Building Habitat for Birds
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A fully-functioning native landscape includes all the necessary components to support wildlife, particularly birds, whose populations are experiencing dramatic decline in the United State.
In this way, we are supporting the global trend of habitat restoration.
- food sources, nesting sites, and nesting materials for birds
- nectar and pollen attract butterflies and other beneficial pollinators, which act as food the birds
- healthy soil is built by restoring deep-rooted native plants that work in harmony with soil microbes
- healthy habitats store large amounts of carbon and rainwater, helping to keep our air and waterways clean
Trees
The Foundation
Trees are essential to life on planet earth. They create the air we breathe while shielding us from the sun’s rays to keep the earth cool. They work with their companion fungi underground to ________?
Shrubs
The ______
Shrubs may be the defining feature of a native landscape. They act as a home to birds, ______, and ________. Shrubs can provide beauty to a landscape while providing privacy and relief from excessive sun and wind.
Grasses & Sedges
Bridging the gap between home and the wild
Grasses and sedges are part of most natural habitats. Many are clump-forming and live in a mosaic way with other plants, some tend to spread and form masses. Their seeds provide food for many birds and animals, and the stalks are valuable nesting material for birds of all sizes.
ArcheWild is researching several different grass and sedge species to see which ones ________________.
Forbs
Flowering perennials
Humans have been cultivating and planting the beautiful flowering plants, called forbs [in ecology], for centuries. This is how the commercial plant nursery trade was created. Plants are cultivated to optimize beauty and performance in the home garden, but many are not only unbeneficial, they can be downright destructive to the remaining natural habitats on earth. This is why so many parts of the US are fighting a huge battle against invasive species, some still available for purchase coast to coast!
