COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A nice home landscape can be both a good place for people and also for wildlife. Start with specially chosen plants, said Marne Titchenell, a wildlife specialist with Ohio State University Extension, and go from there. She’ll speak on the topic at a joint Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana landowner workshop later this month.
“A number of trees, shrubs and flowering plants will attract wildlife, such as birds and butterflies, to a backyard,” said Titchenell, citing red oak and shagbark hickory as some of the trees, dogwoods and elderberry among the shrubs, and such flowers as asters and bee balm.
(Get OSU Extension’s full list of wildlife-friendly native trees and shrubs at http://go.osu.edu/CKc.)
“But there are other ways, too, to provide food and cover,” she said, including brush piles, nest boxes, bird feeders, water features, and butterfly and hummingbird gardens.
Titchenell will present “Landscaping for Wildlife” at the Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop March 26 in Carrollton, Ky., one of 17 sessions on the program.
“Landscaping for wildlife in your backyard can be a way to bring some of the wildlife living in your woodlot a little closer for your viewing pleasure,” Titchenell said. “For example, many woodland butterflies look for certain tree species to lay their eggs on, but they’ll venture out of the woods for sources of nectar, such as purple coneflower, butterfly bush and coreopsis.
“I’ll also have a few tips on how to avoid wildlife damage to the landscape,” she added, “such as selecting plants that aren’t so tasty to deer and rabbits.”
The Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop takes place at General Butler State Park in Carrollton, Ky., midway between Louisville and Cincinnati. Most of the speakers will be from Purdue, Kentucky and Ohio State universities. They’ll detail ways to care for a woods and the people and creatures that live there.
Get the full list of topics plus hours, directions and registration details at http://www.tristatewoods.org/. Registration costs $40. Online registration is available at the website.
For more information, call 859-257-7597 or email forestry.extension@uky.edu.
OSU Extension, Purdue Extension, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the Kentucky Division of Forestry and the Indiana Division of Forestry are the sponsors.
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