Written by Scott Lumpkin
The lawn is mowed, the hedges are trimmed, and the flowers are cut back. Your landscape looks great, but something seems missing. It’s lacking life. Perhaps what you’re missing is in fact wildlife. Creating landscaping to attract birds will add an entirely new element to the landscape. The sights and sounds of birds in the garden will not only enhance its beauty but the experience of being in your garden as well. And it is easily achieved with a few basic guidelines and the right plan in place. Our landscape experts can work with you to create a landscape where both you and a few feathered friends will want to spend some time.
THE BASIC NEEDS
Most people at some point in their life have seen a pyramid shaped diagram known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. At the base level are our most basic needs; food and water. Directly above this is the need for safety and security. These basic human needs are the same for birds and by creating an environment that provides these things you are extending an open invitation to a wide variety of birds.WATER
A necessity to all life, water is an essential element to a landscape that is inviting to birds. Low-lying areas where rainwater collects act as temporary water sources and the damp soil bring worms and insects to the surface for birds to feed on. A simple birdbath can act as a decorative element to the landscape and provide a reason for birds to visit as a place to cool off and clean up. More naturalistic ornamental ponds, complete with native plantings, can be used to introduce the sounds of moving water to the garden, and to begin to develop an ecosystem to support a source of food for birds.FOOD
As mentioned above, water being essential to all life brings worms and insects for birds to feed upon as one type of food source. But other important ingredients of a bird’s diet come from plant materials. Trees and shrubs that produce fruit and seeds are essential to a bird-friendly environment. Selecting woody shrubs and perennials that provide a food source in different seasons will ensure a year-round environment for birds. Serviceberries and crabapples are highly desirable ornamental trees for a landscape that provide a wealth of fruit for birds to feed upon, and certain flowering perennials are not only beautiful but an all-natural attractant to hummingbirds and butterflies.
SHELTER
Utilize layering, a technique that also applies to good landscape design in general, to provide a wide variety of nesting and perching options. Provide low growing groundcovers for birds to forage at ground level. Consider mass plantings of large shrubs along the perimeter of your yard that will provide a place to rest and nest. Avoid excessive pruning to allow these plants to achieve their natural size and shape to form a dense mass that acts both as a bird habitat and privacy screening for you. Large deciduous trees provide shade for you and nesting opportunities for birds that prefer to feel secure in higher places. Evergreens provide winter interest to you, and those such as Spruce with prickly needles and dense foliage provide a secure and sheltered location for birds year-round.
LOCALLY GROWN
An important element of a bird friendly environment is selecting a wide variety of native plants. These landscapes are becoming increasingly popular for their inherent suitability to Midwestern weather extremes from cold, icy winters to hot, dry summers. And as they are the plants found locally in the wild they are the foundation of the diets and habitats of local wildlife. Selecting a variety of these plants for your landscape is a way towards a hearty and lower-maintenance landscape that is both wildlife and environmentally friendly.
Creating landscaping to attract birds a simple way to get more out of your garden. The creative landscape architects and contractors of Mark M. Holeman Inc. can work with you to determine how best to design and implement a landscape that is beautiful and fulfilling to you and the local wildlife. Let us know how we can help you.
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