We all have a role to play in taking care of the earth—and you don’t have to look farther than your yard to make a difference for wildlife, pollinators, and the ecosystems on which we all rely.
If you’re reading this newsletter, you probably know that the best thing you can do to support pollinators and wildlife is to add more native plants to your yard. But your contribution doesn’t have to end there.
Once native plants are established, several landscape maintenance strategies can help sustain wildlife all year round. Below, we’ve put together some of our favorite land care tips to support wildlife, especially as we approach the colder months.
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Beneficial soldier beetles find sustenance in a well maintained landscape.
Keep seedheads in the garden.
The seedheads that persist on native plants past their flowering season offer vital food sources for birds in the colder months, while hollow stems provide shelter for beneficial insects—so feel free to leave seedheads on their stalks even after flowers’ colors have faded.
If you prefer to deadhead spent flowers for aesthetic reasons or to promote additional blooms, that’s totally fine. You can still preserve this food source by dropping the cut seedheads in a discrete area of your garden. When cutting back stems, try to leave 12-18 inches of growth where possible to sustain winter habitat for beneficial insects.
Love your leaves.
Fall leaves offer a fantastic resource for the soil and for pollinators, who use fallen leaves for hibernation habitat, nest building, egg laying, and protection from winter temperatures. Plus, fall leaves are an incredible soil amendment, because they offer nutrients for the soil as they break down.
As leaves fall from trees, rake them into garden beds, add them to your compost, and/or simply pile them up in a corner of the yard and allow them to decompose over time. Learn more about how to make the most of fall leaves on our blog.
An Our Land Organics design and installation in bloom. Eco-friendly land care practices help sustain plant health while supporting pollinators and wildlife.
Maintain a water source(s).
Birds and other wildlife require fresh water for both drinking and bathing all year round. Offering a clean supply of water at all times is an easy way to support wildlife in your yard.
From a maintenance standpoint, it’s important to keep bird baths, fountains, and other water sources clean. Also, make a plan to prevent water from freezing and becoming inaccessible to wildlife in winter.
Remove invasive plants.
Any native landscape maintenance routine should include keeping an eye out for invasive plants. If you notice invasives such as English ivy or bush honeysuckle cropping up in the landscape, remove them immediately to limit their ability to spread.
Suppressing invasives in favor of native plants is vital for sustaining the ecosystems that wildlife rely on. If you’re not sure how to identify invasive plants or you have a lot of invasives in your yard, we offer all-organic invasive plant removal.
Native winterberry provides much-needed winter sustenance for birds thanks to its late-season berry production. Winterberry is a great alternative to invasive shrubs such as bush honeysuckle. Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service