The Top Native Plants for Backyard Wildlife!

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From: "National Wildlife Federation" <c+nwf@trusted-sender.convio.net>
Date: May 18, 2013 5:44 AM
Subject: The Top Native Plants for Backyard Wildlife!
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
Cc:

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Dear Daniel, In a recent survey, many of you told us that you'd like to learn more about which plants are best for attracting local wildlife to your backyard. We're happy to have that information readily available for you just in time for Garden for Wildlife Month! Take a look below to find the best native plants for your area. Then, get started on certifying your yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® today! Midwest A wildlife favorite: Cup plant. This plant is a perennial that has numerous large, yellow flowers. The small cup formed by the leaves holds water and attracts birds. More plants: New England aster, wild columbine, black oak, cranberry viburnum Northeast A wildlife favorite: Cardinal flower. Because of its long tubular flowers, cardinal flowers attract hummingbirds, which feed on the nectar. More plants: Eastern red cedar, blue vervein, red chokeberry, winterberry Pacific Northwest A wildlife favorite: Salmonberry. This shrub hosts bright pink flowers and yellow or salmon-red fruits resembling blackberries in all but color. Birds and small mammals love to feast on the sweet berries. More plants: Douglas fir, western serviceberry, red columbine, beach strawberry Rocky Mountains A wildlife favorite: Quaking Aspen. This tree can be planted as an ornamental. Beavers, rabbits, and other mammals eat the bark, foliage and buds, and grouse and quail feed on the winter buds. More plants: Rocky Mountain juniper, dotted blazing star, golden currant, scarlet gilia Southeast A wildlife favorite: Climbing aster. With its unusual rambling habit and abundance of blooms, this shrub is a good choice for gardens. It is a caterpillar food plant for the American Painted Lady butterfly and provides nectar for many species of adult butterflies. More plants: Willow oak, American elderberry, trumpet honeysuckle, narrow leaf sunflower Southwest A wildlife favorite: Skunkbush sumac. One of the more widespread sumacs in the West, this shrub provides fruit that is an important source of winter food for many songbirds, as well as gamebirds and a number of small mammals. More plants: Desert willow, teddybear cholla, desert marigold, Rocky Mountain juniper The great news for wildlife-lovers about native plants is that because these plants are indigenous to a specific region, they usually require less maintenance and are welcomed by birds, butterflies and other wildlife that have adapted to them over time. Native plants help provide the food, water, shelter and places to raise young that wildlife need to survive. When you provide these four elements essential to wildlife's survival, you'll also be eligible to certify your yard as an official Certified Wildlife Habitat® site. And when you certify in the month of May to celebrate Garden for Wildlife Month, you'll be helping reach our goal of certifying 4,000 gardens this season! PLUS, you'll also receive great benefits (see sidebar for details). Certify your yard today! Sincerely, David Mizejewski NWF Naturalist, Media Spokesperson, Author P.S. When you certify your yard today, you'll be eligible to purchase one of our beautiful yard signs to proudly display the fact that your garden is wildlife-friendly. *For new members only. © 2013 National Wildlife Federation. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Unsubscribe | www.nwf.org