Plants That Attract Native Wildlife

Possum Haw

• The fruit of the possum haw (Ilex decidua) is its main lure to wildlife, including the opossum, which will gladly devour it when it gets the chance. The possum haw, native to the central and southeastern states, grows to 15 feet as a deciduous shrub. Although the shrub can grow where the ground is damp, it prefers well-draining sites. The shrub is dioecious, meaning that it will be either a male or a female plant. To furnish wildlife with berries and attract animals into view, you need to have a male possum haw close by to the female specimens. Possum haw is a species of holly; the berries are part of the diets of wild turkeys, quail, eastern bluebirds and many other songbirds, including catbirds and thrashers. Deer eat the foliage and the twigs of a possum haw. Any of the red to orange fruits that escape detection by hungry wildlife will bring some color to your landscape in the winter months.

Northern Red Oak

• The northern red oak (Quercus rubra) is a wildlife magnet. Its foliage and acorns provide a major source of food for multiple species. Mammals such as white-tailed deer, elk, moose, cottontail rabbits and hares partake of the leaves. The acorns afford a source of nutrition for the eastern chipmunk, white-footed mouse, white-tailed deer, flying squirrel, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, black bear and deer mouse, according to the National Forest Service. Northern red oak's acorns are edible by the northern bobwhite, white-breasted nuthatch, eastern crow and wild turkey, as well as many other bird species. The tree grows to 75 feet in full sun and acidic soils and makes a fine shade or lawn tree in addition to attracting wildlife. Northern red oak is native to most of the eastern United States, except for parts of the Deep South.

White Spruce

• Deer and other ungulates typically do not feed on the white spruce tree (Picea glauca), but mice, voles and snowshoe hares consume the tree's bark, needles and twigs. The major attraction of white spruce is the seeds found within its cones. Mammals and birds favor the seeds, a favorite of the red squirrel. Bird species that feast on these seeds include the chickadee, pine siskin, nuthatches and crossbills. Chipmunks, shrews and other small mammals also use these seeds for food. White spruce is cold hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 2, growing across most of Canada and the northern states in the United States. Able to attain 60 feet, the white spruce as a landscaping tool is appropriate for windbreaks, screens and mass planting that create groves advantageous for wildlife.