Biodiversity is important to wildlife because it provides food, water, shelter, and cover. Homeowners should include a variety of flowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees that provide year-round diversity in their Landscaping Baltimore.
Avoid exotic plants, which sever the native food web and often become invasive species that crowd out and degrade wild habitats over time. Instead, try native species adapted to your local climate and growing conditions.
Plants
Homeowners and landscapers have a major impact on wildlife habitat, with their choice of plants. Using native species rather than non-natives provides many benefits for wildlife. These include lower maintenance costs, reduced use of water and pesticides and higher ecological value for native wildlife. Native plant species are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions, making them more resistant to insects and disease. They also provide important food sources, such as berries and seeds, for birds and pollinators.
In addition, the deep root systems of native plants stabilize the soil and prevent erosion, which protects the health and quality of nearby water bodies. Native plants are also a natural barrier to invasive alien plants that can displace native wildlife and destroy ecosystems.
The goal of a landscape should be to make the yard an inviting environment for native wildlife. To do so, a landscape should have a variety of species that can meet wildlife needs at different levels. This can be accomplished by planting a combination of tall trees, shrubs and ground-level perennials or annual flowers.
Another way to increase the biodiversity of a home landscape is to add vertical diversity. This can be done by adding a variety of species of plants of varying heights, or by creating structural layers from the ground up.
A final way to encourage wildlife habitats is to leave fallen tree limbs, logs and snags in the landscape. These provide shelter for wildlife and also serve as hiding places for snakes, lizards and other small creatures. Adding dead wood to the landscape also invites decomposers, such as fungi and lichens, to the garden.
Generally, landscaping with native plant species is the best way to encourage biodiversity in residential areas. These plants are adapted to the local weather and soil conditions, providing important food sources, such as berries and seed, for birds and other wildlife. Native plants are also less likely to displace invasive alien species, which can crowd out and out-compete existing native populations and alter the entire ecosystem. By using a mix of trees, shrubs, ground-level flowering plants and grasses, homeowners can provide habitat for a wide range of local wildlife species.
Water
Although biodiversity has been around since the beginning of life, it’s currently under severe threat, with a rate of extinction 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than background. The good news is that biodiversity decline can be reversed, starting in backyards and gardens everywhere.
The first step is to understand what types of landscape elements attract wildlife, and how they work together. For example, a variety of plants that bloom and bear fruit at different times of the year will allow birds to feed throughout the seasons, and trees will provide nesting sites. Also, planting native trees and shrubs, rather than exotic species, is important because they are hard-wired for your environment and won’t require pesticides or fertilizers that harm the ecosystem.
Another key component is water. Many birds and other animals need water for drinking, bathing and cooling. A garden pond, stream or water garden is ideal, but even a small birdbath or dish can provide a habitat for some creatures. For larger yards, installing a riparian forest corridor can offer wildlife food, shelter and a place to raise young.
In addition to offering food and water, native plant species will also help to encourage biodiversity because they are adapted to your climate and soil conditions. They will naturally resist diseases, withstand drought and thrive without pesticides or fertilizers. Then there’s the added bonus that they are low-maintenance, making them a win-win for the homeowner and the wildlife!
The key is to plant a variety of wildflowers and shrubs, as well as some trees. This can recreate the natural vertical stratification of woodland forests, and help attract more insects and birds. Remember, though, to avoid invasive exotic plants that spread rapidly and can displace native plants and disrupt the complex ecosystems they create. Invasive plants draw pollinators away from native flowers, hybridize with them and push rare species closer to extinction.
Biodiversity is now a factor in landscaping works, from the smallest garden to major town planning projects. And while there’s still a long way to go until the ecological impact of conventional lawns is eliminated, homeowners can make a difference by changing their yard and joining with neighbors in creating habitat patches and linking them up through wildlife corridors.
Nesting Sites
When selecting plants for your landscape, consider the types of wildlife you hope to attract. Research the biology and history of these species, and look for specific habitat requirements in your area. This can help you set goals and objectives for improving wildlife habitat around your home. A basic start is to draw a map or take photos of your property boundaries, house, driveways, fences, outdoor buildings, existing trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses. It also helps to know the climate and growing conditions in your area. Native species are highly recommended because they are better adapted to your site and more likely to be pest-resistant.
Increasing the amount of wild areas in your landscape is one way to provide nesting and foraging sites for songbirds and other wildlife. You can do this by removing some of your lawn and replacing it with shrubs, annual flowers, tall native no-mow grasses, or garden beds filled with mulch. You can also include some areas that are left to grow naturally, and plant perennials such as coneflower, sedum, yarrow, phlox, chrysanthemum, salvia, and henna that will bloom throughout the year and attract bees and other pollinators.
Another habitat improvement is to include some areas of natural cover, such as brushy spaces or ponds and water gardens. These areas allow small mammals and amphibians to hide. You can also encourage wildlife habitat in your yard by installing birdhouses, platforms or other nesting structures. These can be especially useful in areas where the availability of natural nesting holes is limited.
Many birds, including woodpeckers, can excavate their own holes, but these are not as common in residential landscaping, and some species require a nest box for safety or convenience.
It is important to understand the complexities of landscapes and their impact on wildlife, and realize that not everyone will be able to create a perfect habitat for every species. However, you can make a significant difference even on a small urban lot. The National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program recognizes a wide variety of residential, community, school, business, and corporate landscapes as wildlife-friendly.
Cover
The decline in biodiversity is a global issue, but homeowners can create small habitats in their own yards. Even a little patch of grass can be a wildlife habitat if it provides food, shelter, water, and breeding sites for local creatures. In fact, anyone who landscapes their property in a pollinator-friendly way can become a Certified Wildlife Habitat with NWF.
Using native plants is one of the easiest ways to encourage wildlife on your own land. These plants are hard-wired to your area and often require no irrigation or pest control. Natives also look more attractive than non-native garden ornamentals, and most are just as easy to grow.
In addition, using more native vegetation will help to provide habitat layers in your landscape – from the ground up. Increasing plant diversity in the landscape, with vegetation of different sizes and heights, is important to wildlife species that need a mix of habitat elements for survival.
For example, birds love to nest in clumps of native shrubs and taller trees, and a mix of vegetation types helps protect them from predators and the elements. Native flowers also provide valuable nectar and fruit sources for many butterfly and bird species. And native plants like rhododendrons and azaleas form thicket-like cover that is important for nesting sites.
Another thing to consider is eliminating invasive non-native plants, which outcompete native species that wildlife depend on for food and shelter, and can lead to the loss of local ecosystems. Be sure to never plant any invasive species on your land or bring them from other areas.
If you have old tree stumps or snags on your property, leave them in place to provide habitat for small mammals and insects. And if you create brush piles, let them decompose naturally and add the debris to a compost bin when necessary.
A few simple changes to your yard can make a huge difference for wildlife, especially the most endangered species. The more people who landscape for biodiversity, the better! If everyone took just a few of the easy steps to improve their own landscapes, we could have much more diverse and resilient local habitats.