Native Plants and Birds… What's the Connection?

Martha Gach, PhD WCCD Webinar March 12, 2021

• Founded 1990 • Largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New England Broad Meadow Brook • 435 acres, 5 miles of marked trails

• 3 miles from downtown Worcester BMB Entrance and Education Center Why do birds need ‘native’ plants? Photo here (fill entire white space) • Gardens as ecosystems • Native > exotic >> invasive • Ecological value of natives

Verbena hastata • Bird-friendly gardening

Common buckeye Verbena + 8 more Gardens as Ecosystems

Find the birds… What are they eating?

(What aren’t they pictured as eating?) Gardens as Ecosystems

Find the birds… What are they eating?

(What aren’t they pictured as eating?) Garden as Ecosystem

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Alyssa Mattei photo by Sarah Jansen Sarah by photo Garden as Ecosystem Garden as Ecosystem

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What’s ‘native’?

Photo here Plants that… (fill entire white space) • grow naturally in your area.

• have evolved in place 10,000’s years.

• thrive in local soils, rainfalls, weather, climate. Some Native Plants

Photo here (fill entire white space) biennis (Evening primrose) with primrose ( florida) Virginia creeper

• 28 moths & butterflies Photo here (fill entire white space) • Virginia creeper clearwing*

• Virginia creeper sphinx

Bugguide.net Ilona L.

Whitney Cranshaw,,CSU Bugwood.org White Baneberry

• Aka Doll’s eyes Photo here (fill entire white space) • Actaea pachypoda

• Hosts 2 moths, 1 butterfly (summer azure) Exotic

• From other regions, Photo here country, or (fill entire white space) continent

• Supports only pollinators

• Some well-behaved, some escapes…

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Invasive

• Comes from Photo here another region, (fill entire white space) country, or continent

• Lacking predators, invades habitat

• Creates monocultures

Japanese knotweed Photo here (fill entire white space) Asiatic Bittersweet

Invasive Burning Bush

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Invasive Purple Loosestrife Invasive Sugar Maple Bradford Pear • 1 chickadee family needs 6000 caterpillars

Photo here • Caterpillar load (fill entire white space) Oak vs Bradford pear

• Doug Tallamy, “Nature’s University of Delaware Best Hope” How many caterpillars for a baby chickadee? Native Plants

• Provide food for pollinators

• pollen and nectar, seasonal

Spicebush & native bee Dan Berard Native Plants

• Provide seasonal Photo here pollen and (fill entire white space) nectar

Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) with Coral hairstreak b’fly & native bees

Mid-late summer Native Plants

• Provide food for larval (bird food)

• Great Spangled Fritillary on common milkweed

• GSF caterpillar on violets

Barbara Spence Murray Tom Native Plants

• Grow bird food Photo here (fill entire white space) • Caterpillar on oak

• Many insects are specialists & need natives. Native Plants

• grow food for larval Photo here insects (bird food) (fill entire white space) • Galls on cherry leaves Another kind of food … Native Plants provide nest materials

Hummingbird nest lined with cinnamon fern fuzz

Youtube Nest materials or food?

Chickadee on cattail Native Plants

Photo here • Grow bird food (fill entire white space)

American Goldfinch on Echinacea Diversity … grows bird food in many seasons Photo here • Anaphalis, aka pearly everlasting (fill entire white space) • American Lady butterflies + 7 • Fall bloom

Fred Goodwin Frank Model Seasonal Food Sources

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Silky dogwood, Cornus amomum Seasonal

Photo here Food (fill entire white space) Sources

Goldfinch on Birch What about cultivars?

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Echinacea purpurea Double Scoop Cranberry How can our spaces support birds?

Be a little messy No chemicals Plant native Leave bare spots

Photo here (fill entire white space) Leave seeds & stems 70% native plants

Photo here (fill entire white space) Vegetable Gardens

• Black Swallowtail • dill, parsley, carrot • Massachusetts State B’fly

Frank Model A Few Choice Natives

• Blueberry • Spicebush • Winterberry • Cornus (various dogwoods, not Kousa) • Wild Bergamot • Joe-pye • Swamp milkweed, butterfly weed • Asters • Native grasses and sedges Some Native Plants

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• Bullet points Why do birds need ‘native’ plants? Photo here (fill entire white space) • Gardens as ecosystems • Native > exotic >> invasive • Ecological value of natives • Bird-friendly gardening Verbena hastata

Common buckeye Verbena moth + 8 more Gardens as Ecosystems

Supporting birds helps all creatures.

Consider all seasons.

Consider all life stages. Ben Peters

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Garden as Ecosystem Resources Native Plant Finder www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants

Mass Audubon (pollinators) www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature- wildlife/help-pollinators-thrive/plant-a- pollinator-garden Tallamy books: • Nature’s Best Hope • Bringing Nature Home Some Native Plants