Garden Maintenance
Learn to tolerate weeds - Weeds provide shelter,
and their flowers attract many beneficial insects and butterfly caterpillars.
Decrease amount of mowed lawn - Mowed grass demands
more fertilizer and water, not to mention maintenance. Mowed grass provides
little in the way of food or shelter to wildlife.
Provide rough vegetation or brush piles at edge of yard
- These areas provide shelter for most all wildlife. No mowed area should be
too far from sheltering bushes or tall grasses.
Grow native plants - Most support 10-50 times as
many species of animals/insects as exotic plants. Native plants are well adapted
and therefore require less water and fertilizer.
Conserve water - Water
extracted from the ground can effect the water table, damaging habitats miles
away. Diverting water from rivers and lakes impacts fish, aquatic birds and
mammals, among others. Conserve water by mulching, watering with a soaker/drip
hose, collecting rain water, and by planting drought tolerant plants.
Cut back on pesticides - Most will also kill beneficial
insects, as well as birds and other animals. Remember, to have butterflies,
you have to have caterpillars! BT, Bacillus Thuringiensis, is commonly used
for caterpillar pests such as cabbage butterfly caterpillars. Although it is
very useful for this, remember, it will just as easily kill monarch butterfly
caterpillars if sprayed indescriminantly.
Cut back on chemical fertilizers - Use of chemical
fertilizers discourages basic elements of the food chain, such as earthworms.
Composting and using cover crops encourages the natural cycle. Grow native plant
varieties which generally need less fertilizer.