Gardening for Wildlife

                                           Gardening for Wildlife

It is easy to fall in love with flowers. Once I figured out I can have flowers, birds, butterflies, lizards, and so much more I was hooked. Inviting wildlife into the garden suddenly makes gardening come alive with sound, movement, and activity. No longer just looking at flowers, but now participating in fostering growth and health - creating an ecosystem! 

Bombus vosnesenskii on Verbena lilacina                                                                  S.Reeve

Few places possess the biological richness of our home in San Diego County. In fact, San Diego is deemed a “Biological Hotspot” because of the high species richness that is unparalleled in the continental United States. One way we can help protect the large number of unique species is to landscape our homes with native plants. Think about it. Millions of years have honed the relationships between the endemic flora and fauna to the perfection that exists today. 

Sphaeralcea ambigua                                                                                            S. Reeve

Look around - what plants do you commonly see in your community? That’s right, just a small number of exotic plant species that seldom feed any wildlife exist in most gardens. The nectar from that tropical hibiscus or rosemary is not nearly as nutritious for local hummingbirds and bees as is the nectar produced by natively occurring Salvia mellifera or Phacelia campanularia. Local plants offer optimal nutrition for local fauna. Not only that, but exotic species are often poisonous to our fauna. For example, Nandina berries, although eaten by local birds, may kill them if consumed to excess. An opposite example of this is between our native Aesculus californica and honeybees--an exclusive diet of pollen and nectar from this plant will kill or disfigure the progeny of the honeybee. Honeybees are not from San Diego they originated in Europe and did not evolve to partake of our native Bottlebrush. Let’s give our local fauna the local plants that offer them the chance to thrive.

Ribes speciosum                                                                                                     S. Reeve

But, you say, my Pyracantha has fruit that the birds relish. That may be true, but recent studies show that not only is the nutrition superior in local plants, but the phenology or timing of the plants makes all the difference to the reproductive success of the creatures that evolved to eat the plants. Meaning that even though a species of bird will consume fruit from non-native plant species their reproductive fitness is decreased just enough to negatively affect the birth rate. Both the timing of the crop and the nutrition of non-natives are inferior to the native species.

So we have the excellent nutrition native plants provide, plus native endemic plants are drought tolerant. In San Diego we typically get less than a foot of rain a year, and all of it in the months of winter and spring. Native plants have evolved adaptations to be able to survive on little water in the colder months and no water in the summer. Better yet, using locally sourced native plants fine-tunes the drought tolerance to the same conditions as exist in your garden at home. That means little-to-no supplementary water, even in the summertime.

Salvia spathacea                                                                                                    S. Reeve

Here are a few things to keep in mind when seeking to attract wildlife to the garden.

1) Plant trees, if you have room, plant a native oak. There is nothing better you can do than to plant a native oak--as they support far more species of wildlife than any other plant! 

2) Plant mostly natives. I get it, is it fun to plant some non-natives. Studies show that if a garden has at least 70% natives it will help wildlife reproduction.

3) Use plants to feed hummingbirds instead of feeders. Native Salvias, Sphaeralcea, Ribes, and so many more feed hummingbirds, bees, and other insects. Keep in mind a hummingbird’s diet ideally is 80% INSECTS not nectar from a feeder. Planting plants gives a home to the insects a hummingbird and her babies depend on for good health.

4) Leave some mess in your garden. Last year’s hollow stems, will be home to this year’s baby bees. That pile of rocks or wood in the corner can house bees, lizards and more. Leave bare earth for native bees to nest in.

5) When planting, keep in mind vertical space. Species richness is always higher in gardens with trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. Gardens with only perennials are poor in richness.

6) Include a water feature accessible by wildlife

7) Keep an organic garden free from all pesticides.

A Mix of Native and Non-native Plants                                                                      S. Reeve

The biological richness of San Diego County means we have a large number of species of plants to choose from. And the great thing is these plants are gorgeous and occur nowhere else in the world! So let’s do this! Let’s plant natives, let’s bring back the waning populations of birds, butterflies, and bees. We have the power to keep San Diego biologically rich and diverse.  

Wildlife Habitat Garden in Southern California

I love wildlife gardening myself. Plants are great, but they are even better when the attract wildlife! It adds the element of activity and drama to the garden.

For a wildlife garden, you need plants of different sizes for different functions. One of the best investments you can make in attracting wildlife is to plant a native oak, such as a Quercus engelmannii or Quercus agrifolia. If your garden is not that large, a scrub oak, Quercus dumosa, will be more in scale. Oaks are special as they support more wildlife species and life forms than any other plant--by far! Their ecosystem value is unprecedented. Hundreds of species of organisms have evolved and developed relationships with native California oaks. 

Live Oak Quercus agrifolia

So you have your oak planted, what next? Make sure you have a source of water. I know that "water" is not a plant, but when you think about it, water is a scarce commodity in Southern California. Gardens with a water source will definitely attract more wildlife. 

Hooded Oriole in water feature

Now we need a diverse selection of plant material to either serve as nesting locations, sources of food, or sources of shelter. It is true, if you plant it, they will come! I have built many wildlife gardens, and it never ceases to amaze me, the increase in numbers of wildlife species, once the plants are in and growing. If you have a small property, selecting plants with numerous benefits for wildlife is key in maximizing a wildlife garden. For example, planting a native grape, like 'Roger's Red' on a chain link fence will eventually feed bees with pollen, and feed birds, and other wildlife, with fruit. Tiny bees in the Halictidae Family are often not seen, but are important pollinators for this, and other native plants. The tangle of vines can also house nesting birds. It is important to be a messy gardener if you want to provide opportunities for wildlife. Unpruned trees and shrubs provide the density of structure that can keep a nesting bird safe from predators. Also, stacks of branches and/or rocks can house reptiles and other wildlife.

Vitis 'Roger's Red'

Another favorite native California tree for wildlife is the California Sycamore. Did you know the fuzz found on the backside of the leaves is a major nest-building material for Anna's hummingbirds? If you have the room, plant this tree too. Another small tree option is Prunus ilicifolia. This slow-growing tree has spine-tipped glossy green leaves and is a beautiful plant, but when you think about the wildlife it attracts, it becomes even more valuable. It has flowers, fruits, and thorny cover for birds. Do you know the Toyon or Heteromeles arbutifolia? This is a great drought tolerant plant. If you have a smaller garden, use this plant as a tree with the Quercus dumosa as another small tree. Toyon is great as it has flowers in the spring that feed many small insects and bees, plus fruit in the fall for the migrating birds. The tree structure can provide nesting sites too. 

California Sycamore Platanus racemosa

Attractive Arctostaphylos trunks

A step down from a "tree" size plant is the shrub Berberis nevinii. This wonderful blue-green evergreen plant has thorny leaves that protect nesting birds, and copious small blooms for a wide variety of insects. This shrub becomes loaded with small, choice, ripening fruits later in the year that feed many bird species. Another shrub for a deep soil location is Frangula californica or Coffeeberry. This plant likes a little more water than the plants I have previously mentioned, but once again is multi-purpose wildlife attractor with flowers, fruit and cover. I have never seen so many species of pollinators and small native bees on one blooming plant, as this one attracts. Mistakenly known to be fickle or short-lived, Ceanothus, especially Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman' is another one with valuable and popular flowers and fruit, plus it is a gorgeous plant! Longevity can be improved by allowing the plant to go dormant in the summer. Native gardens are not complete without some species or selections of Arctostaphylos. The tiny urn-shaped blooms feed hummingbirds in the winter. This red-barked evergreen is so attractive in the garden. Another bonus with these plants, is many act as caterpillar host plants--so food for baby caterpillars too!

Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman'

Smaller shrubs like the evergreen Galvezia speciosa or Island Snapcracker bloom often and are an important hummingbird plant. Another drought tolerant shrub, that is popular with both hummingbirds and bees is Peritoma arborea, with gorgeous golden blooms even when other plants are suffering from drought. No wildlife garden is complete without at least one Salvia. Salvia apiana is a beautiful white-foliaged plant with wands of tiny white flowers popular with hummingbirds and bees alike. Salvia munzii is a small shrub that is drought tolerant and also tolerant of gardener-applied summer water. Salvia clevelandii is native to our area. Other small native shrubs, like Mimulus and California fuchsia, also feed hummingbirds and bees. If you like hummingbirds, Calliandra californica must be included in your wildlife garden. This red-flowered plant is rarely out of bloom and is a dependable nectar source for hummingbirds. Broadcasting poppy seed in the fall will make many native bumblebees happy. Abutilon palmeri is also a "must have" plant, known for its ever-blooming nature and its silver felty foliage. 

Salvia clevelandii

Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium

Abutilon palmeri

Here are a few smaller plants that really attract bees. Salvia 'Bees' Bliss' is a big magnet for bees. I found a "super plant" this summer, while hiking. This little unassuming plant was literally covered in all sizes of bees and wasps. Croton setigerus is its name, and it is often called "Dove Weed." It is a low-growing plush-leaved plant with tiny white flowers. Notice the tiny bright blue wasp in the photo! The next plant is Grindelia stricta ssp. venulosa, and it is loved by bees. It is also long-blooming if it gets a little additional water. One of the best bee-attracting plants is in the last photo of Phacelia tanacetifolia. This is an annual plant that gets constant bee attention. 

Croton setigerus

           Grindelia stricta ssp. venulosa

Phacelia tanacetifolia

I hope this little introduction to native California plants that attract wildlife is helpful. Nothing excites me more than to see wildlife in my garden attracted by the plants I bring in, and the wildlife-safe organic gardening practices I follow. Do the plants have to be native plants? No, but because the native plants and the local wildlife have evolved together and optimized their relationship through time, I believe the greatest benefit for local wildlife is provided by native plants, especially local native plants. Realistically, I have had some challenges growing California native plants, and I tend to trust the less "finicky" species because I do not like garden failure. All of the plants I introduced in the above blog are of this variety. Hey! Take it slow if you want. Just start with one native plant, and hopefully, it will lead to more. The activity it brings into your garden is addicting and exciting!

Bombus vosnesenskii on California Poppy