Gardening For The Birds

10 Tips For Creating a Bird-Friendly Yard & Garden

#1 Plant Diversity

An assortment of plants and flowers is key to attracting a variety of birds. Some birds are enticed by fruit and seeds, others drink the nectar in certain types of wildflowers, and insectivorous birds hunt the insects found on specific plants. The more diverse your plantings, the more diverse the types of birds you will attract.
#2 Spare Dead Trees

Most owls, a number of ducks, all woodpeckers, nuthatches, bluebirds, titmice, some flycatchers, tree swallows, all chickadees, several wrens, and two North American warbler species depend on cavities in dead and dying trees for nest sites. While some species accept artificial nesting boxes, many will not. Experts recommend at least three dead trees per acre to support wildlife.
#3 Provide Hiding Places

Pines and densely needled conifers block the wind, supply cover in bad weather, and offer protection from predators. These areas become ideal nesting places in the spring. Unfortunately, conifers are just as valuable economically as they are for bird habitats, and many large coniferous are harvested for lumber.
#4 Plant Bird-Friendly Trees

Oak, cedar, birch, maple, choke cherry, and serviceberry provide insects, seeds, and fruit along with shelter and nest sites. Berry-producing trees are essential food sources for many birds. Crabapples, cherries, mulberry, holly, and mountain ash are all good choices.
#5 Add Native Shrubs

Native shrubs provide another layer of cover under taller trees. Small birds especially love dense shrubs and hedges where they can hide from predators. When you use a variety of bushes in your yard, including both deciduous and coniferous shrubs, your landscape will be undoubtedly bird-friendly.
#6 Plant For All Seasons

Choose plants that flower and seed at different times, so birds can eat natural foods all year round. Always select plants suited to your growing conditions. Instead of deadheading every fading flower, allow seed heads to stand for the birds to eat.
#7 Plant in Layers

Consider plant “layers” at low, middle, and high levels to meet the variety of wildlife needs, as in a natural forest. Plant layers provide food, foraging, and nesting spaces at heights that meet the needs of a variety of species. A layer near the ground of flowers, grasses, and small shrubs provides key habitat that, in natural areas, may carry as much as 60 percent of the bird use.
Tall trees form a canopy of cover that adds shade and a place for birds that forage, sing, or nest high up. A middle layer of tall shrubs and small trees adds landscape value and an additional habitat component.
#8 Plant Vines

Vines provide birds with perches, nesting places, and leaf surfaces from which many species of birds can glean abundant food. Wild grape, a vine popular among birds, provides food for at least 51 species of birds, and at least 16 species use the bark to build their nests.
#9 Turn Your Lawn Into a Meadow

A manicured lawn doesn't provide much in the way of food or habitat for birds, and typically contributes to a host of other environmental problems associated with fertilizing, mowing, and the use of pesticides to control insects and diseases. Replacing the monotonous green of the lawn with more natural plant communities closely mimicking the prairies or woodlands is more interesting and much kinder to backyard birds.
#10 Say NO to Pesticides

Some pesticides harm birds directly. Others kill or contaminate insects and other creatures on which many birds feed.
Keep in mind that the typical lawn is coddled with an arsenal of chemicals. If you're thinking of hiring a lawn-care company, choose one that favors the use of alternatives to chemical insecticides and herbicides.

Create A Backyard
Wildlife Habitat

To Bring More Wildlife Into Your Yard,
You Need to Give Them a Home

Search for bird-friendly native plants here

Have you ever thought about turning your backyard into a mini wildlife sanctuary? A wildlife garden does not have to be a wild, untamed garden. It can meet your aspirations as well as the needs of wildlife. Urban gardens are just as suitable as gardens in the countryside. In fact, they can be even more important as a wildlife haven.

The benefits of gardening for wildlife are immeasurable. You’ll have the excitement of discovering the creatures that have made your garden their home. You’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a vital contribution to the conservation of your local environment.

Go Small!

Container planters can help you play a part in attracting pollinators even if you don’t have a yard. Wildlife gardening lets us enjoy and connect to nature, bringing with it a host of benefits including a sense of wellbeing.
Planting wildlife container habitats is an excellent way for those with little space to attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. And you’ll be helping other small wildlife creatures too.
Fact: Did you know that native plants are responsible for supplying 30 percent of native bees the food their young need to survive?

Explore How To Garden For Wildlife

All woods and gardens, even small ones, planted with native species can contribute to the important effort to restore and connect.

Go Native!

An estimated 80% of ornamental plants for sale at garden centers and other outlets are non-native, which means the average yard does a poor job of supporting native flora and fauna.

You may ask, "What difference would it make if I plant natives?" We promise you that native plants make a huge difference to the wildlife in your backyard.

Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive.

Unfortunately, most of the landscaping plants available in garden centers are species from other countries. These exotic plants not only sever the food web, but many have become invasive pests, out-competing native species, and degrading habitat in remaining natural areas.

There are many advantages to growing native plants in your yard. By shifting our plantings towards natives, we can dramatically increase the diversity of bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Native plants not only increase biodiversity but also support resilient ecosystems in the face of expected climate changes.

Among the benefits of using native plants are that they are associated with a 50% higher abundance of native birds, nine times higher abundance of rare birds, three times more butterfly species, and double the abundance of native bees. Additionally, native trees support twice the caterpillar diversity of related non-native trees.

Did You Know it takes over 6,000 caterpillars
to raise one brood of chickadees?

Native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars.

Ginkgos, a commonly planted landscape tree from Asia, host only 5 species of caterpillars.

WOW! What a significant difference planting native trees and plants make!

Find Bird-Friendly Native Plants

Wildlife Needs
Components of a viable wildlife habitat include food sources, water sources, shelter, places to raise young, and the application of sustainable gardening practices to keep the habitat healthy.

Butterflies

Butterflies are more dependant on native species than birds, and caterpillars will often feed on only a specific species of plant. Most butterfly larvae, such as the familiar Monarch, feed exclusively on one kind of host plant. The Native Plant Trust's Plant Finder can help narrow down your search for the best native Northeast plants given your local conditions and goals.
TIP: Because butterflies need warmth, they love to “bask” in the sunlight on heated rocks. So include stone walls or decorative rocks in your butterfly garden plan.
Birds

Attracting a variety of birds to your backyard takes more than adding a few bird feeders or filling a birdbath—a bird-friendly landscape should fulfill all of a wild bird’s basic needs, including food, shelter, water, and nesting sites.
Native plants offer a variety of resources including flowers that provide nectar, fleshy fruits, acorns and nuts, seeds, and insects. We’ve listed below, some general guidelines on how to design a garden that appeals to both birds and people. To learn what plants are native to your area contact the Master Gardener Program at UCONN.
Hummingbirds

You can attract, feed and nourish hummingbirds in your backyard with a few easy steps. Flowers, perches, insects, and water are the key ingredients to a healthy yard that will attract these amazing birds. They’re attracted to bright-colored flowers, so include native perennials in the ground as well as in hanging baskets.
TIP: Remember to stay clear of insecticides and herbicides. You don’t want to poison these tiny visitors as they eat treated insects. And systemic herbicides absorbed by the plant can also be present in the nectar.
Bees

Planting a diverse mix of flowering plants that provides a sequence of blooms from early spring to late fall will have the most impact. Even a small patch of the right flowers can help, as it adds to the larger landscape mosaic in which the pollinators live and search for food.
Filling your yard with blooms in shades of blue, purple, white, and yellow will attract bees to your garden. When planting flowers be sure to cluster them rather than planting them sparsely. This will entice more bees to visit your garden, as they prefer larger, concentrated pollen and nectar sources. Bees also swarm toward sunny locations and will be more likely to frequent plants that thrive in full-sun areas rather than in shaded areas.
For a list of bee-loving flowering plants visit UCONN’s Education Center.
Bats

Bats are truly remarkable animals as well as our only flying mammals. Unfortunately, their unwarranted reputation has prevented many people from appreciating how beneficial and unique they are. Bats feed primarily at night, catching thousands of mosquitoes and other night-flying insects. Bats can eat 50% of their own body weight every night - more if they are females with pups.
Nine different species can be found in Connecticut, and all but one of them (the big brown bat) are on Connecticut’s list of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Species.
One of the best ways to help bats is to install a bat house on your property. The following factors are critical to the success of bat houses: maintaining suitable temperature ranges, the distance to food and water, the size and shape of inner roosting spaces, and the roughness of clinging surfaces.
Frogs & Turtles

Frogs and turtles are struggling to survive because of shrinking natural habitats. Creating a pond is one of the best things you can do for wildlife and is a great way to entice more visitors to your garden. The basic needs of frogs and turtles include plenty of moisture, shelter, and food. This means providing water, native plants of various heights and types, and rocks and logs.
Ponds can provide food sources, clean water for drinking or living, shelter, and nesting sites or nesting material for many types of wildlife including birds and butterflies.
NOTE: The use of native plants in a home water garden (referred to as wild harvesting) is never recommended, as most natural water plants are host to a plethora of parasites. It is always best to obtain water garden plants from a reputable nursery.