{"id":1003,"date":"2014-01-17T02:55:17","date_gmt":"2014-01-17T02:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1003"},"modified":"2014-04-08T01:31:51","modified_gmt":"2014-04-08T01:31:51","slug":"resolutions-to-bring-nature-to-your-yard-in-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1003","title":{"rendered":"Resolutions to Bring Nature to Your Yard in 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Edie Parnum<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, no, you say.\u00a0 I never make resolutions\u2014too much self-denial and discipline.<\/p>\n

Here are some resolutions that don\u2019t require much work.\u00a0 And, in fact, they\u2019ll add pleasure to your life. Pick one of these to get started. Birds, butterflies, and other creatures will visit your yard.\u00a0 Pick three, and you\u2019ll see nature flourish abundantly–guaranteed.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plant a tree.\u00a0<\/strong> Adding a native (historically part of our local ecosystem and food web) tree is the single best contribution you can make to your property\u2019s habitat.\u00a0 It will offer more food, shelter, and nesting places than any other plant.\u00a0 Besides providing seeds, fruits, or nuts directly to birds and other animals, the tree\u2019s leaves host native insects. \u00a0Birds and other small\u00a0animals eat native insects in\n
  2. Plant shrubs.<\/strong>\u00a0 Requiring less space than a tree, they offer nearly as much value to a healthy habitat. Besides the nutritious fruits<\/a> these woody plants produce, insects eat their leaves.\u00a0 As with trees, these insects sustain birds and the other animals in the web of life.\u00a0 Also, dense deciduous and evergreen shrubs provide\n
  3. Plant perennials, not\u00a0annuals.<\/strong>\u00a0 Annual flowers are so much trouble to put in each year, fertilize, and keep watered.\u00a0 Forget the bothersome begonias, impatiens, marigolds, coleus. petunias, and the like.\u00a0 Native perennials will grow\n
  4. Plant a vine<\/strong>.\u00a0 If you want hummingbirds in your yard, plant a Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) <\/i>(not the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle, of course) or Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)<\/i>.\u00a0 Virgin\u2019s Bower (Clematis virginiana) <\/i>is a magnet for bees, moths, and other pollinators.<\/li>\n
  5. Plant groundcovers.<\/strong>\u00a0 Minimize weeding.\u00a0 Instead, cover the ground with native groundcovers like Allegheny Pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens<\/i>), Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum<\/i>), and Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea<\/i>).<\/li>\n
  6. Take out a patch of lawn<\/a>. <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s the most biologically deficient part of your yard\u2014not much better than your driveway. \u00a0Every year decrease the size of your lawn\n
  7. Take out invasives.<\/strong>\u00a0 Invasive plants spread aggressively and crowd out desirable native vegetation.\u00a0 Yes, whether you cut, pull, or smother the invasives, it can be a lot of work.\u00a0 Plus, if you leave the ground bare afterward, of course they\u2019ll come back.\u00a0 Immediately fill in the cleared area with native plants.<\/li>\n
  8. Learn native plants<\/b>.\u00a0 You can attend botany walks at Bowman\u2019s Hill Wildflower Preserve<\/a>, Heinz National Wildlife Refuge<\/a>, and Tyler Arboretum<\/a>.\u00a0 Visit a botanical preserve where native plants are labeled such as Bowman\u2019s Hill and Jenkins Arboretum<\/a>. When buying plants at native plant nurseries like Redbud Nursery<\/a> and Yellow Springs Farm<\/a>, you\u2019ll see labelled plants and learn growing tips from their knowledgeable staffs.\u00a0 Use the internet photos and gardening information, too.<\/li>\n
  9. Read a book.<\/strong>\u00a0 I recommend Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 The author, Douglas Tallamy, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, will inspire you to plant native plants and increase your determination to host native insects, birds, and butterflies in your yard.\n

  10. Walk around and enjoy nature in your yard frequently.<\/strong>\u00a0 Take your binoculars to better see and learn about the birds, butterflies, and other creatures that live in your garden.\u00a0 With a camera you can take photos of your plants and wildlife sightings.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ll be inspired to become more familiar with your own wildlife preserve. Spread your enthusiasm: take a child with you on your backyard adventures.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Personally I will do all ten of these\u2014with pleasure.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re a beginner to habitat gardening, pick one of these ideas to get started.\u00a0 Perhaps you can tackle two or three this year, but don\u2019t get overly ambitious.\u00a0 Start planning now in the dead of winter. Time and money may be limited, but you can start small and keep improving your habitat each year.\u00a0 Before long you\u2019ll notice more insects including butterflies and moths, more birds, and, indeed, much more wildlife activity in your yard.<\/p>\n

    Do something for nature in 2014.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Edie Parnum Oh, no, you say.\u00a0 I never make resolutions\u2014too much self-denial and discipline. Here are some resolutions that don\u2019t require much work.\u00a0 And, in fact, they\u2019ll add pleasure to your life. Pick one of these to get started. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[64,8,48,10,69,60,5,65,66,67,68],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1003"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1033,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003\/revisions\/1033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}