Swamp Milkweed - Maryland Native Plant Society

ow that winter has arrived it's a
great time to evaluate our home
gardens and landscaping to see
how wildlife fit into the plan. By
providing nutritious food, clean water, and
protection from predators and the cold,
gardeners can make a big difference for our
wildlife friends, especially during the winter.
Here are some tips that we use on our
property that and can be used in your gardens
too. Your location and species might be different
but the same basic principles will apply.
Do your research.
One of the best ways to provide essential
habitat elements in your garden is to use plant
material that is native to your region and in
most cases indigenous to your own micro
climate and soil conditions. See what plants
are native to your area and what kinds of
plant-animal relationships you have.
Most often when we think of feeding wildlife
in the winter it relates to birds. Providing bird
food is a great way to attract and help our
feathered friends. Native plants produce
berries, nuts and seeds that birds relish. ink
of bird feeders as providing a supplemental
food source for birds when natural food is
scarce.
If you do decide to use a bird feeder be sure to
keep it clean. Small mammals might be
attracted to these feeders and in turn feed
some of our predators like foxes and raptors.
If you live in the city and don't want to attract
rodents, use only seed that will not be wasted
Marilandica Fall 2010
Winterizing Your Garden for Our Wildlife Friends
Carole Bergmann
or tossed out by a finicky visitor. e best
combinations are hulled sunflower seeds,
thistle and suet. is will attract and sustain
the largest variety of bird species.
Here in suburban Maryland we have provided
native tree and shrub species such as winterberry
holly, viburnums, dogwoods, and sugar
maple to help support our winter birds. It's
important to remember to not cut back native
perennials with seeds in the fall.
We leave all of the plants standing such as
coneflowers, sunflowers, blazing star, and
black-eyed susans and watch the small birds
like finches snack on them through the cold
and snow. ese plants provide native wildlife
food, garden interest and overwintering
shelter for many insects, eggs and larva.
Remove any non-native, invasive species that
birds may carry with them to deposit in
sensitive natural areas.
Winter shelter is extremely important to our
critter friends. Loss of habitat is the biggest
threat to many wildlife species today. By
doing our part to provide shelter from predators
and winter weather we increase the
chances for their survival. Planting native
evergreen trees like spruce, cedar, hemlocks
and firs will provide essential shelter for many
songbirds and small mammals.
If you have a deciduous wooded lot with dead
trees standing, please consider leaving them
standing if there is no risk of injury if they
fall. ese provide important habitat for our
cavity dwellers. Birdhouses can serve as winter
roosting boxes. Prepare the birdhouse by
cleaning it and stuffing it with a lining of dry
grasses or shredded newspapers.
Another great way to provide shelter is to
construct a brush pile. roughout the year
we gather mounds of yard debris including
twigs and branches. is plant material can be
recycled into a wonderfully diverse minihabitat
of its own. ink of the brush pile
having multiple layers for different species.
On the bottom layer you would have logs or
large branches. As the pile grows, build it up
left: e Baltimore Checkerspot, Maryland’s state butterfly (endangered), eating and laying eggs on its larval host plant, the Turtlehead, Chelone glabra.
Middle: Emerging monarch butterfly. right: Night flying hawkmoth in the photographer’s garden.
Jim Gallion
Carole Bergmann
with yard waste like leaves, small branches
and twigs. e size of your brush pile can vary
depending on the space and location you have
available. ese brush piles invite small mammals,
salamanders, insects and birds. For best
results do not disturb the site except to gently
add new material in the fall.
Flowing water is an important element for
winter survival. Most of us don't have a
natural spring or creek in our yards. In the
winter birds are looking for water to bathe in
and to drink, and small mammals need water
too. Water can be provided in something as
casual as a heated dog dish all the way up to
an elaborate pond with a flowing stream and
waterfall. It's important to have water that's
not frozen. Ponds with some debris and
potted plants at the bottom provide overwintering
places for frogs and other aquatic life.
Winter is the time we step back and evaluate
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