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.
Louisiana
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 Louisiana:
Trees
Tall - Mockernut
Hickory, Pecan, Shagbark Hickory, Hackberry,
Persimmon, American Beech, American Holly, Black
Walnut, Sweet Gum, Black Gum, Oak (Scarlet, Burr,
White, Red), Live Oak, Bald Cypress, Longleaf Pine,
Loblolly Pine, Eastern Red Cedar
Grasses Big
Bluestem, Bushy Bluestem, Split-beard Bluestem,
Broom Sedge, Side Oats Grama, Stalk-grain Sedge,
Rice Cut Grass. Switchgrass, Little False Bluestem,
Blue-eyed Grass
Louisiana can be
divided into three geographic land areas. The East
Gulf Coastal Plain lies to the east of the
Mississippi River north of Lake Pontchartrain. As
might be expected, the land is quite low and
consists of marshland near the river. The land
rises slightly in the north to rolling hills. The
Mississippi Alluvial Plain stretches along the
Mississippi River from Arkansas in the north to the
Gulf of Mexico in the south. This area along the
river is characterized by ridges and hollows. The
land contour slopes away from the frontlands to the
"backlands", comprised of clay and silt. The
Mississippi Delta, at the mouth of the Mississippi
River covers about 13,000 square miles (about 1/4
of Louisiana) and consists of silt deposited by the
river and is the most fertile area of
Louisiana.
The West Gulf
Coastal Plain lies west of the Mississippi Alluvial
Plain. In the south, along the gulf, are barrier
beaches. Behind the barrier beaches are marshes
that extend about 20 miles north into the interior
of Louisiana. To the north of the marshlands are
the Louisiana Prairies, characterized by gently
rolling landscape. The Louisiana
Native Plant
Society can
provide lists of plants for a specific
area.
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.
