downsides to feeding wildlife • If you provide it, they will come – • Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, etc.

41. Remember • Create a healthy environment • We are asked to be good stewards of our environment, including our yards

42. Remember Reduce the amount of lawn Provide food, water, cover Diversify your plantings Use native plants