The town of Collingswood, NJ is in the process of having the community designated as a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Collingswood, NJ is in the process of having the entire town designated as a Community Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Foundation – http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/About.aspx There are over 90 communities across
the country that has the designation. My property and its extensive low-maintenance gardens that we have named Ferret Hollow Gardens has been certified as a Wildlife Habitat and also a Pollinator Habitat for many years now. The community habitat program involves having multiple gardens developed or installed throughout the community that include different plants and water sources that are beneficial to pollinators – butterflies, bees, birds, etc. which will provide the different life services for them. It can be simple to complex, you decide how much you are able to do. In order to acquire the designation a garden/property/landscape must meet the following five basic requirements for their gardens and properties:
1. Places to raise the young
5. Sustainable practices
For instance by putting in milkweed in gardens, my favorite type is Butterfly Plant – Asclepias tuberosa, it has orange flowers from June to August, you can help support Monarch Butterflies with a food source. By putting in different types of Oak Trees you are supporting over 500 different species of Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths) and the list can go on and on. The process can be simple. The homeowner or community has the opportunity to make the process either simple or complex by each participant deciding how far they want to go with their own gardens from simply adding a few beneficial plants to a complex planting scheme. A water source is needed in each case. Simple - Birdbath, bird feeder, birdhouse, some perennials, shrubs, no chemicals. More complex – the above plus a larger diversity of native plants and beneficial ornamental plants to benefit the local fauna - butterflies, bees, beneficial insects, birds, etc. The use of chemicals and pesticides is greatly discouraged in favor of more natural and beneficial means. The best alternatives, which are actually better working than chemicals, are the use of leaf mulch, leaf mold, compost, compost tea, and beneficial insects. A garden is all about the soil. It is necessary to have a large diversity of biological, bacterial, and fungal organisms in the soil to break down the nutrients that are then fed to the plants through the roots which are just “sponges” and be able to support the different beneficial soil invertebrates. Through my own research I have found that the best mulch to use in the garden is leaf mulch that can be produced in the fall by grinding up your leaves and branches and placing the mixture in the garden beds about 3" - 4” thick. It will compact down during the winter. This should be all that you need for the year. I usually keep a trash can full to fill in spots that might need touch-ups. You can also make leaf mold by letting the leaves sit in a compost bin to somewhat break down during the composting to destroy any harmful organisms. This method is used by Longwood Gardens. The leaf deterioration will increase the food necessary to feed and increase the biological content in the soil. Additionally I have found that the use of compost, placed under the leaf mulch, and the use of compost tea, which is sprayed, poured either onto the plant leaves or onto the soil is really all you need to control pest and disease in addition to a well balanced community of native insects. A healthy plant in the proper well-balanced healthy environment is much better able to fight off diseases and pests. This also applies to lawns of turf grass that I really don't recommend having too much of. A recent study has found that a lawn treated with a good compost tea instead of chemicals will develop roots 8” to 12” deep and is much healthier due to the proper biological content of the soil as opposed to 2” to 4” with the use of chemicals. This would help the turf grass survive drier periods by allowing access to moisture content deeper in the soil. The plants – perennials, shrubs, and trees, are the foundation to support and feed wildlife – butterflies, bees, birds, etc. The loss of their native habitat – plants, due to development has decreased their number. This is especially demonstrated by the large decrease in population of Monarch Butterflies and their loss of habitat food sources along streams particularly the different milkweeds. If we design our gardens to include beneficial plants we would then attract them back to our gardens. A very good resource book to understand what is going on and what can be done on our own properties and towns is Professor Douglas Tallamy’s book “Bringing Nature Home”. http://www.bringingnaturehome.net
Most birds raise their young on caterpillars and insects feeding their young hundreds per week. So the more plants that attract beneficial insects the more birds in the area. The more birds in the area the more that can eat the bugs that we consider bad including mosquitos. One thing that I also do is raising and managing native bees, Mason Bees in the spring, and Bumble Bees in the summer. They pollinate the flowers of the perennials, shrubs, and trees that in turn produce more fruit, which in turn feed the birds and other wildlife and of course, us. I also have a frog pond that supplies water to the different insects and birds plus it harbors the frogs. Having some sort of water feature in your garden is necessary for the designation. It could be as simple as a bird bath, to a pond, or stream running through your property.
