‘Going native’ in your backyard gives creatures comfort

By John Riolo CONTRIBUTOR

When friends come to visit our home and see our wildlife-friendly habitat, they often say, “I would love to have a nature-friendly yard – but how much work does it require?”

To say it requires no work or that you can just leave your yard alone would not be realistic. However, while creating habitat requires some effort, it is much less work than trying to keep a perfectly manicured lawn.

For one thing, manicured lawns, especially if the grass seed used is non-native, require extensive use of fertilizers. That poses environmental problems with excess fertilizers leaching into our watershed.

Then, you need to apply weed killers as well if you want your lawn to look pristine. On top of that, most lawns, especially non-native grasses, require irrigation. All of the above require time and money.

Beyond that, however, lawns have been referred to as “biological deserts.” Lawns can’t support varied species of wildlife. Lawns are prone to disease, insect outbreaks, and invasive species of insects. With continuous mowing, nutrients are lost if clippings are removed, as they most often are. That loss often requires large amounts of chemicals to sustain lawns.

On the other hand, native foliage requires less water because it is adapted to the climate. One of the biggest advantages of “going native” is that you can support habitat for all kinds of wildlife.

It doesn’t take much to make your property wildlife friendly. All it takes is three things, and most local yards have at least one or two of them already. These include food, water and cover.

Food: Unlike lawns, native plants and grasses provide a source of food eaten by a variety of our indigenous wildlife. Of course, many people put out feeders that can be a supplement, but most feeders cannot sustain the variety of animals local to the area. Water: All animals need water. It is essential for survival. If you are near or adjacent to a freshwater or brackish pond, that is an advantage. Otherwise, you need to provide a source such as a bird bath.

Cover: Wildlife needs places to take shelter from bad weather and places to hide from predators or hunt for prey.

Many home gardeners are taking an interest in low-growing perennials due to the value they provide to local wildlife. These ground-covering plants do not need regular maintenance once they take hold in your garden.

If you want to register your yard or garden as a haven for wildlife, visit nwf.org/certifiedwildlifehabitat to apply.

John Riolo lives in Moss Creek and is past president of the Nature Club of Moss Creek. john.a.riolo@gmail.com