OUTDOOR CORNER: THE RIGHT LANDSCAPING ATTRACTS MORE BEAUTY

Have you ever noticed when a certain plant or shrub is in bloom, how it will be covered in honeybees, or have butterflies flitting around?

Do you have a neighbor who has hummingbird feeders or other types of birdfeeders? Do you enjoy finding a mourning dove nest in the crook of your fruit tree? Would you like to see more wildlife in your backyard?

If you would like to have more small wildlife in your backyard, there are many things you can do to attract them. Some people do this by hanging out bird seed or humming bird feeders, squirrel feeders, and birdhouses. Some people plant lots of bright blooming flowers.

In this article, I want to discuss some landscaping ideas that will help you attract wildlife to your yard. To attract wildlife, you need to consider three basic components of their habitat. They need food, water, and shelter (cover). There are many things you can plant to provide food for wildlife.

Birds are attracted to plants with seeds and small fruits. You may not want to fill your yard with giant sunflowers or blackberry vines, but there are many other options. There are many types of wildflowers. Black-eyed Susan, coneflowers and ox-eye sunflower are three attractive flowers with food seeds for birds in the fall. Other earlier blooming species will provide seeds earlier in the year.

Birds will also be attracted to shrubs and small trees which provide desirable fruits for birds. Elderberries and blackberries provide a summer crop of berries for birds and other wildlife. Viburnum, sumac and hawthorn provide berries for fall and winter. Many of these shrubs are native and are well adapted to growing in Missouri's climate.

Hummingbirds will be attracted to large red, orange, or pink, tubular-shaped flowers.

One excellent humming bird plant is trumpet creeper vine with its large, orange flowers. Red buckeye (Aesculus discolor) is a beautiful small tree which bears large red flowers in the spring, providing nectar for hummingbirds. Honeysuckles are also attractive to hummingbirds, but some honeysuckles spread uncontrollably so you will want to check on the species before you choose which one to plant.

Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempevirens) is a vine with bright red flowers that is very attractive to hummingbirds. It is not native, but is not nearly as invasive as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), which has spread to many of our wildlife areas and forms dense mats that smother the native wildflowers. The Missouri Conservation Department discourages the planting of Japanese honeysuckle because of its aggressive and invasive nature.

Butterflies are a beautiful addition to your yard. You can attract them by planting large beds of flowers. Also plant flowers that bloom at different times. A native prairie planting can be very successful in attracting butterflies because the variety of flowers creates a garden with continuous blooms throughout the summer. Also, you can establish this as a perennial garden which will not need to be planted anew every spring. Butterflies can also be attracted with large beds of annuals such as zinnias. Of course with annual beds you will need to replant each spring.

If you have a shady yard, you can plant pawpaw trees. These trees like shady to partially shady areas as well as moist conditions. They have large leaves and unusual dark reddish brown flowers.

Pawpaw is the food plant for the larva (caterpillar) of the beautiful zebra swallowtail butterfly. Pawpaw produces edible fruits which are sometimes called Missouri bananas.

Small shrubs make excellent nesting cover for many species of birds. The more diverse structure (shrubs, tall trees, small trees, vines, grasses, and even briars) you have in your yard, the more wildlife will be able to find cover.

The popular, manicured, closely-mowed lawn with trimmed edges provides very little cover or food for most wildlife species. Robins are common in cities because they are one bird which benefits from mowed lawns. Robins typically hop along in short cover in search of worms and insects.

Of course you have aesthetic considerations with planting lots of cover in town or in a traditional lawn and yard. However, shrubs, and vines, and cover plants can be arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way by planting them in groups with a border around them, and by considering colors and adding lots of flowering plants to the arrangement.

Finally you may want to add a water source if you do not have one. This may be a traditional bird bath. You can also take the dish portion of your bird bath or other suitable dish-shaped item and mount it in the ground to provide water for birds and ground-dwelling creatures.

The Conservation Department has many resources (brochures, books for sale, videos, etc.) to help you learn more about landscaping your backyard for wildlife. If you are interested in more information, please call 290-5730 for a packet of information

The packet includes brochures on butterfly gardening, landscaping for backyard wildlife and a listing of native plant nurseries and suppliers in the state.

Janeen Laatsch is a natural history regional biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.