Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

This is an excerpt from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Book series, “Bird Gardens.”  I came across it through the National Wildlife Federation’s Habitat Steward Program and it’s such a nice succinct checklist that I wanted to share it with you. I’ll also add my own commentary in brackets next to each tip, I just can’t resist.

As we head into spring, this is a great time to run through this checklist – both to refresh existing backyard habitat elements that you already have and to consider new ones for the coming year:

• Re-create the multiple layers of plant growth found in natural areas. [Take a look around your neighborhood where development has not yet occurred and see what the original habitat looked like and included. This will give ideas for creating what our native species need to thrive]

• Select plants to provide nutritional foods during different seasons. [Thinking through each season is important – whether it’s flowers from March through October or fruits from summer through winter, take a look at what your plantings offer different species through the year]

• Plant shrubs and small trees in same-species clumps for adequate pollination of fruits. [This is especially important for holly plants and others that require a male and female plant]

• Provide at least one clump of evergreens. [With the winter snows we got this year, you can see how important evergreens can be. They provide a nice shelter for wildlife during harsh weather. Additionally, they provide nice nesting sites for birds that can be well hidden]

• Leave dead trees, standing or fallen, to provide nesting and foraging sites. Consider topping dead trees rather than removing the whole tree if safety is an issue. [Snags play such an important role in our ecosystem. The insects that work to decompose them provide great food for various birds and they provide the right sort of wood for woodpeckers to make cavities that are used both by them and secondary users for nest sites]

• Leave vines, or plant native additions. [Vines like the Virginia Creeper, Trumpet Vine and yes, even Poison Ivy, provide great food sources for birds through the fall migration]

• Limit the size of your lawn for less mowing, less fertilizing, less watering, and less pollution. [Lawns have an interesting history in our culture and I’ll do a whole blog post on that at some point but for now, just a note that lawns are actually a wasteland when it comes to wildlife benefit and in fact because of all the things we do to make them look as they “should,” we pollute our environment and waste water]

• Avoid invasive exotic (non-native) plants. [Plants and animals evolve together and the introduction of non-natives impacts that web of life]

• Supply a source of water – dripping or running water is a better attractant than still water. [Bird baths and backyard ponds are wonderful features – the sound of running water is irresistible to many animals because it sounds so fresh and good]

• Provide and monitor nest boxes of various types. [This is a great way to learn more about our resident birds as you get to watch them use the habitat around them in raising their brood]

• Leave some leaf litter on the ground. [Leaf litter is excellent – both for overwintering butterflies and other insects that need to get through the winter. In addition, as leaves decompose they provide rich nutrients that enrich the soil and make a healthier habitat in general. Birds will forage through leaf litter in search for food]

• Stop using pesticides in your yard. [Pesticides disrupt the balance in nature, harm other animals and get into our groundwater]

• Use only organic, slow release fertilizers, preferably your own compost, if needed. [Similar to pesticides, fertilizers do far more harm than good – leaf litter and other natural compost is the best remedy if you need to fertilize]

Restoring habitat in our backyard is a great way to draw in wildlife and get to learn more about them. I saved a pdf version of this checklist here so you can download it and use it: Checklist for Creating a Bird Friendly Yard.

You can also find more resources for backyard gardening and creating backyard wildlife habitat on our Habitat Restoration page of the website.

No, I’m not talking about the pulls you get in sweaters or problems that crop up in your plans….no no, this is a snag of a different type…… A good kind of snag is a dead tree that’s been left standing.  I’m not sure where that term came from, but I first learned about snags when I took the National Wildlife Federation’s Habitat Steward class and picked up a flyer that simply said “There’s Life in Dead Trees.”

So what’s so great about a dead tree? Well nearly every aspect of that tree, as it goes through the different stages of decay, is used by someone for something. They’re a critical part of a healthy ecosystem. Here are just a few ways that wildlife use dead trees: 

Hollow cavities serve as homes for flying squirrels, raccoons, wood ducks and even grey tree frogs. And let’s not forget about Chimney Swifts – before we started “cleaning up” our neighborhoods and habitat, Chimney Swifts used huge old hollowed out trees for their roosts.  They only shifted to Chimneys when their natural tree homes ran out.

Woodpeckers are another big user of dead trees. They make holes more easily in them and create nesting sites that, after they’re done with them, are used by secondary cavity nesters like Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Chickadees, Nuthatches and Tufted Titmice and Screech Owls.

Insects working to decompose the wood provide food for woodpeckers, brown creepers and other birds that forage for insects in bark.

Bats, like the Silver-haired bat, roost under loose bark to rest through the night.

Dead trees that have fallen to the ground are called “nurse logs” which help young seedling trees and other plants take hold as they start to grow.

According to a paper written by the National Wildlife Federation, “the removal of dead material from forests can mean a loss of habitat for up to one-fifth of the animals in the ecosystem.” So, we should let our dead trees stand.

I love the dead trees in our yard – they are an absolute magnet for wildlife, great and small. And it’s so much fun to keep an eye on what happens with them through the years. We have an old Sassafras tree in our backyard that died a few years ago. First, I saw tunneling around part of the base. Now I’m seeing all sorts of woodpecker holes. As cavities are made, I look forward to seeing more and more animals use them for nesting and refuge.

I watched an excellent NOVA program last night called The Lord of Ants.  It’s about the life of E.O.Wilson, one of my personal heroes and sources of inspiration. It’s called The Lord of Ants because of the research on ants that Wilson focused on but Wilson did more than just study ants, he made the linkage from ants to biosystems and teaches us about how life connects to life on our planet and the habitats that we have to protect. 

It’s recognized that we are currently going through a mass extinction and in this program he describes the impact (no, it’s not the end of the world, but the species and diversity of the world will change). With science, rather than emotion, E.O. Wilson makes a call for action in the hopes of saving diversity.

In addition to being really informative and inspiring, there are a couple of things that I especially liked about this program. First, it’s told by him in the present day so it’s current and real. The second is that the program weaves together not only stories that he tells about past research but also present day research that links the past with the present.  He then takes that to the next dimension: turning data into action, turning information into a discussion around the need to protect and preserve habitats. This is something that we strive to do through Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy so I especially grooved on that.

Another part of the program that I really loved was where he points out how you and I can get involved here at the local level. Environmental monitoring programs and activities like a BioBlitz that we do here locally are shown to connect into this big picture tying education and monitoring to conservation. He also talks about the Encyclopedia of Life, which I did a blog post on a week or so ago, and his vision for that.

E.O. Wilson is certainly one of the greatest naturalists of our modern days. I encourage you to check out this NOVA program next time it’s on or watch it online through the link above (it’s just an hour and is not dry at all) and pick up a book or two of his – they are both fascinating and often poetic.

Yup, there’s a new identification book out by David Sibley but it’s not a bird book…this time it’s on Trees! As far as I know, this is the first non-bird book that David has written and indeed, I think it will be really useful. Sure, there are pros and cons to the guide, as there with every one out there, but overall I like it.

He starts the book with general terminology for tree identification, has drawings of the different types of leaves, flowers and bark we will encounter, and then gets right into the families and species of trees themselves.

Each section starts with an overview of the family and then the pages that follow go into the details of each species, including range maps, drawings of the leaves (in different seasons), flowers and fruit. He also includes drawings of the bark and trunks and shapes of the trees and includes general characteristics on the species that aid with identification.

I also really like that for each species he indicates if it’s native to the US and if not, where it came from. In many cases,  he shares interesting information such as survival tactics used by specific trees or information on how people have used the tree in years gone by.

One thing that would have been nice with this book is an identification key - the way David intended this book was for you to flip through it looking at the drawings to narrow down the identification. This is ok if you already know the family but trickier if it’s a completely unknown tree.

Definitely a neat tree book to have on-hand though as we try to identify them through the seasons! Oh, and in good naturalist form, he includes a full checklist of the different species at the back of the book so we can check off our sightings

Amazon has a short video clip with David talking about this book and how it can best be used in the field. Click on the link here to see it: The Sibley Guide to Trees.

The pond near the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Rust Nature Sanctuary Manor House is not only excellent wildlife habitat that many of us love to visit, it is a favorite educational tool for the numerous environmental education classes that are held at the sanctuary.  It is a favorite of both adult visitors and children. 

Unfortunately it has sprung a leak which needs to be repaired.  Additionally, there are a lot of invasive alien plants around the pond as well as some other aggressive plants that need to be removed. 

On Friday, November 6, from 9 am to about lunch, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will help Bruce repair the leak and begin working on removing the invasive and aggressive plants.  On Saturday, November 7, from 9 am to about lunch, we will concentrate on removing, or at least, reducing, the aggressive plants and invasive alien plants.

If you are interested in helping please contact Bruce McGranahan at bruce@audubonnaturalist.org or 703-669-2561.

A group of volunteers renovated the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Rust Nature Sanctuary pollinator garden to include only native plants and shrubs.  Now they would like to enhance the pollinator garden by adding more host and nectar plants to an area behind the present garden.  To do this they must first remove the non-native invasive wisteria which covers this area.  Once that is completed they will plant pawpaw, sassafras, and spicebush as host trees and possibly a couple of other trees as well.  They also plan to plant additional flowers as nectar sources as well as some native grasses.

The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy plans to help Ann with this project on Saturday, November 7 from 9 am to noon.   If you are interested please contact Ann at ahgarvey@aol.com or 540-882-4405.

October is the time to think about what you want your bird and butterfly friendly landscape to look like in the spring!  This is the best time to buy native plants from the nursery as they are winding down their summer sales and are looking to empty their inventories so they don’t need to carry them through the winter. It’s also a great time to plant since it’s cool for you and the plants focus on growing their roots versus putting all their energy into leaves and flowers.

This is also the perfect time to get seeds out into the garden and this is the time to buy them. Depending on the species, the seeds will germinate sometime between September and December so having them in the soil in the fall is really important.

I like to buy seeds online in large quantities, go out into the garden and loosen up the soil a bit with a rake and then sprinkle them throughout the garden, using the rake to help get them into the soil a bit. The seeds then have the time they need to work their way into the soil and go through the winter stratification that they need to germinate and be ready for spring.

I love planting seeds because it also means that I don’t have to do much after I send the seeds off into the garden – no need to water small plants or fuss over them. Being native plants, they know what to do and are primed to take care of themselves with just a little weeding from me next spring and summer. Of course, you can do some watering of the seeds if you want and it will probably increase your germination rate. I suggest watching how much rain we get and maybe just giving one good soaking on a cloudy day.

For ideas on some great native wildflowers to put into your bird and butterfly friendly landscape, check our Gardening for Wildlife Plant Listand other resources on our Habitat Restoration pages.

A great report from the Waterford Foundation:

About 75 Waterford community members attended a Labor Day weekend picnic at the Old Mill to celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Phillips Farm Interpretive Trail on September 5. After enjoying a barbeque dinner arranged by Foundation development manager Kathleen Hughes, Phillips Farm Committee Chair Mimi Westervelt and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC) President Joe Coleman cut the ribbon, and together with John Souders, citizens of all ages enjoyed a tour of the natural and cultural history of the Phillips Farm along the new trail.

Appreciation for this new educational resource on the farm and the community was expressed to committee members, the Piedmont Community Foundation’s Peter M. Howard Memorial Fund (which provided a generous grant for the trail), and Foundation staff Margaret Good and Martha Polkey.  A gift was presented to Rob Hale, in absentia, who designed the brochure, and designed and constructed the posts and new signs for the trail. 

Children’s activities included a “Can You Find?” hunt for information about the Phillips Farm and identifying, tagging and releasing live Monarch butterflies.  Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy President Joe Coleman and his volunteers, who partner with the Foundation on many Phillips Farm programs, discussed LWC goals and activities.

In August, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy volunteers installed netting to protect some of the more than 1,000 trees and shrubs in the riparian buffer planting from rodent damage. LWC volunteers report that the plantings are thriving.

The Journey South has begun! On August 21, Monarch Watch and an organization called Journey North started getting reports of Monarch butterflies congregating in overnight roosts. This is a sign that the migration to Mexico has started!

The Monarchs that we see now are the last generation of the season. They will fly over 2,000 miles to a very special mountain area in Angangueo, Mexico (just outside of Mexico City). They will rest there through the winter, hunkered down, holding onto the branches of a special pine tree called the Oyamel. They’ll make short flights to nearby mountain streams but otherwise will rest through the winter to conserve their energy for the great  journey back next spring.

A fun activity to do this time of year is to watch and report your Monarch sightings: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/FallWatch.html

We also have a couple of programs coming up this fall to learn more about Monarch butterflies:

The first is a family program called The Mysteries of Monarch Migration. For this program, we’ll watch a great movie (45 minutes) on Monarch migration and talk about what Monarch butterflies need to thrive. While Monarchs are not an endangered species, their great migration is considered an endangered phenomena because of the habitat loss occurring here and in Mexico. Registration is requested (although not required) so we can have enough handouts and other materials for everyone.

The second is designed for kids, it’s our Journey South Workshop. We’ll see a short video and talk about the Monarch lifecycle and the great migration and then make some monarch butterflies that we’ll send (in a symbolic migration) to the children who live in Angangueo, Mexico. The children in Angangueo will care for our Monarchs through the winter and then send them back to us in the Spring when we’ll have a follow-up program. You can sign up for this program on our website. It’s free but we need to limit the size of the class.

On August 8th, four of us worked on the shrubs and trees that were planted along the tributary that flows into the Catoctin on the western edge of the Phillips Farm.  We were pleased to find the trees and shrubs that were planted on April 22 thriving. 

To keep them healthy we first hand weeded around the plants and then put mesh guards around them to keep the deer, rabbits, and rodents from gnawing on the stems and eating the leaves.  We managed to complete about half the trees and shrubs there but need to go back and finish the reminder there as well as work on the trees and shrubs that are near the village. That’s where we could use your help!

On Wednesday, August 19th, from 9:00 to noon we will complete this project if enough volunteers can come on out and lend a hand. 

We’ll meet at the mill and put mesh guards around the plants which are experiencing some deer, rodent, and rabbit damage and remove some of the aggressive invasive alien plants in the planting area.  We also plan to so some hand weeding around the trees and shrubs so if you have some favorite weeding tools please bring them and work gloves along.  A mallet to hammer the mesh strakes in would also be useful.  One group will finish the work along the tributary while the others will work on the trees and shrubs closer to the village.

We’ll also water the new plants with our new pump if it doesn’t rain between now and then.

Please come out and help if you can and leave when you need to. If you are planning to come, please let Joe Coleman know: 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org

Thanks for your help in making this restoration a success!

Here’s a terrific resource on gardening and pollinators: The Pollinator Partnership. 

They have excellent wildlife habitat and planting guides that you can download for free that are specific to our area. To go directly to the guides, visit their page called Ecological Planting Guides, enter your zip code and a map as well as the pdf file will come up.

There are also two excellent YouTube videos on the site that you’ll want to watch.  They’re really informative and talk about the role that bees, butterflies, bats and birds play in our food chain.

We can do so much just in our own backyards by planting the right types of plants, using wise practices (like not using pesticides), and talking to others about the wild nature around us. We’re all connected, and truly more so that most people realize.

For teachers, homeschoolers as well as anyone else interested in learning even more about pollinators, they have a page called Useful Resources that has nature activities for kids, educational curriculum focused on nature, lesson ideas, and more.

Just in case you have trouble with the pdf downloads, I’ll post two of the guides here, but I highly recommend doing the search on your zip code from their site too.

Pollinator Partnership Guide: Central Appalachian

Pollinator Partnership Guide: Southeast Mixed Forest