Thursday, March 29, 2012

Wildlife could be waiting for your backyard transformation

Catawba River Women, by Carla Linster – March 29, 2012
Do you know what the largest irrigated crop in the United States is?
Fescue turf grass. That’s right.  The U.S. has 40 million acres of irrigated fescue grass, and it’s nonproductive.
Craig R. Wyant, the March luncheon speaker for the Catawba River Women’s Group, shared this astonishing fact with us. Craig owns A Fine Line Design, a landscape architecture firm. He also is active in numerous environmental groups and serves as a habitat steward trainer for the NC Wildlife Federation.
Craig told us that most of the 40 million acres of fescue grass is in suburban housing developments that once were woods and meadows and home to an abundant and healthy wildlife ecosystem.
So what if we set aside a part of this nonproductive fescue lawn and gave it back to some of the animals that once lived there?
We can, Craig said, by turning our yards into backyard wildlife habitats. 
You’ll hear birdsongs, see squirrels frolic, enjoy the pollination benefits from bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, gain mosquito control from bats and – something that really gets my son excited – have far less fescue grass to mow.
What a backyard habitat requires
Four components make up a backyard habitat: food, water, cover and a place to raise young.

  1. Food: Plants are good sources to provide food. Dogwood tree fruit, hearts a bursting, milkweed plant and millet are a few. Be sure not to plant invasive species that could take over and be a poor food. Feeders are an important supplement to a backyard habitat. Feeders you may want to consider: a basic hanging bird feeder, humming bird feeder, bin feeder and a suet feeder. 
  2. Water: A birdbath on the ground is the most natural way birds drink water, and it will also be a water source for small mammals. On the other hand, an elevated birdbath provides protection from neighborhood cats. Butterflies also like water on the ground; place sand in a shallow pan for the “puddling” that attracts them. Make sure the water is fresh and clean with no algae buildup. 
  3. Cover: Animals need two kinds of cover. Temporary cover provides a place to hide from a predator or spend the night in safety. Permanent cover provides a place to stay for the season or all year round and safety for raising the young. Look to nature when considering cover. In the forest you have the canopy (the tall, mature trees), mid-story vegetation (smaller trees like dogwood and bushes), herbaceous vegetation ground cover (shrubs and small plants), and forest litter. Cover can also be fallen timber. A hallow log makes a nice burrow. A standing snag that has a cavity in it can be cover for an owl, squirrel or raccoon. 
  4. A place to raise young: This can be a constructed cover such as a grape arbor where birds and pollinators can build their nests; a concrete culvert with one closed end to forma sturdy burrow, or even a brush pile. For bird houses and nesting boxes, be sure to put on a pole or post with a predator baffle to ward off snakes and mammals. Butterfly nesting boxes will protect against weather and predators. Squirrel boxes, toad abodes and spider frames are some other cover elements you may want to add. But be sure to clean out nesting boxes at the end of the season.
Now get certified!
Once you’ve built your backyard wildlife habitat you may want to be certified by the NC or National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Federation. We humans have taken so much from our environment. Give a little back, and enjoy the beauty.

Great resources for learning and doing more

 
About Carla Linster – Carla, 47, is enjoying a “mid-life spring” after overcoming several medical problems. One new joy is working with “an amazing group of women,” the Catawba River Women’s Group, as they seek to create a sense of unity among communities along the Catawba River.

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