October, 2015
Author: Heidi Pruess
Backyard Habitats
We finally did it! Our backyard has now joined the more than 900 certified wildlife habitats in Charlotte. You can have a certified wildlife habitat for a yard too!
Our path to certification began 9 years ago when we moved to Charlotte. The home we selected is uphill from an unnamed tributary, in the Mallard Creek watershed. This nearby tributary does provide wildlife habitat however watching butterflies or listening to birds is better in your own backyard. We didn’t know it at the time but our new home was about to become a wildlife habitat. Certified Wildlife Habitats are described by the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org) as gardens that:
We moved in and the work began. The first task at our new home was to work on the landscaping. An existing natural area was part of our backyard but the remainder of our outdoor property had dying grass and struggling shrubbery resulting from years of neglect. We began by replacing the dying grass with a drought tolerant Zoyzia grass, allowing us to minimize watering and chemical use that is required of other grasses. Our yard had extremely steep slopes, actively eroding away, so we moved soil, erected a small retaining wall and series of stone planter boxes, and added a rock garden /mulched area.
Author: Heidi Pruess
Backyard Habitats
We finally did it! Our backyard has now joined the more than 900 certified wildlife habitats in Charlotte. You can have a certified wildlife habitat for a yard too!
Our path to certification began 9 years ago when we moved to Charlotte. The home we selected is uphill from an unnamed tributary, in the Mallard Creek watershed. This nearby tributary does provide wildlife habitat however watching butterflies or listening to birds is better in your own backyard. We didn’t know it at the time but our new home was about to become a wildlife habitat. Certified Wildlife Habitats are described by the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org) as gardens that:
- Provide Food for Wildlife,
- Supply Water for Wildlife,
- Create Cover for Wildlife,
- Give Wildlife a Place to Raise Their Young, and
- Help Wildlife Thrive with Healthy Habitat through Sustainable Practices.
We moved in and the work began. The first task at our new home was to work on the landscaping. An existing natural area was part of our backyard but the remainder of our outdoor property had dying grass and struggling shrubbery resulting from years of neglect. We began by replacing the dying grass with a drought tolerant Zoyzia grass, allowing us to minimize watering and chemical use that is required of other grasses. Our yard had extremely steep slopes, actively eroding away, so we moved soil, erected a small retaining wall and series of stone planter boxes, and added a rock garden /mulched area.
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"Then" 2006 yard
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"Now" 2015 Yard
Adding mulch around the shrubs and creating new mulch gardens, taking the place of some grass, has not only decreased the amount of watering we must do but has added to the cover and protection for many beneficial insects and our colorful amphibian lizard and frog friends. (✓ for Sustainable Practices)
Before planting native shrubs and plants we needed to remove many invasive species. Removing the invasive Bradford Pear trees from our lawn was a challenge as the roots sent up shoots (a.k.a., suckers) for years after the trees were gone. We also removed Chinese Privet, Japanese Honeysuckle, Wisteria, and Porcelainberry from our natural area and continue to fight these invasive plants, although each year the battle is easier. The annual tree seedling sale hosted by the Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District, provided the native dogwood, spicebush, short-leaf pine, and button bushes (the butterflies really love these) now populating our yard habitat. We did leave some of our dead or dying trees in the natural area to provide cover and food for our wildlife friends. (✓ Food and Cover)
| We have added a bluebird nesting box and toad houses are sprinkled throughout our yard. Our hot Carolina summers require cover and adequate water supply so in addition to the adjacent stream we regularly fill small water baths with water collected in our rain barrel. We do have an ulterior motive for the toad houses, hoping that among the 100 or more insects they eat each day that most of them will be mosquitos! (✓ Water and Place) |  Picture of DIY Toad House |
The results of our small effort to create a wildlife habitat are amazing! I wish I could share photographs of all our wildlife friends but some are just too fast to capture! Needless to say, we have a serenade of sounds each evening as we sit on our backyard deck and enjoy our wildlife habitat.
Completing the on-line Certified Wildlife Habitat application was easy. Join the Community Wildlife Habitat in Charlotte by certifying your yard today, just clicking on the link above or go to www.nwf.org ! You can learn more about wildlife habitats and Charlotte Wildlife Stewards (Charlotte Chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation) by attending the free community programs, listed here.
