Date: 01/01/2015

Number: 1

My husband and I decided to try and help some of the wildlife around our suburban neighborhood - we can't replace the habitat that was lost, but we hope we can help a little.

We have a few mature trees which helps out - Ash, Sweet Gum, Willow Oak, American Holly, Crepe Myrtle, and some Maples. We have tried to include pollen, berries, nuts (someday), seeds and of course water.

For the water, we have a birdbath, fountain and a manmade stream.

Trees (still small but growing): Red Maples (different cultivars), Serviceberries, Bald Cypress, Pignut Hickory, Pin Oaks, Willow Oak, Corkscrew Willow, Weeping Pussy Willow, Japanese Red Maples (Bloodgood), Black Gums (Tupelo), Eastern Redbud, Blue Spruce, River Birches, Eastern Red Cedar, Arborvitaes (Steeplechase, Emerald Green, and a couple other cultivars), Flowering Dogwoods (various colors), Yoshino Cherries, Magnolias, Holly (don't remember which type), Blue Atlas Cedar, and a big snag (dead tree) we decided to leave for the insect loving birds.

Bushes: Purple Smokebush (Grace), inkberry hollies (Nordic, Shamrock, and Compact), Deciduous hollies (Sparkleberry, Winter Red, Apollo), Viburnum (mainly dentatum: Morton, Chicago Lustre, Blue Muffin but a couple of other misc ones), Summersweet, Sweetspire, Chokeberries, Nine Barks, Red Twig Dogwoods, Knockout Roses, Camelia, Skip Laurels, and various Hydrangeas, Spireas, Azaleas, Blueberries, Blackberries, and Junipers.

Perrenials, Bulbs, Etc: various varieties/cultivars of Black-eyed Susans, Cone Flowers, Hyssups, Salvias, Sedums, Asters, Butterfly bush, Butterfly weed, Milkweed, Joe-Pye weed, Boneset (AWESOME FOR POLLINATORS!! It is grand central station), Coreopsis, Goldenrod, Irises, Daffodils, Tulips, Yarrow, Daylillies, Catmint, Garden Phlox, Creeping Phlox, Ajuga, hostas, ferns, and grasses.

I know I missed a ton, but these would be the predominant ones. Some plants are more for me than the critters but I tried to balance thinks out.

The stream in the back with all the plantings around it has really paid off. We finished the stream last year and it has been great watching the birds use it as a flight/feed corridor. They hop from bush to tree and down to the stream for a bath. We have had toads, tree frog, skinks (sp?), turtles, and even a couple of bullfrogs last year. They must have come from the woods. We've added feeders, birdhouses, and plan to add a bat house as well.

As for birds, I have seen Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Bluebirds, starlings, Carolina Chickadees, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Pileated Woodpecker (only a couple times), Morning Doves, Carolina Wren, White Breast Nuthatch, Brown Headed Cowbird, Redwing Blackbird and lots of different little brown things: Finches and Sparrows. Plus a bird of prey every now and them - owls or hawks. I know there were others, just not sure what they are called.

We've had all types of pollinators - I can't even start to identify. I will saw Boneset tops the list of all plants to get pollinators. Next up are the asters, hyssups, joe pye weed, Autumn Joy Sedum, Salvia and Ajuga.

As for the four legged critters: we have cats and dogs so most tend to stay away. But we have had an opossum, raccoon, squirrels galore, foxes and a few rabbits. I think the dogs and fence keep the deer away - they tend to hit the neighbors instead.

It is a work in process,

Lorton, VA

Latitude: 38.7 Longitude: -77.2

Observed by: Monja
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