Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods

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Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods

• Landscapes For Wildlife

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Attracting Wildlife

• Food
• Fruit-bearing
• Nectar plants
• Larval Plants
• Cover
• Water
• Puddling station
• Birdbaths

• Managing for Wildlife
• Weeds
• Nuisance Animals
• More Information

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All Animals Need
Food Cover Water Space Animals will only
reside or forage in an area that contains enough
of these four essential elements to maintain
daily activities.
Habitat
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Food

• Fruit
• Seeds
• Insects
• Nectar
• Larval
• Meat
• Remember to provide food year-round, especially
  in winter.

Attract a variety of birds, reptiles, bats,
butterflies and other insects
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Fruit-bearing Plants for Louisiana
Muscadine Vitis sp
Beautyberry Calicarpa americana
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Fruit-bearing plants available at many nurseries
or retailers
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Firethorn Pyracantha spp.
Large evergreen shrub Bears flowers and
fruit Good wildlife food and cover Full sun to
partial shade Does best in well-drained soil
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Parsley Hawthorn Crataegus marshallii

• Large shrub
• Flowers in spring
• Fruits in fall
• Very good for attracting birds that eat its fruit
  and nest in shrub

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Pecan Carya spp.

• Many varieties.
• Prefers deep, fertile, well-drained soil.
• Nuts are excellent human and wildlife food.

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Hickory

• In the genus Carya
• Includes 12-13 species native to N.A.
• Nuts used as food by many species of wildlife and
  leaves used by some larvae of butterflies and
  moths

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MayhawsCrataegus poaca and Crataegus aestivalis

• Usually reach 20-30 feet tall at maturity.
• Native to habitats that have low, wet and
  slightly acid soils.
• Full sun to partial shade.
• Berries ripen from mid-April to mid-May.
• Fruit for human consumption and wildlife.

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Mulberry Morus rubra

• Large, native tree 40 ft
• Full sun
• Throughout Louisiana
• Edible fruit in spring
• Brittle bark, messy

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Holly Ilex spp.

• Native and introduced trees
• Sun to partial shade
• Range varies
• Fruit remains through winter, attracting birds
• Salt-, drought- and shade- tolerant
• Suckers

Gallberry Ilex glabra
Dahoon Holly Ilex cassine
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Paw Paw Asimina triloba

• Humid growing zones.
• Germinating seedlings need partial shade for 1st
  or 2nd year.
• Fruiting mature plants need full sun.
• Slightly acidic (ph 5.5-7) well-drained soil.
• Mature small tree seldom taller than 25 feet.

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Good fruit-bearing plants for wildlife not
readily available at retail stores.
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Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia

• Native tree 10 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms early spring
• Edible fruit
• Suckers tend to form thickets

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Elderberry Sambucus canadensis

• Native shrub 15 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Throughout Louisiana
• Fragrant flowers year-round
• Edible fruit

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Nectar Plants for Louisiana
Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
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Lantana spp.

• Woody perennial
• Sun or partial shade
• Great for butterflies

Pentas spp.

• Variety of flower colors
• Moderately fertile soil that retains moisture
  well
• Full sun to shade
• Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

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Golden Dew DropDuranta erecta

• Shrub 14 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Throughout Louisiana
• High drought tolerance
• Attracts butterflies

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Porterweed Stachytarpheta jamaicensis

• Native and non-native perennial 4 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Medium salt- and drought-tolerant

Red variety is non-native
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Coral HoneysuckleLonicera sempervirens

• Native vine
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms spring-fall
• Throughout Louisiana
• Attract butterflies and hummingbirds

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Virginia Willow Itea virginica

• Native shrub 7 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms spring
• Drought- and flood-tolerant
• Suckers tend to form thickets

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Larval Plants for Louisiana
Butterfly Matchweed Phyla nodiflora

• Willow, Salix caroliniana is a larval host of the
  Viceroy

Adult and larvae of Phaon Crescent Phyciodes phaon
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Red Bay Persia borbonia

• Native tree 40 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Throughout Louisiana
• Drought- and salt-tolerant
• Blooms in spring attracts butterflies
• Purple fruit attracts birds

Bays are larval food for the spicebush swallowtail
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Mexican Milkweed Asclepias spp.

• Shrub 4 ft
• Natives available
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Throughout Louisiana
• Drought-tolerant
• Nectar attracts hummingbirds and butterflies

Larval host of Monarch and Queen
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Passion Flower Passiflora spp.

• Vine
• Native varieties available
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Throughout Louisiana

Larval host of Gulf Fritillary Does not sting
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Dill Anethum graveolens

• Plant in cool weather
• Full sun
• Can grow up to 3 ft tall
• Sow seeds close together
• Good plant to attract caterpillars

• Parsley
• Full sun or light shade
• Transplant plants to 9 inches apart
• Must protect in cold weather with coverings such
  as straw
• Good to attract caterpillars to your garden

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Cover

• Vertical layers
• Evergreen species for winter cover
• Standing dead trees or snags if practical
• Brush piles if practical

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Water

• Permanent water feature
• Sound of running water attracts many animals

Puddling Butterflies obtain water and minerals
from liquid in pore spaces.
Puddling station
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Design a Puddling Station

1. Layer sand in saucer.
2. Add layer of compost.
3. Place pebbles on top.
4. Add water slowly (to pebble layer).
5. Place saucer on upside down pot.

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Birdbath

• Shallow with mildly sloping sides
• Rough surface
• Keep clean
• Rinse off any soap residue

Audubon Society recommends changing the water and
cleaning bird baths weekly to avoid spreading
avian diseases.
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Managing for Wildlife

• Vertical layers of vegetation.
• Plant natives if possible.
• Introduced plants also useful.
• No pesticides!
• Plant wild flowers or reduce mowing in certain
  areas of your property if possible.
• Manage pets.

Long-tailed skipper feeding on Spanish needle.
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Plant Wildflowers for Wildlife
Coreopsis Coreopsis spp.
Horsemint Monarda punctata
Pokeweed Phytolacca americana
Blanket flower Gaillardia pulchella
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Tolerance of Nuisance Animals

• Diggers (moles, squirrels, armadillos, tortoises)
• Bring nutrient to surface
• Loosen aerate soil
• Feed on turf and landscape pests
• Trapping and deterrents

• Herbivores (deer, rabbits, ducks, squirrels)
• Contribute to food web, circle of life
• Nets and fencing may protect fruits
• Harassment or nest removal for non-natives

Garden moles
Armadillo
Gray squirrel
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Venomous Spiders and Disease-carrying Insects to
Avoid
Mosquito
Southern Black widow (male and female)
Brown Recluse
Ticks
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Poisonous Snakes
Copperhead
Canebreak Rattlesnake
Coral Snake
Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
Water Moccasin
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IF YOU ARE BITTEN BY A SNAKE, SEEK MEDICAL
ATTENTION!

• A snake controls how much venom is injected.
• 50 of all snake bites are dry.
• 25 are warning bites with enough venom to cause
  pain, swelling, tissue loss and possible limb
  loss.
• 25 are potentially lethal.

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More Information

• LSU AgCenter www.lsuagcenter.com
• Louisiana Dept of Ag. and Forestry
• Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries
• United States Fish and Wildlife Service
• Local Audubon Society

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Further Reading
Trees for Louisiana Landscapes-A Handbook. LSU
AgCenter 1622 (online only). Gardening for
Butterflies in Louisiana. Gary Ross.
LDWF. Louisiana Backyard Wildlife Management.
Bill Vermillion. LDWF. Economy Bat House Plans.
Batcon.org. http//www.batcon.org/bhra/economyhous
e.html. Backyard Bird Feeding. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. http//library.fws.gov/Bird_Publ
ications/feed.html. Homes for Birds. U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. http//library.fws.gov/Bird_
Publications/house.html.

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Acknowledgements
The LSU AgCenter thanks the Florida
State Extension Service for many materials and
several photos used in this presentation.
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Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods

• Landscapes for Wildlife