Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society

Creating Bird-Friendly Habitat

Restoring our community one garden at a time
Photo by Will
Stuart
Conservation efforts
Strategies

WORKING COASTS WATER CLIMATE BIRD

LANDS FRIENDLY
COMMUNITIES
Migration Flyways

National
The Wood Thrush’s story

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

(Creative Commons)
Prime habitat

Smaller images from top: Frans Lansing, lezumbalaberenjena (Creative

Commons). Range map from The Birds of North America, Cornell Lab
of Ornithology
Cerulean Warbler
74% decline
Photo by Melanie C. Underwood (Creative Commons)
Photo by Frans Lansing
 54% of U.S. is now
developed as suburban or
urban areas.

Photo by Daniel Lobo (Creative Commons)

Plants in cities /suburbs:
80% NON-native.

Photo by Sue Barton

We can do better

Photo by Doug Tallamy

What’s a native plant?

• Evolved with native wildlife and plants

• Adapted to local climate and soil conditions

• Not introduced by humans

They’re hardier!
This is what connection looks like
People benefit, too!

• Better physical
health
• Better mental health
• Saves money
• Saves time
• Increases property
value
• Quality of life

Photo by Will Stuart

You can help the birds!
• Add native plants
• Replace non-native plants
• Reduce and replace lawn
 “Plant something meaningful.”
– Dr. Larry Mellichamp, author of
Native Plants of the Southeast

Photo by USFWS NE Region

Photo by Dan Scheiman
Photo by Doug Tallamy
 Four Food Groups
for Birds
▪ Insects
▪ Berries & fruits
▪ Nectar
▪ Nuts & Seeds

Photo by Will Stuart

Photo by Will Stuart
 Oak: 557 species Ginkgo: 5 species

Photo by Michael W. May (Creative Commons) Photo by Landhalauts (Creative Commons)

 Specialization
is the key

90% of insects that

eat plants can only
eat the plants they
co-evolved with.

Photo by Doug Tallamy

 A world
without
insects is a
world
without

Photo by Doug Tallamy

birds.
The Bird-Friendly
Yard
▪ Layers
▪ Native plants that
provide food
▪ Water
▪ Shelter & nest sites
 Habitat Layers – Build a Guild

Over-story
(canopy trees)

Mid-story
(small trees & shrubs)

Understory
(perennials & ground cover)

Photo by Robert Petty

Native Plants
 Best caterpillar trees

Oak 557
Willow 456
Cherry 456
Birch 413
Crabapple 311
Blueberry 288
Maple 285
Pine 203
Hickory 200
Will Stuart
Will Stuart
Photo by Will Stuart
Birch

Photo by Kim Brand

Eastern Red-Cedar

Cedar Waxwing

Photo by Will Stuart

Chestnut

Height
40 feet

Nuts
Late September
Blueberry

Photo by Will Stuart

Spicebush

Photo by Will Stuart

Winterberry Holly

Photo by Will Stuart

Wild Columbine

Photo by Will Stuart

Bee Balm
Height
Up to 4 feet
Site
Full sun
Moist to dry
Blooms
Early summer
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Black-eyed Susan
Height
1-2 feet

Site
Full sun,
Moist to dry

Blooms
June – Oct

Attracts
Chickadees, Titmice
Nuthatches, Thrushes,
Waxwings
Mockingbirds
Warblers
Wrens, Sparrows
Orioles, Crows, Jays
Coreopsis

Height
1-2 feet

Site
Full sun

Blooms
Summer-Fall

Attracts
Chickadees, finches,
sparrows
Ironweed
Height
3-7 feet

Site
Moist, adaptable
Full sun/light
shade

Blooms
Late summer -
early fall

Attracts
Turtlehead

Height
2-3 feet

Site
Moist, but adaptable
Full sun to part shade

Blooms
Late summer

Attracts
Hummingbirds
Cardinal flower
Height
2-3 feet

Planting
Moist, but adaptable
Full sun to part shade

Blooms
Late summer

Attracts
Hummingbirds

Photo by USFWS NE Region

Sedum
Height
1 foot

Site
Moist
Part Shade

Blooms
April - June

Attracts
Finches
Chickadees
Plant seeds
Cosmos Zinnia Sunflower

Height
36-48 inches
Height Height
Blooms
Varies 60-96 inches
Summer
Blooms Blooms
Attracts
Mourning doves, Summer Late summer
cardinals, towhees, Attracts Attracts
Cardinals, chickadees, house
brown thrashers, song
sparrow Hummingbirds finches, titmice, grosbeaks,
nuthatches, goldfinches,
red-bellied woodpeckers, pine
All full sun siskins
Water

Eastern Towhee

Photo by Will Stuart

 Bird houses

Photo by Kim Brand

Brush piles

Photo by Shelley Rutkin

Snags

Tree Swallows

Photo by Donald Mullaney

Photo by Robert Petty
Photo by Susie
 54
Photo by Audubon Pennsylvania
WCAS Native Plant Sale
Pre-order by 5/9
WCAudubon.org

Frostville Market 6/1

9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Native plants database

http://www.audubon.org/native-plants

▪ Search by zip code

▪ Filter by plant type

▪ Birds that benefit

▪ Find native plant nurseries

▪ Tips on planting and care

Resources
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society

Thank you for helping the birds!

Photo by Will Stuart
each year while refueling lawn equipment, polluting the air and groundwater. Older, less
What’s going
efficient two-cycle engines release significant amounts of their oil and gas unburned.
The less lawn you mow, the less air and water pollution you create.
on?
Less lawn also means less noise pollution. According to the Noise Pollution
Clearinghouse, a typical gas-powered push mower emits 85 to 90 decibels for the
operator (90-95 for riding lawnmowers). That doesn’t just scare away the birds—it can
cause hearing loss over time.
By planting native species, you will also:
Save water
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 30 to 60 percent of fresh water in American cities is used for watering lawns. Native plants have adapted to thrive in their
regional landscape, without added water or nutrients. With climate change models predicting increased episodes of extreme drought such as California is experiencing, it’s a
good time to shift to water-wise yards and native plants.
Control flooding
Cultivating vertical structure in your yard by planting many different species of herbaceous flowering plants, shrubs, and trees creates layers of vegetation that deflect pounding
rains, increasing the chance for water to be absorbed by your soil before running off into storm drains and streams.
Use fewer chemicals
Less lawn mowing, fertilizing, and pesticide application means cleaner air and water.

Homeowners apply nearly 80 million pounds of pesticides to lawns in the United States each year. What’s more, they use up to 10 times more pesticides per acre on their lawns
than farmers use on crops. During storms, lawn chemicals can be carried by runoff and wind, contaminating streams and wetlands many miles away.

Native plants are often hardier than non-native ornamentals and thrive without
pesticides or fertilizers. Moreover, as you work to create a bird-friendly sanctuary in your
yard, insects that may have seemed like pests before become allies. Since caterpillars
are premium bird food, the holes they make in your oak’s leaves are badges of success
and the caterpillars themselves cause for celebration.
Reduce maintenance
Less lawn means less time mowing, weed-whacking, and edging. Landscaping with native plants isn’t maintenance free—invasive weed species are an ongoing issue in any
garden. But with careful landscape planning and plant selection, you can create a garden space that minimizes the ongoing input of time and money. That’s a mighty nice
change from constant lawn care. And when the mower’s tucked away, you can hear bird song in the silence that reigns.
Create beauty
What does a beautiful outdoor space look like? What does it mean to have a “well-kept” yard? For decades, our standard of green beauty and orderliness has centered on

acarpet-like lawn and manicured foundation plantings, an aesthetic that largely excludes
birds and other wildlife, and has a hefty carbon footprint. By putting in native plants, you