Creating an Edge For the Furry, the Feathered, the Scaly
According to Vivian Wagner, Supervisor of Nature Education for the Cincinnati Park System, wildlife has four basic needs: food, shelter, water, and a place to raise young.
Carefully thought-out edge habitats provide these basics in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. Wagner says that edge habitats typically move from short to tall: flowers and grasses where lawn merges to the edge, small shrubs to medium sized trees and shrubs, and finally tall conifers and deciduous trees. The vegetation chosen for the edge varies widely depending on climate, environment, and native wildlife.
Short or tall, trees and shrubs in the edge offer food, shelter, and nesting areas for birds and other wildlife. In cold climates, dense evergreens shelter birds from severe winds and snow and, in spring, create excellent nesting areas and camouflage, while pine cones provide food for chickadees, crossbills, nuthatches, and other birds.
Smaller, berry-bearing trees and shrubs such as dogwoods, magnolias, and viburnums supply food for wildlife. Large oaks, mountain ash, and hickories yield nuts for small mammals - and, sometimes, large ones like bears.
Closer to the lawn, the seed heads of coneflowers, thistles, sunflowers, black-eyed-Susans, cosmos, and zinnias attract butterflies and songbirds. Nectar flowers lure hummingbirds and butterflies; columbine, bee-balm, scarlet/cardinal lobelia, and trumpet creeper are hummingbird favorites; butterflies are drawn to mint, coneflowers, phlox, zinnias, and butterfly bush. Birds and other small mammals also love low brambles and thickets for hiding, nesting and feeding. Hawthorne, pyracanthus, raspberry are common thicket shrubs.
Water, a must for all living creatures, is often in short supply during winter freezes and summer droughts. Where there is no natural water, homeowners can supply shallow basins, no more than 1" deep, where birds and other animals can drink and bathe. In winter, birdbaths can be warmed or the ice broken eachmorning and filled with fresh water. Butterflies will sip water from saucers of damp sand in sunny locations.
Getting Started--Assessing Your Property
The first step in establishing an edge habitat is to assess your property. Identify plants that already provide wildlife with dense shrubbery for nesting and shelter; trees, shrubs, and flowers that bear nuts, seeds, berries, or nectar; water sources.
Look for areas that could be converted to wildlife habitat, but also assess your and your family's needs for space. How is your land used by both people and wildlife? Are there already well-worn paths used by children and wildlife? Do your children like to play in a large area of lawn? What activities are most important to you and your family?
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