Born to Be Wild: Gardens That Call for Creatures

Katherine Kosiba started a new chapter of her life in 2001. She retired from her career as a project manager for Aetna Inc. and moved from the insurance industry’s mecca in Hartford, Connecticut, to the town of Colchester, 20 miles away in the same state. Kosiba settled in a home perched on nearly two acres of a once-thriving apple orchard that had been neglected for 25 years.

Kosiba went to work with a plan to transform the property into something that would encourage small visitors by land and air. In 2012, it is a thriving wildlife garden.

“I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction and enjoyment from looking out my window and seeing all of the animals,” Kosiba said. "And neighbors stop and talk to me (about the animals) when I’m out in the yard gardening.”

Garden Parties

Kosiba's vision for her wildlife garden began in the advanced master gardening course that she took after acquiring the property. She learned about all the different local plants, including the invasive ones. She also learned about the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Garden program.

“A friend of mine in the class was certifying her property,” Kosiba recalled. “I already had a lot of wildlife on my property: lots of rabbits, lots of birds, like Baltimore orioles, bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees ... and deer, of course, because of all the fruit.”

She eventually certified her property as a “wildlife garden.” At its heart, a wildlife garden is a micro wildlife habitat, complete with the four core components wildlife need to survive: food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. Kosiba has accommodated a bevy of creatures that either pass through on migratory journeys or establish permanent residence -- like the woodchuck she's seen for 11 years.

“He has a number of holes to hang out in, in a rough section I left for him in one corner, which is about one-third brambles, grapevine and (blackberry bushes)," Kosiba said. "He’s looking a little gray now,” she added.

A couple of chipmunks live in the stone fence that borders her property. Rabbits and many birds visit in the day’s dying sunlight. Kosiba loves the show and has bought bird books to learn more about her guests.

“I think it’s the excitement and discovery of what type of wildlife is out there," she said. "And a new interest cultivates out of that."

Getting certified

The National Wildlife Federation promotes a variety of conservation efforts, including those on the small scale -- literally in your own backyard. Certifying a backyard does not bring you any money or status. In fact, it costs a one-time fee of $20, but that also pays for a membership in the federation and a subscription to its magazine.

A backyard wildlife habitat must provide:

At least three sources of food, which may include plant life that offers berries, seed or nectar, or supplemental feeders.

At least one source of water on the property, such as a birdbath, pond or creek.

At least two sources of cover or shelter, such as a birdhouse, dense shrubs or a rock pile

A single nesting site, such as a nesting box, a brush pile or pond (for fish or amphibians).

Processing of the online application takes about two weeks. You may also mail your application, but processing of paper applications may take up to a month.

Growing Interests

The National Wildlife Federation has experienced a huge upswing in wildlife garden certifications since late 2003, when it put the certification application process online, according to Roxanne Paul, who runs the organization's Community Wildlife Habitat program.

“We started the program in 1973, and over that 30-year span we certified 38,000," said Paul, the federation's senior coordinator for community and volunteer outreach. "Then, in less than a decade we got up to 147,000.”

She attributes the increased number of certifications in part to simplification of the process. For example, the federation no longer requires a diagram or photograph of the yard as part of the application. The surge, however, is due largely to people focusing on the environment and the loss of natural wildlife habitats, she says.

“People are seeing green spaces disappear around them, the wetlands being drained … and parking lots and other developments popping up that are destroying the wildlife habitats around them," she said. "They’re not seeing the wildlife they once did a generation ago.”

While the most common wildlife gardens are for birds and butterflies, Paul says some “more knowledgeable” homeowners have turned their attention to habitats for endangered bees. Sarada Krishnan, director of horticulture for Denver Botanic Gardens, says she has seen the same trend.

“There is a lot of interest these days as people hear about the bees disappearing and they’re not seeing as much wildlife,” Krishnan said. “There’s a lot of personal satisfaction that people are getting from creating these habitats in their yards, which is that they are contributing to wildlife conservation.”

Setting Up

Wildlife habitats for the birds and butterflies are the most common and convenient for people to create.

“When you talk about wildlife habitats it comes down to three main things: food, water and shelter,” said John Bodiford, senior horticulturist for the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University. “It’s the same whether you’re talking about a yard or on a balcony with full sun. You still have to think about all those same things.”

Would-be wildlife gardeners must do some homework to identify birds and butterflies native to their region and the needs of those creatures. Bodiford said the gardener should select plants that attract the wildlife, set up a water station, and create a shelter. The shelter might be a birdhouse or a small brush or wood pile that serves as a nesting spot.

Mulch will provide cover under which butterflies' larvae may overwinter, Krishnan said. The caterpillars will require a slight bit of tolerance as they chew vegetation. Butterflies will feed on nectar.

“First, you need to know what butterflies are in your area,” Krishnan said. “Second, you need to know what the host plants for that butterfly’s first stage are. The monarch butterfly, for example, as a larva eats only milkweed.”

Adult butterflies prefer sunlight and blooms with a landing platform “so they can land when they’re sipping nectar,” Krishnan said.

Hummingbirds prefer blooms of reds and yellows.

Animal Attraction

Although many people certainly may like to attract larger animals such as deer to their yards, Paul said the National Wildlife Federation does not advocate it.

“Mammals can become dependent on the food, whereas a bird is only going to take about 15 percent of their total food intake from a feeder,” Paul said. “They don’t associate people with food.”

People who have moved to a property already teeming with wildlife represent an exception. Kosiba said she had no problem keeping her land inviting to her wildlife neighbors.

“By leaving a naturalized area of 6 or 7 feet that I haven’t cultivated, the woodchuck has got a place to live but he hasn’t been a nuisance to me,” she said. “For the rabbits, I did not use a pesticide to kill off the weeds, and they love to eat the natural dandelions and other weeds rather than eating my (purchased) plants or vegetable garden. It’s so nice to come home at twilight and see about four of them in the backyard, or come out at night and see more in the front yard.

“There’s just the simple benefit of delighting in nature and by what you see,” Kosiba said.