Whether you plan for wildlife in your backyard garden or not, it is bound to be attracted by the wonderful pesticide-free environment you have created. Many gardeners welcome wildlife including butterflies, birds, and crawling creatures as an added bonus. They even plant trees and bushes that they know will send out the “welcome mat” for many species of animals. Such plantings increase the habitat available to animals as unpopulated natural space continues to shrink. The animals sharing your space can be just as prized as that beautiful red tomato you’d rather save for yourself.
This chapter will give some tips on how to attract many types of wildlife by creating a habitat and growing plants that animals need for food or shelter. Many of the animals that you attract will help your garden by eating unwanted pests, pollinating flowers, or by creating some beautiful wildlife music. However, sometimes wildlife in your garden can become unwelcome. Here you’ll also learn some steps that you can take to keep your garden the place you want it to be, pest and chemical free.
Butterfly watching, like bird watching, is a fast-growing pastime for many people, and the art of bringing these beautiful flying jewels into one’s own backyard is growing even faster. Butterfly gardening means planting trees, shrubs, or flowers that either the butterfly caterpillar or adult can use for food. Butterflies are not only beautiful to watch, but beneficial as well, playing an important role in nature. They are an important food source for other animals like birds and lizards, as well as being important pollinators of many plants. Without the pollinating work of butterflies and other insects such as bees, our world would be without many of the fruits and vegetables we love.
Butterflies are highly sensitive to pesticides and toxins in the environment. The absence of butterflies in a habitat can be an indicator of a problem. When plants can no longer survive in polluted areas, butterflies can’t survive either. However, when a habitat is healthy, butterflies will flourish and will be found fluttering from flower to flower.
Currently, naturalists are looking at ways to increase the numbers of butterflies by bringing back some of their lost habitat, one piece at a time. Through these efforts, we all benefit from butterflies’ integral role in nature and we also have the pleasure of watching them in our backyards.
To have a successful butterfly garden you must take the entire life cycle of butterflies into consideration. An adult butterfly’s main goal is reproduction, and just planting nectar flowers won’t necessarily lead to lots of butterflies to admire—the female adult not only looks for plants from which to sip nectar, but also plants on which to lay her eggs. When caterpillars emerge from eggs they will survive and grow by munching on their host plants. Don’t be alarmed. Most host plants grow back quickly. Male adult butterflies on the other hand, besides looking for nectar, are out looking for females. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn’t it? So successful butterfly gardeners not only plant host and nectar plants, but also perches for males.
Your butterfly garden can be any size, from a window box to your entire backyard. Once you have determined what kinds of plants will work best to attract the butterflies in your area, use the tips below to make your butterfly garden as successful as possible.
— Start your butterfly garden in an area that is protected from the wind. You may need to plant some barrier plants to break the wind if you live in a particularly windy area.
— Plant flowers that will bloom and provide nectar throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons. Perennials and long-blooming annuals will help ensure a steady supply of nectar. Try not to purchase nectar plants that have been heavily hybridized to create double flowers; usually these are poor nectar producers. Butterflies also seem to prefer brightly colored flowers. Their favorite colors in order are red, orange, purple, pink, blue, and white. It is also better to plant flowers of similar color hues together, instead of mixing colors together.
— Plant good nectar plants in the sun. They should receive full sun from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Butterfly adults generally feed only in the sun.
— Provide sunning or basking spots. Butterflies are cold-blooded and they like nice warm areas to sun themselves. They fly best in temperatures between 75 and 90 degrees F. When temperatures are cool, butterflies will seek out areas with low ground covers, grasses, clovers, or light-colored rocks. When temperatures are over 90 degrees, butterflies will seek shade.
— Provide water. Using a birdbath or other shallow container, place stones in the bottom of the container and add just enough water to come to the top edge of the stones. The stones give the butterfly a place to land without getting wet—a low spot in your garden that stays wet can also be used. Butterflies are often seen drinking next to muddy or sandy spots near streams and pools. This behavior is called “puddling.” The butterflies love the extra salts and nutrients that are found next to puddles. Some butterflies require these extra nutrients to mate successfully. The nutrients are then passed from male to female during mating, so often more males will be found around puddles than females.
— Vary the environment. The more types of habitat you have in your garden, the more species of butterflies you will attract. Habitats frequented by butterflies include boggy areas, shady wooded areas, woodland edges, sunny meadows, grassy areas, flower beds, and borders.
— Provide perching spots for males. Many species of males including swallowtails and admirals like to perch on tall plants in areas where females are likely to be. Plant some taller flowers or shrubs near watering areas or near nectar and caterpillar host plants. Many butterflies like to perch in trees as well.
— Do not use insecticides of any kind near your butterfly garden. Try biological controls if you need insect control.
Most adult butterflies live only ten to twenty days, but the overwintering adult monarch butterfly can live up to six months.
Butterflies and moths belong to the insect order Lepidoptera, meaning “scaled wing,” which refers to the scales found on the wings of adults. There are over 125,000 different species of butterflies and moths in the world, and of these only about 12,000 live in North America. Butterflies only make up about 8 percent of all the lepidopteran species. Moths are much more common. Most butterflies are day fliers and are brightly colored, whereas most moths are night fliers and tend to be brown or dull-colored.
Butterflies have what is called “complete metamorphosis.” This means that there are four separate stages to their development: egg, larvae or caterpillar, pupa (chrysalis), and adult winged butterfly.
To start the life cycle, adult females lay eggs on or near a food source (host plant) that the newly hatched caterpillar will feed upon. The caterpillar resembles a tiny worm, but unlike worms they have a well-developed head, a three-segmented thorax usually bearing three pairs of legs, and a long, cylindrical abdomen of eleven segments. Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts and most feed on plant matter, while a few eat dried animal matter, and still fewer are predators.
A caterpillar may increase its body size more than 30,000 times from the time it hatches to the time it pupates.
Caterpillars will feed and grow rapidly, shedding their skins (or molting) four or five times before reaching full size. Some caterpillars are elaborately colored and patterned, while others are plain looking. There are also those that are grotesquely shaped or decorated with hairs, warts, humps, spines, or projections of all kinds, but for the most part they lack any defense mechanisms. A few do have poison glands or stinging hairs, and when handled or startled some can give off a repellent odor or fluid.
When a butterfly caterpillar has reached full size the next stage of life begins, the pupal stage. At this time the caterpillar will begin its transformation into a butterfly. The caterpillar stops feeding and looks for a place to hang from, then molts for the last time. During this molt a different skin is revealed that hardens and becomes the pupal case, or chrysalis. A chrysalis can be brightly colored and is usually attached to the larval food plant or some nearby protective support. Inside the chrysalis the caterpillar’s tissues break down and reorganize into the structure of the adult butterfly. Moth caterpillars also pupate, but instead of molting in a chrysalis they use their modified salivary glands and spin a silken cocoon or build a leaf shelter in which to pupate. Many butterfly and moth species actually hibernate through the winter (or overwinter) in this pupal stage.
Finally, the butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis. It will have a fat body and soft, wrinkled wings. The butterfly will pump body fluids into the wings to expand them. After the wings have fully expanded and dried, the new adult butterfly is ready to fly, find a mate, and lay or fertilize eggs, thus repeating the life cycle.
Rather than the chewing mouthparts of immature caterpillars, adult butterflies have sucking mouthparts. The mouthparts are shaped into a long coiled tube, called a proboscis. The adult butterfly can uncoil its proboscis and use it to suck up nectar or tree sap. Plants that adults use for food are called nectar plants. Some adult butterflies and moths have reduced or no mouthparts at all and only live long enough to reproduce before dying.
Caterpillars or larvae use their chewing mouthparts to eat the leaves and stems of plant, called host plants. Some larvae, like the gypsy moths that feed in great numbers, can completely defoliate a mature host plant in a matter of days.
Many butterflies have very specific food requirements. Often the host plant for the caterpillar isn’t the same nectar plant for the adult butterfly of the same species. To be a successful butterfly gardener you must provide both the host and nectar plants that the butterfly species in your area prefer to eat. If you are not sure what butterflies are native to your area, consult your local agricultural extension office, natural history museum, college, or a butterfly field guide. You can also watch your neighborhood park, creek, weed patches, or meadow and see which butterflies are flying around. Are they feeding on any plants? Can you find any caterpillars on the plant?
Planting native plants in your garden is a great way to attract butterflies. Check your local yellow pages for a Native Plant Society in your area. Usually they know which butterflies will be attracted to each plant, and often have plants available for sale.
The lists below give some examples of common host plants for caterpillars and nectar plants for butterflies throughout the United States. Ask your local nursery staff which ones are best suited for your area and climate.
| Common Host Plants for Caterpillars | ||
| Alder | Coast live oak | Passion vine |
| Anise | Cottonwood | Plantain |
| Aspen | False indigo | Plum |
| Aster | Fennel | Pipevine |
| Apple | Grasses | Poplar |
| Baby’s tears | Hackberry | Sassafras |
| Buckthorns | Hollyhock | Sedges |
| Cabbage | Hops | Snapdragon |
| Canyon live oak | Lilac | Spicebush |
| Carrot | Mallow | Sunflower |
| Ceanothus | Milkweed | Verbena |
| Cherry | Nasturtium | Violet |
| Citrus | Nettle | Wild senna |
| Clover | Parsley | Willow |
| Common Nectar Plants for Adults | ||
| Anise | Daylily | Mustard |
| Aster | Dogbane | Nasturtium |
| Bee balm | Echium | Oregano |
| Black-eyed susan | Firebush | Parsley |
| Blazing stars | Fleabane | Passion vine |
| Buckwheat | Heliotrope | Peppergrass |
| Buddleia | Hibiscus | Phlox |
| (or butterfly bush) | Hollyhock | Purple coneflower |
| Butterfly weed | Honeysuckle | Queen Anne’s lace |
| Cardinal-flower | Impatiens | Sumac |
| Carrot | Joe-pye weed | Sunflower |
| Cassia | Lantana | Sweet pepperbush |
| Chrysanthemum | Lavender | Sweet William |
| Clover | Lilac | Thistle |
| Coreopsis | Marigold | Verbena |
| Cosmos | Mexican flame vine | Violet |
| Daisy | Mint | Yarrow |
| Zinnia | ||
Gardeners are often concerned about the well-being of their garden when they see lots of caterpillars chewing on their favorite plants. As discussed, caterpillars eat host plants and then transform into beautiful butterflies. However, while gardeners will generally tolerate the chewing of butterfly caterpillars, they don’t care for the chewing of moth caterpillars. But how do you know the difference?
Unless you are very experienced at looking at different caterpillars, it is quite difficult to tell a future butterfly from a future moth. Even many trained entomologists must rear the caterpillars to adulthood to make an absolute identification. If you really want to know what caterpillar is eating your plants, you can rear them too. It’s easy.
To rear butterflies or moths you will need to assemble the following items:
— An aquarium or large wide-mouthed jar with either a screen or piece of cheesecloth to place over the top.
— A container to hold the plant material for the caterpillar. This can be anything from a baby food jar to a small plastic container. Stretch plastic wrap over the top of the container and secure with tape or a rubber band. This will prevent the caterpillar from falling in the water and drowning. When you are ready to add plant material, poke a hole in the plastic wrap, then add water and the plant.
— Host plant for the particular caterpillar you are raising—usually the plant you found the caterpillar on. Make sure it is fresh and replace when eaten or wilted.
— Several small twigs or sticks to lean against the sides of the aquarium or jar.
— Sand, soil, or moist paper toweling for caterpillars to pupate in.
To set up the aquarium or jar, first place the sand, soil, or several layers of moist paper toweling in the bottom. Place one or more containers with plant material and water in the jar. Lean twigs or sticks securely against the sides. Now add your caterpillar(s). If you are starting from eggs, allow them to hatch in a small jar, then transfer the young caterpillars to the rearing container.
Check caterpillars daily and add fresh plant material when needed. Caterpillars do not need to drink water since they get all they need from the plants. This is why it’s important that you not let the plant material dry out. When changing plant material, break off the stem the caterpillar is currently on and add it to your fresh container. The caterpillar will climb onto the new plant to feed. Be sure to clean up caterpillar frass (droppings) to prevent mold.
When the caterpillar has reached full size, it will stop eating and look for a place to pupate. Moths will construct a cocoon and butterflies will construct a chrysalis. Moths usually pupate in the soil and butterfly caterpillars will often suspend their chrysalis from twigs, plant material, or the enclosure screen. If you only want to determine if your caterpillar is a moth or a butterfly, you can stop rearing it as this point. As soon as a caterpillar constructs a cocoon you know it’s a moth. If it constructs a chrysalis, it’s a butterfly. However, by completing the process you will be able to determine the exact type of butterfly you’re raising.
During the pupal stage, the butterfly or moth does not eat or drink, but care should be taken to prevent it from drying out. A damp sponge added to the jar or aquarium, a light misting everyday, or a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the container will help keep the humidity up if needed. Do not overly wet the container or mold will grow, which can harm your pupae. You don’t want to see water condensing and running down the sides of the container. Increasing the humidity allows the newly emerged adult time to expand its wings completely before they dry. Several days before the adult emerges, the pupa will darken and the chrysalis will become almost transparent, allowing you to see the adult inside.
When the adult has emerged and completely expanded its wings, it is time to take the butterfly outside to be released. It may rest awhile before flying away, or it may take off fairly rapidly. Be prepared; after the butterfly is released your job is done! Now, enjoy the beautiful flying jewel fluttering in your garden.
— Most moth and butterfly caterpillars are harmless, but some with branched spines can cause a sting. Caterpillars with straight hairs or single spines are usually harmless.
— Caterpillars usually don’t like being handled very much. Transfer small, newly hatched caterpillars with a soft brush. Do not handle or shake a caterpillar that is molting (shedding its old skin) or when it is becoming a pupa or chrysalis. They are very susceptible to damage at these times.
Following is a list of the common name and geographic locales of fifty-six common butterflies in the United States. Each will gladly visit backyard habitats planted with the appropriate host and/or nectar plants.
Most gardeners expect that animals such as birds, raccoons, and squirrels will come into their gardens. The allure of free food attracts both wanted and unwanted animals alike. However, many people go a step further and make their garden a wildlife refuge. They deliberately design areas of their garden to replace lost habitat land, knowing that all forms of wildlife from earthworms to bobcats may come. Such organic gardeners enjoy watching animals play out their roles in nature; by helping nature thrive gardeners ultimately benefit everyone. So by planting a small patch of land with native plants, a window box with a hummingbird’s favorite flowers, or just hanging up a bird feeder a gardener creates a wildlife garden that improves our environment one piece at a time.
Creating a successful habitat area doesn’t take much effort. Just keep in mind some of the ideas listed below when planting, and you will have lots of wildlife to enjoy.
— Diversity of plants. Large flowerbeds of single flowers such as tulips look dynamic, but they aren’t good for wildlife. Instead, plant many different kinds of plants with lots of natives in the mix. Plant trees, shrubs, flowers, and ground covers that will provide food and shelter the entire year.
— Make diverse habitats. Think of layers when landscaping your yard. Ground layers might consist of a pond, a grassy area, a rock for basking, or even dead leaves left under trees for mulch or wildflowers. Upper layers could be anything from shrubs for shelter to trees for birds to roost in.
— Shade and light. Make sure there are places in your yard that have shade and lots of sunshine. Nature is a balance, so plant trees and flowers that will give varied light to your yard. This will also help you attract reptiles, which need to regulate their body temperature by moving between shady and sunny spots.
— Water. Every plant and animal needs water, and having a water source in your natural space is a good way to encourage all forms of wildlife.
— Do not use chemicals. Certain pesticides and insecticides are deadly to wildlife. Instead of chemicals, learn to use natural pest control measures, beneficial insects, mulches, and other techniques to control pests and weeds.
Many gardeners have a love/hate relationship with birds. They love that birds eat pest insects, build nests, rear their young, and bring their melodic voices into the garden. However, gardeners hate birds when they eat prized fruit or vegetables.
Just like butterflies, birds have a definite place in nature. Birds eat insects and plants, and in turn become food for other animals. They also disperse seeds and keep many insect populations in check.
Most birds that visit your garden can be grouped by what they eat: insects, seeds, or prey. So some birds will be drawn to the garden to eat the aphids on a tomato plant, some to eat the seeds of a sunflower, and still others to eat rodents that are also looking for free food. By allowing birds to share your garden, or by planting their favorite plants, you increase the survival rate of birds in your area and allow them to continue their good work.
Birds belong to the class Aves, which includes about 8,600 different species of birds worldwide. Birds can be found in virtually every habitat in the world, from the polar regions to rain forests, from deserts to open seas. Birds can actually be found in more places in the world than humans, and have adapted to live in some of the harshest environments.
The anatomy of birds reflects the fact that they have adapted to living in every habitat and to feeding on many different types of food. While birds range greatly in size from the tiny hummingbird to the giant ostrich, they all share common characteristics.
— All are warm-blooded.
— All have feathers.
— All lay eggs.
— All have wings (though some cannot fly).
— All have beaks or bills made out of a hornlike material.
— All have scaled feet and legs.
— All have hollow bones (though some are more hollow than others).
To compensate for their various habitats and functions, birds vary in the following characteristics:
— Size
— Shape
— Coloration
— Bill size and function
— Wings
— Feet
Most of the fun of having birds in your backyard is watching their antics. By watching birds carefully, you will start to understand their unspoken language. Continued observation will also help you identify the specific species that have come to your garden or feeder. A few behaviors to look for are:
— Courtship rituals. These displays by males toward females in the spring ensure that each species will survive. Females pick males with the fanciest plumage, prettiest song, best dance, and so on. Only males that are in peak form get a chance to mate. Look for males posturing or flying intricate patterns around females. Often the females will look uninterested.
— Territorial displays. Males will defend and protect their territory from intruders. Sometimes a fight will erupt between two males. A territory may include a food or water source or a nest site.
— Defending young. Some female and male birds have strong parenting instincts—you can see them defending a nest full of chicks. Female killdeers will often fake a broken wing to draw animals or other birds away from its young or nest.
— Young learning to feed themselves. Watching a mother bird help her young learn to fend for themselves is a wonderful sight. When a fledgling is ready to be weaned, the mother will take it to a feeder, but initially the baby will want no part of feeding itself. The baby bird will continue to beg for food. The mother must teach by example, and the baby will soon learn how an adult bird feeds itself. Flying is taught in much the same way—by example.
— Mobbing. Birds stick together, and you’ll often see a group of birds harass and chase a predator, such as a hawk, until it flies away from their area.
— General hygiene. All birds must take care of themselves. Some behaviors you’ll see might include bathing, preening feathers, fluffing feathers, or dusting themselves.
— Searching for food. Every bird’s survival depends on food. Some birds may scratch the ground looking for insects, others search for seeds or fruit. Even watching birds at a feeder can be quite interesting.
— Nest building. Females and some males build nests. A few birds like the killdeer just lay their eggs in depressions in the ground. Some nests are very elaborate, such as orioles’, while others, such as doves’, are simply a few twigs placed together.
— Migration flights. Who hasn’t marveled at the “V” shaped formations of geese as they fly south? Many birds will stop along the way to visit feeders and water sources.
The sound of birds singing in the morning is one of those extra pleasures a gardener gets. To people, singing birds usually signal that spring is in the air, but singing is much more than that to birds.
Birds sing and call as a way of communicating with each other. Each song and call has its own meaning. Good bird watchers know many of these sounds and can identify birds by their calls long before the bird is visually spotted.
Male birds sing to attract a female mate. This is one way a female may pick a mate. Even after mating, a male bird may sing throughout the nesting season. Females may also join in the singing during this time. Male birds also sing to warn other males from entering their territory.
Short calls or chirps are a bird’s everyday language. Each sound has a different meaning, from “Danger is near” to “I found some food.” Every bird species has their own specific calls, but some birds are very good at mimicking other birds’ calls or songs. Naturalists are not exactly sure why birds mimic, but one thought is that it enhances a male bird’s song, making him more attractive to females.
Now that you have decided to plant a few plants that birds will like, you need to know what to plant. Let’s start with a list of plants that many birds will find appealing. This is a good general list if you don’t have a specific bird in mind that you want to attract. These plants provide either food, nectar, shelter, or a combination of the three. They are suitable for various climates, so check your local nursery or county extension as to their viability in your area. Plants that will attract hummingbirds are marked with an asterisk. As an added bonus, many of the nectar plants will also attract butterflies.
Bedding Plants
Bee balm (nectar)*
Black-eyed susan (seeds)
Columbines (nectar)*
Cosmos (seeds)
Foxglove (nectar)*
Iris (nectar)*
Lantana (nectar)*
Phlox (nectar)*
Purple coneflower (nectar/seeds)*
Snapdragons (nectar)*
Sunflower (seeds)
Zinnia (nectar/seeds)*
(Most annuals, if allowed to go to seed, make tasty treats for birds.)
Ground Covers/Vines
American bittersweet (seeds)
Cross vine (nectar)*
Firecracker vine (nectar)*
Grapes (fruit)
Honeysuckle (nectar)*
Snapdragon vine (nectar)*
Trumpet vine (nectar)*
Trees
Alder (seeds)
Ash (fruit/berries)
Birch (fruit/berries)
Black gum (fruit/berries)
Buckthorn (fruit/berries)
Cedar (fruit/berries)
Cherry (fruit)
Conifers (seeds/nuts)
Crabapple (fruit/berries)
Dogwood (fruit/berries)
Elm (fruit/berries)
Hackberry (fruit/berries)
Hawthorn (fruit/berries)
Hemlock (fruit/berries)
Juneberry (fruit/berries)
Magnolias (seeds/nuts)
Mountain ash (fruit/berries)
Mulberry (fruit/berries)
Oak (seeds/nuts)
Sassafras (fruit/berries)
Serviceberry (fruit/berries)
Sweet gum (seeds/nuts)
Tulip tree (nectar)*
Willow (nectar)*
(Birds love all kinds of fruit trees, too.)
Many people don’t know what to place in their bird feeder for their favorite birds. The chart below details the various foods you can use in your feeder to attract specific birds.
Feeding birds can be quite simple, but certain problems do arise that you can ward off with these ideas:
— Keep feeders clean to prevent diseases. Use soap and water or a weak bleach solution to scrub your feeder.
— Clean suet feeders, too. They can become rancid in warm weather.
— Don’t place suet feeder in direct sunlight.
— Clean hummingbird feeders every time you add the sugar and water solution. They should be cleaned at least once a week and more if it is very hot.
— If you think the food has spoiled, dump it and clean the feeder.
— Don’t place feeders where birds could mistakenly fly into windows.
— Place feeders near some sort of cover for protection, even within twenty feet will work.
— If you like to use peanut butter, mix some cornmeal or other grain with it so it isn’t so sticky. Try 1 part peanut butter with 6 parts cornmeal.
— Use the right feeder for the right seed and the right bird. For small birds use a small feeder that will discourage large birds from using it.
— Avoid overfeeding. Put out only enough food for the birds to use in one day.
— In winter, place your feeder on the south side of your house. It will be warmer there.
— If you are leaving on vacation or taking down your feeder for the winter, gradually wean the birds from the feeder—don’t just take it down all at once. Decrease the amount of food in the feeder over several weeks.
— Feed birds in the winter, especially when the weather is really bad. You’ll help the birds get through until conditions improve and they can find natural foods again.
— Provide water with your feeder, even in the winter. Electric elements for birdbaths work great for this purpose.
— Finally, be patient. Sometimes it takes quite awhile for a bird to find and start using a feeder regularly. But the rewards are worth the wait!
Expect unwanted guests when you start feeding birds. Predators and pests are looking for a free meal, and will either find it in your feeder or make a meal out of the birds themselves.
To help keep your new backyard friends from becoming a meal to a hawk or kestrel try one of these steps. Do remember that it is illegal in the United States to kill, trap, or harass native raptors (hawks, eagles, or owls).
— Place your feeder near a tree or shrub that will provide dense cover if a bird needs to make a quick retreat from a predator. Many people actually hang their feeders from tree branches to give the birds a feeling of security by hiding the birds while feeding.
— Feed the birds early in the morning. Hawks and kestrels are more often seen later in the morning and early in the evening.
Cats alone cause the death of more songbirds than any other animal. If you’re having a problem with wild, or feral, cats, they can be live-caught and moved from the area. Generally feral cats hunt only at night and their main prey is mice and other rodents, so domesticated cats usually do the most damage to songbird populations. Tame cats have quit their nocturnal ways and become adapted to being active during the day, when songbirds are vulnerable.
Discouraging cats from chasing and killing birds is almost impossible, but you can give birds a better chance at survival by trying a few of these tips:
— Convince neighbors who allow their cats outdoors to hang a small bell on the cat’s collar.
— Remove hiding places for cats to strike from—usually low dense shrubs. Alternatively, you could plant thorny shrubs that the cats are less likely to hide in.
— Don’t hang a bird feeder on a fence where cats can get to it.
— If you have a tree in your yard, remove low branches that cats can pounce from. And be sure to cut back limbs that allow cats access to your yard.
— To keep cats from climbing feeder poles, tie cut rose stems or thorny bushes to the pole.
— Ask your neighbors to keep their cats in until midmorning and feed the birds early. This will allow the birds time to eat and leave before the cat is out.
Squirrels just love bird feeders and the seeds inside them, and are sometimes very hard to discourage. Some gardeners just give in and feed the squirrels too, making all the animals happy. However, if squirrels are too much of a bother to your feeder, try one of these ideas:
— Slip cut two-liter soda bottles onto your feeder’s pole. The slick plastic is hard to climb.
— Place baffles underneath feeders.
— Move feeders away from trees where a jumping squirrel can reach it.
— Hang feeders from thick fishing line.
— Hang a feeder from a clothesline that is strung with small pieces of PVC pipe. When the squirrel tries to walk on sections of pipe, they will spin, sending the squirrel to the ground. This idea works well on support wires too.
— Feed the birds early in the morning. This will give them a chance to eat before the squirrels are out and about.
— Don’t put too much food in the feeder at one time. The birds will eat all of the food in the morning and leave nothing for the squirrels in the afternoon.
— Mix birdseed with cayenne pepper. It doesn’t bother the birds, but the squirrels will hate it.
Some birds like pigeons, starlings, house sparrows, and blackbirds will try to claim a feeder for themselves. This isn’t good if you’re trying to encourage local cardinals, for example. The best way to control unwanted guest birds is to remove the kind of food that is attracting them. Some people will limit a feeder to just a few kinds of seeds they know the wanted birds like and the unwanted don’t. Use the seed guide earlier in this section to help you determine the desired seed combinations for the bird you are trying to encourage. Or try one of these ideas:
— To deter pigeons, eliminate corn, chicken scratch, and grains from the feeder, and try to keep the area under the feeder clean.
— Set up a separate feeder with foods the unwanted birds will be attracted to so they will leave your other feeder alone.
— Little can be done to discourage large groups of blackbirds and starlings. It is probably best to just stop feeding the birds for awhile until the flocks leave the area.
When most people think of animals, they think of furry mammals, but many types of animals would like to live in an organic garden. Each animal brings its own living requirements, so different types of gardens will attract different animals. Let’s look at each type of animal separately to determine which ones will want to come and make your yard its home. Of course if you want to discourage a particular animal, you can make your yard unfriendly by knowing what it likes.
There are 3,000 different species of frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts living in the world today. Most members of this class of animals have moist skin, no scales or claws, and spend the early stages of their life cycle in water. To encourage these animals in your yard, a backyard pond or other water source is needed.
Amphibians are great insect eaters. One toad can eat between 10,000 and 20,000 insects per year. Talk about natural insect control! Toads don’t need to live in water after they are hatched, as frogs do. Their skin is dry so they can live on land for extended periods of time. All a toad needs to survive nicely in your yard is shelter and a large saucer full of water. The shelter can be made of anything that will provide a fairly damp environment. A small cave in a rock garden or a clay pot turned upside-down and propped up on one side will provide an excellent home for a toad.
All amphibians are very susceptible to pesticide poisoning. Many amphibians actually breathe through the moist membranes of their skin, making them almost defenseless against chemicals. Be very careful with any toxic material near or around an amphibian’s home or pond.
There are estimated to be about 6,000 snake, lizard, turtle, and tortoise species worldwide. Most gardeners never consider actually inviting a snake to live in their backyard, but they don’t think twice about the occasional lizard or tortoise. Many reptiles are very beneficial and eat a great many insects and rodents that we would just as soon not have around. Kingsnakes, for example, will eat rattlesnakes. (In fact, rattlesnakes have been shown to be actually afraid of kingsnakes.) So if you live in rattlesnake country, having a resident kingsnake would be a good thing. Another good example of a beneficial reptile is the alligator lizard, which eats black widow spiders.
Making your yard reptile friendly is really quite simple. Reptiles are cold-blooded creatures and need to warm up each day. Provide basking rocks or a ledge near the garden where lizards and snakes can go to get warm. Turtles are mostly aquatic, whereas tortoises are land-dwelling, but both also like basking areas. Be sure to have a large, flat rock close to the surface of a pond for a turtle to crawl up on, or a clear sunny spot for a tortoise. Tortoises are mostly vegetarian, so plant a row of green leaf lettuce or a hibiscus plant just for your tortoise to eat. If you don’t want them eating your plants, then set out some snacks of romaine lettuce (no iceberg lettuce), cooked carrots and sweet potatoes, hibiscus flowers, or chopped fruit. They will be very happy.
All reptiles like a good hiding place too. Grassy areas, a wild patch of flowers, clay pots turned over, or a small wooden box all make great shelters for many reptiles. Well-manicured yards will not be as attractive.
When the weather turns cold, reptiles will hibernate. Snakes look for a den, lizards look for cracks and crevices in rocks or wood, turtles and tortoises may dig themselves a hole or depression in the soil to wait out the cold weather. If you want to keep reptiles in your garden through the winter, it’s important to provide such hibernation spots.
There are about 4,000 different mammal species worldwide. Mammals like rabbits, squirrels, opossums, and maybe even a skunk or two are common backyard visitors. However, there are lots of other mammals that would love to make your yard their homes, including foxes, bobcats, gophers, deer, mice, and rats. Each animal has its own benefit to nature, from opossums that eat rodents to skunks that eat insects. They are all part of the food web and balance of nature.
A mammal will visit or live in your yard if it provides food, shelter, or a safe place to bear and raise their young. Some yards will only provide a few insects (food) for a roaming skunk. The skunk will simply stop by to eat and then leave, but many yards provide all of an animal’s needs. When a yard meets all of an animal’s requirements, you can have permanent residents, wanted or not.
When encouraging mammals to your yard, you must consider what is best for the animal in the long run, and of course its impact on your yard and garden. Here are a few questions we are often asked about mammals, along with our answers, that will help you decide if and how to encourage animals in your garden.
— Is it okay to feed a wild animal pet food or kitchen scraps? No, it is not! You shouldn’t feed wild animals because you end up supplying them with more food than they would be able to find on their own. Extra food encourages the animal to have many babies that will also be looking for dinner at your house. Pretty soon there are more animals than the land can support. Once you start feeding them, if you stop, they will surely starve or become a predator’s next meal.
— Should you plant native plants to encourage wildlife? Yes. By planting native plants you are adding habitat for wildlife. A natural habitat provides food and shelter for animals.
— What about providing a water source for animals, like a pond? This is also a good idea. Water is a key element to any habitat.
— Can you encourage one mammal while discouraging others? That depends on the mammal. It is fairly easy to encourage one animal while discouraging another if they occupy different habitats. For example, gophers occupy an underground habitat, while rabbits occupy an above-ground habitat.
However, the problem arises when two animals occupy the same habitat and one is definitely not wanted. This is why many people have such a problem with mice and rats; they love the same habitat people do. The best that can be done in such a situation is to try to identify and eliminate the thing that is attracting the unwanted animal to your yard. Think about the food or shelter sources you may be inadvertently providing.
— Can predators be encouraged in a backyard setting? Predators depend on prey to live. Not many of us would encourage prey species to live in our yard just to give the predators something to eat. However, many predators, such as foxes, will have a home base when rearing young. If you decide you want your yard to be a home base for a predator, try creating secluded areas where a fox or bobcat could make their den. To encourage birds of prey, place a pole in your yard at least fifteen feet high for the birds to land on. Or remove the leaves from one tall branch, leaving it bare for the bird. If you invite predators into your garden, you can’t blame them for preying on pets.
— Can you have backyard pets and encourage wildlife? Probably the biggest deterrent to encouraging native wildlife to one’s yard is a dog or cat. Dogs like to bark and chase anything that moves while cats enjoy stalking small creatures. The scent of dogs and cats will sometimes deter animals as well. To encourage wildlife, keep dogs and cats inside or penned in a side yard away from the area to which you’re trying to attract wildlife. This will also prevent unfortunate encounters with animals such as skunks.
— What’s the best thing I can do to encourage wildlife? Plant habitat that will be undisturbed. This means to plant native plants in areas without a lot of human or pet disturbance.
When we start paying attention to wildlife by watching their comings and goings, we soon realize that each animal is a complex organism. They may not speak in a language we understand but they are being understood by other animals of their species. Zookeepers learn to read the body language, vocalizations, and demeanor of the animals in their care. They know if an animal is looking for a mate, hungry, or not feeling well. You too can come to understand the animals that visit your yard or garden at this level.
Here are a few tips on watching animals and understanding what they are saying:
— First, don’t let animals see that you are watching. Once they get used to you, they probably won’t mind that you are there, but in the beginning stay out of sight as much as you can. Use binoculars if you need to.
— Do you see certain movements or vocalizations repeated? What happened to instigate the behavior? Often animals will call one another or give a warning if danger is near. For example, hummingbirds give a certain sound when they are trying to chase another hummingbird away from the feeder. Soon you will be able to tell what they are saying.
— Fill a feeder or place out treats at the same time each day. The animal you are interested in observing will know to show up for the treat, and you can watch it up close.
— Watch for certain stances from animals. Fence lizard stances say a lot—everything from “Get off of my rock” to “Come here, lizard cutie.”
— Note what happens when another animal comes in your yard. Male birds will often let female birds come to the feeder with them, but will chase away other males.
— Once you have animals coming regularly, change one thing and watch what they do. Make a small change such as moving your feeder just a bit. Animals’ reactions are sometimes very interesting. We heard about a zookeeper who was putting away the giraffes one night. She didn’t notice when a quarter fell out of her pocket. As she moved the first giraffe, an eighteen-foot male, toward his bedroom, the giraffe just stopped. You guessed it! He saw that quarter and wouldn’t step over it.
— Let children keep a log of what they see the animals do. Usually there is a pecking order with birds. Can they spot the one who is on the bottom? Or the top?
— Put out nesting materials for birds and animals. Watching mothers with babies is a sure way to see precise communication between animals.
Some animals, no matter how cute they are, cross the line from cute at a distance to pest in the garden. The lure of your beautiful garden with lots of delicious plants to eat is irresistible for most animals. Planning ahead can help you control the animal pests in your garden.
— Fortify areas that are off limits. Plant areas around garden beds with thorny plants or hedges, such as roses, barberry, pyracantha, holly, or gooseberry. These deterrents make great “fences” around areas where you don’t want to erect a real fence.
— Provide plants the “pests” are allowed to eat. Try planting some extra squash or zucchini plants around the edges of your garden. These plants will attract the pests and deter them from raiding the more desired vegetables in the center.
— Use the sprinkler. Deter animals from protected areas by having a sprinkler ready. Nothing surprises an unwanted guest more than a spraying of water. Sprinklers are now available with motion detectors, which are great for those nighttime guests.
— Use repellents. An old trick that still works is to sprinkle ground pepper on plants that animals are nibbling on, or make the following repellent spray. If making a spray is too much trouble, try planting garlic around your favorite plants that hungry rabbits, gophers, squirrels, or voles nibble on. As an added benefit, many insect pests are repelled by garlic as well.
General purpose mammals repellent recipe
2 to 4 hot chili peppers (the hotter the better, such as habanero or serrano) or 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
1 quart water
Mix all ingredients in a blender. Strain and use the mixture in a spray bottle or hand-held sprayer. Be sure to spray again after a rain.
— Make pests think a predator is after them. Most plant-eating animals, such as rabbits, deer, and squirrels, are prey for some other animal. Dogs, cats, and humans are predator animals. To protect your yard and garden from being invaded by prey animals, make them think a predator is near. If you have a male dog, he probably takes care of this for you by marking his territory. One sniff will tell a prey animal to stay away. If you don’t have a dog, borrow a friend’s, or place kitty litter or hair from your last haircut around the perimeter of your yard. Gardeners that do not have access to a pet can even use human urine to mark out their territories. In some areas fox and wolf urine are available commercially in nurseries, but they can be fairly expensive. If you can’t find them at a local nursery, many mail order catalogs carry them. Using scents works well, but remember that after a while the pests will figure out that a predator isn’t around after all, and will become brave enough to raid your garden. Deer are especially smart at figuring this out. You can avoid this problem by switching between various scents so the pests don’t become accustomed to any particular one.
Below you’ll find some tips to deter specific animals from your garden. Remember that not all tips will work every time—if you keep trying new ideas, you may find the one that works for your specific animal problem.
— One problem with birds is they love fruit trees. Try planting a couple of berry trees that birds can feast on so they leave your desired trees alone. Some good choices are mulberry, chokeberry, dogwood, and mountain ash. Be sure to plant them away from your fruit trees.
— Placing netting on plants that birds are pecking is also good way to prevent them from eating your prized crop. To be effective, you must seal the netting by burying it in the ground or the birds will find a way in. Stake the netting away from the plant so the birds can’t peck the fruit or vegetable through the netting.
— Make birds think a hawk is near by placing a silhouette of a hawk in a big window or hanging from a tree. This can also keep birds from crashing into large windows.
— Silhouettes hung in trees may also keep woodpeckers from pecking the tree.
— Hang aluminum foil or brightly colored strips of plastic or cloth at least two to three feet long from trees to chase away the birds.
— Loud music or a water sprinkler can also be effective at repelling woodpeckers. Turn the music or water on when the woodpecker begins pecking, and leave it on until the bird flies away.
— To keep cats from digging in your garden, place rose or conifer trimmings between the rows. Cats do not like stepping on unsteady or prickly ground. You can take this idea one step further and lay down pieces of chicken wire or welded fencing around shrubs. You can even plant flowers in holes cut in wire, covering the wire with a thin layer of mulch. You won’t see the wire but the cats will know it’s there. These tricks will work for skunks as well.
— String fishing line between six-inch-tall stakes over newly planted seedbeds. The line should crisscross the bed and not allow the cat to jump into bare sections.
— Spread an inch or so of cocoa mulch throughout your garden. This natural mulch is comprised of the dried hulls of cocoa beans. It has a pleasant chocolate smell, and cats and snails hate it. Renew it twice a year.
— Spray lemon juice in areas where cats are digging. Or try spreading chopped up lemon or grapefruit rinds over the area.
— Sprinkle ground black or cayenne pepper in areas that are off limits.
— Start by planting plants that deer don’t like. Remember that in times of extreme hunger deer will eat just about anything, but the following plants won’t be their first choice. Check your local nursery or cooperative extension for advice on the suitability of these plants in your area.
| Ground Covers | Trees | Shrubs |
| Ajuga | Ash | Bottlebrush |
| Bittersweet | Beech | Boxwood |
| Bougainvillea | Conifers | Butterfly bush |
| English ivy | Ginkgo | Firethorn |
| Lantana | Hackberry | Flowering quince |
| Periwinkle | Honey locust | Holly |
| Sweet woodruff | Oak | Juniper |
| Wisteria | Lavender | |
| Lilac | ||
| Viburnum |
— Lay pallets on the ground around large areas you want deer to stay out of. They do not like walking on or jumping over pallets.
— Mix a paste of hot pepper powder and water and spread it on the trunks of trees that deer are chewing on. Great for protecting saplings, which deer particularly love.
— Place garlic supplements in pill form (not garlic oil pills) around the garden and specific plants deer are fond of.
— Soak thick pieces of cotton, like the ones from pill bottles, in garlic oil, or better yet, garlic extract, and hang in trees or place around the garden.
— Common rue (Ruta graveolens) planted in and around your garden will deter dogs. It is said that planting a rue plant next to tomato plants will also keep dogs from eating the ripe tomatoes. An added bonus is that many insect pests do not like rue either.
— Try planting calendulas. Dogs don’t like it and won’t dig in it.
— When gopher holes first appear, soak rags with ammonia and place them in the holes covered with dirt. One smell of the ammonia and the gophers will retreat elsewhere. Another method that works well for gophers is making them think a predator is after them by placing pet droppings in their tunnels.
— Treat groundhogs much as you would gophers since they are both burrowing and prey animals. Try placing ammonia soaked rags, dog feces, or used kitty litter in their burrows to discourage them.
— Chicken wire fencing buried at least twelve inches down and extending twenty-four inches above the soil’s surface can block groundhogs’ advances toward your garden.
— Bait groundhog traps with lettuce or their favorite vegetable from your garden.
— Plant a trap crop, just like you would for insects. Place a patch of alfalfa or clover (or whatever else groundhogs particularly like in your garden) fifty feet away. Hopefully the groundhogs will find the trap crop and leave your garden alone.
— Keep a wide border clear of hiding places around your garden. This makes groundhogs vulnerable to their predators, such as dogs, cats, and hawks.
— To protect trees from the nibblings of rabbits (and mice) wrap the base of the trunk with aluminum foil.
— Use blood meal on your lawn to keep rabbits from eating it. Blood meal is dried blood and smells like death to a rabbit. Generally blood meal should be reapplied after a rain. One warning: if you have a dog, don’t use blood meal; dogs love it and will try to eat it. To protect your garden, place blood meal in cheesecloth bags and hang them around the perimeter or near specific plants.
— Rabbits don’t like to cross wide-open areas, so remove hiding places. They are a prey species and are vulnerable out in the open.
— A fence constructed out of chicken wire should keep the rabbits out. Make sure the fence is secure to the ground so the rabbits can’t get under it. You can do this by burying at least six inches of the fence underground.
— Try placing some old shoes or work boots in the garden to make the rabbit think a human is around.
— Use the third, fourth, and fifth ideas in the deer section—they also work well for rabbits.
— To keep raccoons out of fish ponds make sure the walls of the pond are straight, not slanted, and at least eighteen inches deep.
— A motion detector hooked to a sprinkler makes a great deterrent for raccoons.
— To keep raccoons from eating corn, place a couple of drops of hot pepper sauce near the silks a couple of weeks before harvesting. Or you can place a paper bag over the ear and fasten securely. Planting cucumbers around your corn patch will also deter raccoons.
— Place rose cuttings around desired plants or lay down loose chicken wire.
— Many burrowing rodents will not dig through a barrier of gravel. Create a narrow trench six to eight inches deep around your garden and fill it in with gravel.
— Plant mint or sweet peas around—mice hate them. Strong smelling herbs might work well too.
— Skunks love to eat the grubs in your garden and yard and will dig up everything looking for them. Releasing beneficial nematodes on watered areas should take care of the grubs, thus giving the skunks nothing to dig for. (Armadillos will also dig for grubs.) Many of the ideas listed earlier for deterring cats work well for skunks as well.
— The worst has happened and your pet has been sprayed by a skunk. What should you do now? Grab the tomato juice? No, keep these ingredients handy and when disaster strikes you will be ready. This formula really works!
1 cup 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
grease-cutting liquid dishwashing detergent
Mix the peroxide and baking soda together in a container. Slowly add the detergent until the mixture is the consistency of gravy. Wash your pet with the mixture. The solution cuts the greasy skunk spray and gets rid of the odor. Do not get mixture into eyes. Use any leftover mixture to wash areas or towels that have spray on them, but do not store the remainder. Baking soda and peroxide form a gas that can break a tightly sealed container.
— Keep vegetation short around the house. Place gravel near your foundation if snakes are a problem there.
— Keep rodent populations down. If the snakes have nothing to eat, they will move on.
— Snakes like to hide under objects, so raise woodpiles or trash cans at least ten inches off the ground. Remove rock piles, too.
— Place hardware cloth over drains and cracks around your house and outbuilding foundations.
— To keep squirrels from climbing certain trees, make sure there are no limbs from other trees that lead to the tree, and place a twenty-four-inch metal band six to eight feet up the trunk.
— To keep squirrels from digging up bulbs, place a piece of chicken wire over the bed until the bulbs sprout.
— Sticky stuff, such as Tanglefoot, placed as a barrier works well to deter squirrels.
