by Kevin Munroe, Reston Association

Imagine if you could attract chipmunks and weasels, turtles and lizards, towhees and wrens all with one simple structure that fits in the corner of your yard. You can! It’s called a wildlife brush shelter and you probably already have the materials necessary to build one.

Placing a wildlife brush shelter on your property can add an interesting and important element to your backyard habitat, attracting a wide variety of wildlife that may have been missing. Providing dense, heavy and secure shelter close to the ground can attract many animals that may not feel comfortable in even the most colorful butterfly garden or thoroughly landscaped yard.

The variety of wildlife you may see using your brush shelter over the years is long and impressive. Flycatchers and dragonflies perch on the tips of branches “hawking” for flying insects while salamanders and shrews hide under logs at the base. Lizards and butterflies sun themselves on the surface at the same time that rabbits, turtles, juncos and sparrows use the tangled branches for temporary shelter. Toads, mice and groundbeetles will come and go as will the skunks, snakes and quail that feed on them. Woodpeckers will pick insects out of the more decayed wood while foxes set up dens underneath.

Building a wildlife brush shelter is quick, easy, involves little to no cost and is lots of fun. The concept is simple: build a sturdy structure out of logs and branches that provides shelter while still allowing enough spaces for animals to move around. Your goal is to provide a topography of nooks and crannies, a fortress of crevices and interlocking branches to provide hiding places for dozens of animal species.

Start by building a strong base with large logs, six to ten feet long and four to six inches in diameter. Stack and criss-cross them in a manner that’s sturdy and provides a variety of runways and spaces. (Imagine an animal the size of a rabbit being able to navigate through your structure). After using half a dozen or more logs to build a sturdy base simply start adding large branches criss-crossed in a slightly tighter mesh than the logs. Continue adding more branches of a gradually smaller diameter and a denser, more compact weave. Your end product will be an dome-like structure. The dimensions of an average brush shelter are approximately ten feet across and five feet high. However, if you’re dealing with limited space a shelter half that size made with smaller brush will still attract a variety of critters. Someone with a larger property may want several shelters twice that size.

Your wildlife brush shelter is now ready for occupancy for a myriad of local wildlife. Time to sit back and enjoy the parade of color, life and interesting behavior that wildlife often provide. With this simple addition you’ve helped complete the local food web bringing a more complete natural cycle to your backyard habitat!

Tips for creating brush shelters

• Some communities do not allow brush shelters, and some neighbors might not undertand their value. Check you local codes and notify your neighbors if the brush pile will be highly visible.
• Place your shelter on the edge between two habitats – these “ecotones” house the most wildlife.
• Make sure at least half of your shelter receives direct sunlight – many animals love to bask.
• Use stone piles in your shelter as part of the base to create hiding places and along the edges to serve as basking sites.
• Plant native flowering/fruiting vines to sprawl over the shelter to attract hummingbirds and songbirds.
• Weave evergreen branches into the roof of your shelter in the Winter to provide cover from snow/ice storms.
• Add old pipes to your shelter’s base to serve as tunnels for rodents, reptiles and amphibians.

Reprinted from: http://www.nwf.org/backyard/logpile.cfm

A smooth, closely shaven surface of grass is by far the most essential element of beauty on the grounds of a suburban house,” landscape designer Frank J. Scott wrote in 1870. “Let your lawn be your home’s velvet robe, and your flowers not too promiscuous decorations.”

This uncompromising view of lawns has held sway for more than a century in this country, helping to create a $25-billion-a-year industry in products and services for America’s 25 million acres of lawns. However, experts assert, there are viable alternatives to the endless pursuit of the perfect patch of green. “Low-input yards can be just as beautiful and more satisfying in the long run as high-cost manicured lawns, and you don’t have to replant your entire existing lawn to make it sustainable,” says Vera Krischik, an entomologist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

America’s love affair with lawns has its roots in the early English landscape-garden movement, according to Robert Grese, associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. But England’s green carpets are sustained by its wet climate; they do not require extra watering or chemical applications. “We have developed an aesthetic taste with no biological basis,” Grese says.

In the United States, lawns often demand heavy watering and regular doses of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. U.S. homeowners used 32 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns in 1994, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “People should be aware of the hazards of using chemicals,” says Jay Feldman, head of the nonprofit National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides in Washington, D.C. “Children, the elderly, pets and wildlife are all at risk.”

The perfect lawn also requires frequent mowing, which not only takes time and energy, but also has environmental costs. Gasoline-powered lawn equipment, notes Grese, causes nearly 5 percent of the country’s total air pollution during summer.

What are the options for people who are tired of mowing, watering, weeding, seeding and feeding? One alternative is to convert your greensward into a wild lawn. Set your mower blades as high as four inches to encourage species of low-growing wild ground covers–such as violets, cinquefoil, blue-and-white-flowered speedwell, heal-all and white clover–to take hold and bloom. While you can introduce some of these to your lawn by transplanting, many seeds are already in your lawn and others will arrive naturally as seeds floating on the air. They will colonize your lawn quickly and their blooms and leaves will feed beneficial insects.

A natural meadow, a taller option, requires no feeding or watering after the seeds and young plants are established. It needs mowing only once a year (in late winter, to avoid destroying eggs and larvae of butterflies and beneficial insects). To maximize success with a meadow, seed or plant an area in full sun with a variety of annual and perennial flowers native to your region. The following wildflowers grow in most areas of the country and attract a variety of creatures: goldenrod, milkweed, butterfly weed, asters, coneflowers, sunflowers, yarrow, buttercups, bee balm, phlox, tickseed and blazing stars. (Ask your local native-plant society or extension agent which plants are native to your area and which will thrive for you.)

Another option is to replace your carpet of fescue, Kentucky bluegrass or Bermuda grass with a ground cover. Such covers–especially dense, evergreen varieties–provide a beautiful and carefree alternative to a conventional lawn. Besides providing food and shelter for wildlife, they define, separate or unify areas in the landscape as effectively as a green velvet lawn. When choosing a ground cover appropriate to your region, ask how quickly it grows, whether it is best suited to sun or shade and how well it can withstand foot traffic. When planting ground covers sensitive to foot traffic, create walkways with mulch or stepping stones.

There are several native ground covers that remain evergreen in many areas of the country. These include partridgeberry, lowbush blueberry, wintergreen, bearberry, wild ginger, wild strawberry and moss phlox. Easy-to-grow, nonnative evergreen ground covers include creeping thyme, bugleweed, Roman chamomile and St. John’s wort. (Check with your local nursery to find out which species grow best in your region.) For fastest results with ground covers, reduce the recommended space between plants by half.

What if a meadow or a ground cover is not feasible? One possible compromise is to keep some grass for recreational use or aesthetic value and convert the rest of your lawn into areas of easy-care plant-ings that provide food and shelter for wildlife. For example, create a small woodland by planting a wide border between lawn and property lines with native evergreens and fruit and nut trees such as holly, hemlock, persimmon, black cherry, oak, hickory, dogwood and hawthorn. You can also create an island of trees and shrubbery–or native grasses and wildflowers–in a sea of lawn.

If you would prefer not to do additional planting, you can also replace part of your lawn with rock gardens strewn with heat-absorbing boulders and rock piles, or create small streams and ponds with recirculating water.

What if you can’t bear to part with your lawn? There are simple steps you can take to reduce its environmental impact. Plant grass varieties that are suited to your climate and growing conditions. Mow with sharp blades set at the recommended height and allow the grass clippings to fall back on the lawn as natural mulch and fertilizer. “This way you create vigorous roots and it’s hard for weeds to grow in a healthy lawn,” says Tanya Drlik, an integrated pest-management specialist with the Bio-Integral Resource Center in California. And if you need to use pesticides or herbicides, choose those that are organic or biological.

“You have to ask yourself how many weeds you can tolerate, because it’s unrealistic to think you can maintain a perfect monoculture. Nature just doesn’t work that way,” says Drlik. “If it’s a constant struggle then perhaps it’s just not worth it.”

For tips on growing a chemical-free lawn, visit the Backyard Wildlife Habitat  website.

It is very important that you remove any invasive plants in your yard because they can get out of control.  If they get out of your yard, they can cause severe damage to the local ecosystem – just look at what kudzu has done to many of our native trees and shrubs. 

A very helpful resource on invasive species is Clemson Extension’s Invasive Plant Pest Species of South Carolina guide.   

This publication lists the Top Ten Invasive Plants that are causing destruction in South Carolina.  Many of them are ones that you’ve heard about, but some are actually being sold at plant nurseries – like nandina.  Be sure to check out this list before you purchase any new plants. 

Once you get the invasives, or even just weeds, out of your flower beds, you’ll need to take some measure to make sure they don’t come back.  Or, at least to slow down their progress.  One method that has worked well for me to control weeds is to put newspaper down on top of the soil (around the base of any of your good plants).  I usually put them in layers of about 5 or 6 sheets.  Then, wet the newspaper, so it molds to the surface of the ground, and cover it with mulch, or pinestraw.  I usually put a LOT of pinestraw on top of it, to be sure that the newspaper can’t be seen.  Then, water down the pinestraw to pack it on there good. 

The newspaper will break down and compost eventually, and in the meantime, it helps to keep the weeds from growing back as quickly because they have no access to sunlight.

So, you’ve gotten your own yard certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Now what? The SC Wildlife Federation has many additional programs which move beyond the backyard to create wildlife habitat throughout the community. Here is some brief information about these programs. More info about each one will follow in additional posts.

Backyard Habitats in the Community:

Even though the word “backyard” is in the name of the Backyard Wildlife Habitat program, it really just refers to creating wildlife habitat in any space in your community. Habitat gardens have been certified at libraries, churches, parks, government offices, and places of business. In the Columbia area, you can visit certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat gardens at the Irmo Branch Library on St. Andrews Road, Saluda Shoals Park Environmental Center, Harbison State Forest Environmental Education Building, and the Department of Transportation main office on Park Street – just to name a few!

Schoolyard Habitats:

When schools are built, the land is often cleared in a large area around the actual building. This leaves very little reason for wildlife to be on school grounds. However, the educational potential of habitat gardens is just endless! Teachers around SC are taking students outside to Schoolyard Habitat gardens to learn about how plants grow, to see the lifecycle of a butterfly with their own eyes, and much more! Teachers, parents, administrators, maintenance crews, and community volunteers work together to install and maintain these outdoor laboratories for children to use in any subject.

Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT):

WAIT is a program that encourages corporate landowners to keep wildlife needs in mind when making their land management decisions. WAIT projects typically involve large areas of land around an industrial facility. Employees work together to create wildlife habitat and educate other associates and employees about nature. WAIT industries also must partner with a group in the community – this may be a scout troop, a garden club, a school class, etc. There are certified WAIT industries all across SC – BMW, Michelin, Square D, and Duke Energy – just to name a few.

Community Wildlife Habitats:

Community Wildlife Habitats combine all of the above programs. These communities are challenged to educate their entire community about the needs of wildlife. To get certified, a community must have a certain number of Backyard Wildlife Habitats certified, including some public places such as parks or common areas. They also need to participate in community projects such as litter pickups, recycling projects, etc. Communities of all sizes are eligible, and the requirements vary based on the size and population of the area. South Carolina currently has three certified Community Wildlife Habitats at Callawassie Island in Beaufort County, Briarcliffe Acres in the Myrtle Beach area, and Kiawah Island in Charleston county.

“For the third year in a row, checklists submitted to the Great Backyard Bird Count topped 92,000. Your participation in the 14th annual count, February 18-21, helped set new bird checklist records in 11 states and in 7 out of 13 Canadian provinces and territories, resulting in a new overall checklist record for Canada. Altogether, an estimated 60,000 people took part, identifying 596 species and making 11.4 million bird observations.

This year’s GBBC featured movements of irruptive species such as finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches as well as a surprising increase in numbers of Evening Grosbeaks reported. For the first time in eight years, the American Crow has moved up on the GBBC’s Top 10 List of Most Numerous Birds. The Eurasian Collared-Dove continues its march across the continent with GBBC reports of the species from Alaska for the first time.

There were two brand new species reported to the GBBC for the first time and other rarities to give participants a thrill. Read the full GBBC summary online to learn more about these and other stories from the 2011 count.”

The South Carolina Wildlife Federation has partnered with the Live Monarch Foundation, which focuses on providing habitat for Monarch Butterflies all along their migration routes from Mexico to Canada.  Through this partnerhship, you can order quality milkweed seeds or seedlings to plant in your backyard and throughout your community.  Read on to see just how much monarchs depend on this milkweed.  Then, visit http://www.LiveMonarch.com/scwf
to order your seeds and seedlings.  You can also adopt a monarch, or get information about releasing monarchs at your next event. 

During the past few years, over 75% of the wintering Monarchs from North America froze to death in Mexico as a result of three days of rain and sub-freezing conditions. There is also a Nationwide shortage of milkweed. These freak weather patterns and destroyed habitats kill millions of helpless Monarchs. Habitat must be protected now to ensure their survival, before we see the day when this miracle of nature is only a memory. The Monarchs need your help NOW. Please plant seeds and ensure their survival.

Click here for a story on ABC News about the Monarch’s struggle. 

You can help! Become an active participant now. Make a difference today. It all starts with one seed…and we need you to plant it.  http://www.LiveMonarch.com/scwf

I haven’t seen any yet, but Ruby-Throats generally visit SC from March to November. So, it’s time to put the feeders up! You can make your own solution for the feeders with four parts water to one part sugar – boil it for a minute until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool and fill up your feeders. It doesn’t have to have red dye in it, and this will save you some money on nectar solution.  Do not use honey solutions in feeders as they may produce a fungal disease fatal to hummingbirds.  Be sure to change the nectar at least once a week. When the weather gets hot, you may need to change it more often, maybe every 2-3 days.

You can also attract them by planting red, tubular flowers.  Over 160 native, North American plants depend exclusively on hummingbirds for pollination.  Many red-flowered annuals, perennials, vines, and shrubs available from mail order sources or local garden centers are developed from the native red-flowered plants of the western hemisphere.

Hummingbird Plant List

Here is a list of some plants that are native to SC and are generally successful in attracting hummingbirds:

American Plum
Aster
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Cardinal Flower
Carolina Jasmine
Clethera
Columbine
Coral Honeysuckle
Crestid Iris
Crossvine
Downy Phlox
Fire Pinks
Florida Azalea
Indian Pinks
Lyreleaf Sage
Red Buckeye
Tulip poplar
Wild Columbine
Wild Rhododendron

HUMMINGBIRD FACTS

� The smallest bird in the world, the Cuban Bee hummingbird, is 2-inches long–about the size of a bumble bee.

� Hummingbirds, like helicopters, can hover. They can move ahead, sideways or backward at will.

� A Ruby-throated hummingbird, weighing about one tenth of an ounce can travel 600 miles in migration.

� Hummingbirds may drink up to eight times their body weight daily.

� Although their normal body temperature is about 103 degrees F (40 degrees C), it may drop to 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) at night. They have the ability to endure temporary cool weather or cool nights by becoming dormant.

� There are 340 species of hummingbirds in the world. All are found in the western hemisphere. Of these, only one, the Ruby-throated hummingbird, is regularly found east of the Mississippi River.

� Flying consumes a great deal of a hummingbird’s energy, with wingbeats measured at 20-200 beats per second.

� Pesticides, especially sprays, can be lethal to hummers. Even if they do not take in enough nectar dosed with malathion, Sevin or diazinon to kill them directly, the number of small insects available to them in your garden will drop dramatically. This may cause starvation and/or death of the young.

Other Excellent Hummingbird Resources:

Operation RubyThroat

Butterfly Bushes (buddleia) can be cut back pretty severely in mid- to late-February. You can cut them back to 1-2 feet. This will help keep them from getting so tall that you can’t reach the blooms to cut off spent ones. It helps it to stay a bush, rather than growing into more of a tree. But, if you cut them back any earlier, they are in danger of being damaged by cold temps.

Forsythia is one that you shouldn’t cut back until after it blooms. It blooms on last season’s growth, so if you cut it back in the fall, you won’t get many blooms. My forsythia gets really wild looking, so I’ll usually cut back a few stray limbs in the summer or fall, but leave the majority of the old wood through the winter. After it blooms in early spring, you can cut it back as much as you want, or prune it for shape. Forsythia is one that roots itself if a stem comes in contact with the ground, so you may be able to separate these new plants to share with your friends as well. I would still wait on that until after blooming.

Another thought about forsythia – last year I cut a few branches while they were blooming and brought them inside and put them in a vase. They were absolutely beautiful, and stayed fresh for a number of days. I had never thought of doing that before, but saw a beautiful arrangement at my husband’s grandparent’s house, so thought I’d try it too. It works great if you have a really tall vase, and can fit about 5-7 blooming branches in it.

For azaleas, you can thin them at any time of the year, but to reduce the impact on the next season’s flowers, do most of your pruning right after blooming. If you need to take out a large portion of the bush to reduce the size, create a hedge, or to renew old plants, you may be sacrificing one season of blooming after extreme pruning, or “heading”. There’s a great article about azalea care from the Clemson Extension Service Home & Garden Information Center.

There was a bunch more stuff in my yard that I cut back now, even though these could have been cut back much earlier…I just got lazy! Confederate Rose, Angel Trumpets, Sedum, Purple Coneflower, Black-eyed Susans, Canna Lilies, etc. all can be cut back now. The danger of frost is not over, but many of these will start putting up shoots soon, so you can go ahead and get the dead debris out of the way. My sedum has started new shoots, and I suspect the cannas won’t be far behind.

What to expect in the next few weeks to a month: of course the daffodils have already started, also watch for hyacinth, forsythia, red buds, dogwood, yellow jessamine, just to name a few. What’s coming up in your yard? Add a comment below and let me know which city you’re in, and what you’ve got blooming! Let me know if you have questions about pruning other plants, and I’ll see if I can find some answers for you.

I also put up a small green fence around the base of mine, because I have had issues in the past with my butterfly bushes falling over, or  leaning so far that they break off.

 Have you seen any signs of spring yet?