October is the perfect month for North Georgia homeowners to add plants to the landscape. While you are designing an attractive landscape for your enjoyment, take some time to think about including plants and other items that will attract wildlife to your yard. Keep in mind that what you include in your design, such as, plants, feeders, water features, etc. (and where you place these items) will have a great effect on the kinds of animals and other wildlife, like butterflies, that will be attracted to your yard.
First, develop an overall landscape plan for your property. Be sure that your plan includes all of the areas of your yard that you want to develop. Keep in mind the principles of design, which include: scale or proportion, balance or symmetry, unity, accent and repetition. Keep your plan simple and try to avoid a cluttered look.
In the beginning, don’t worry about selecting specific plants, but concentrate more on grouping plants. You should decide during the initial planning stages where such items as birdbath or feeder will be located. Think about the views that you will have from inside your house.
When deciding what to include in your design, remember the three basic needs of wildlife: food, cover and water. The needs are the same whether in the forest or in your backyard.
Food sources are one of the easiest thing that you can provide. The greater the variety of food, the greater the diversity of wildlife that you are likely to attract. Food can be provided naturally by the planting of grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees. You can supplement naturally grown food with a variety of products that will attract both birds and animals.
Food is one of the greatest enticements for attracting wildlife onto your property. Many homeowners who don’t have enough land to provide water and cover can enjoy some wildlife through feeding alone. Keep in mind that black bear love snatching up bird feeders, and even hummingbird feeders, so you will need to bring in food sources indoors during the months when black bears are active.
Additionally, many homeowners do not have a natural source of water in their yard. In most cases, water must be provided. This can be accomplished with something as simple as a birdbath or as elaborate as an ornamental pool or pond. In addition to the wildlife value, a water feature can be a focal point in the yard. Locate it so that it can be easily viewed from both outside and inside the house. Water sources are an excellent addition to an already existing pollinator garden or a more natural area in your landscape.
Protection from the weather and places to rest and raise young are essential components of any wildlife sanctuary. Different animals have different cover requirements; rock piles or stonewalls for chipmunks and lizards, dense shrubs for cottontails and towhees, and water for frogs and turtles. Try to locate cover close to the food and water, and remember, many cover plants can also be food plants. Arrange plants so that they are one, attractive to look at and two, so that they fit in with your overall landscape plan.
Fall is the perfect time to plant, so take advantage of the time of year and make some additions to your landscape. As your landscape matures and the wildlife habitat develops, it will become increasingly exciting. The phrase build it and they will come is particularly applicable in this context – decide what type of wildlife you’d like to see and then make plans to accommodate them – it’s that simple!
A doe will leave her fawn regularly to forage but will return periodically to nurse her hiding fawn. This is normal behavior, so don’t worry if you see a fawn bedded down in the tall grass near your home, the mother is likely nearby and will return.
