Plants That Attract Animals to Your Yard

Wildlife, like this chipmunk, favor native plants and natural yards.

Trade in your manicured lawn -- and all the work -- for more natural plants and grasses and watch as butterflies and birds flutter by while frogs splash in the pond and squirrels and chipmunks play in the brush. The right trees, grasses and flowers can turn your yard into just such a wildlife oasis.

Habitat

To bring more wild animals into your yard, decide which types of wildlife you want to visit and then tailor the yard to the requirements each has for shelter, food and water. Plants native to your area will naturally attract birds, insects, mammals, amphibians and reptiles also suited for the landscape and climate. Replacing some of your lawn with the shrubs, grasses and other plants favored by wildlife gets you on the way.

Mammals

Birds flock to yards with the trees and other plants they need.

Small mammals, such as chipmunks and squirrels, need plants like long prairie grasses and shrubs for feeding, nesting and hiding, and they favor natural, uneven transitions between these cover areas and the lawn over neat, abrupt edges. Even dead branches or trees that can safely remain provide shelter, food and exercise for small mammals. A variety of shrubs and trees adds visual interest while meeting the needs of different animals. A university Extension office or local nursery can help with specific plant selection ideas.

Birds

To entice birds to visit or nest in your yard, give them lots of trees, including those that form a canopy overhead. They also will flock to shrubs, areas of long grass and those with flowers, especially those left to go to seed, which provides food. Consider planting marigolds, zinnias and sunflowers and grasses native to your area, along with seed-producing millet, all of which offer food and protection for songbirds. Some trees that readily attract birds include hickory, dogwood, oak, redbud, beech, red cedar, spruce, sumac and witch hazel. Round out the yard with other bird-friendly plants like coneflowers, goldenrods, ironweed, asters, daisies, clover and columbine.

Other Wildlife

Bright flowers readily bring butterflies to your yard.

Butterflies -- and the bees that pollinate your plants -- will come to sunny areas with lots of deeply colored, intensely-scented flowers, such as butterfly bush, milkweed and cosmos. If you have a pond or other water feature, place water plants around it to attract reptiles and amphibians like salamanders, frogs, newts and toads, which help control insects like mosquitoes. They need plants that live on the edge of the water, such as bulrushes and cattails, those that float, like water fern and duckweed, and those that grow from the bottom, such as coontail and elodea.

References

• Ohio State University Extension: Fact Sheet -- Backyard Enhancement for Wildlife; Amanda D. Rodewald
• The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Handbook: Attract Wildlife
• Clemson University Extension Forestry and Natural Resources: Backyard Wildlife Enhancement; Greg Yarrow, revised May 2009
• Oregon State University Extension: Attract Reptiles and Amphibians to Your Yard; D. Cates, J. Olson, and N. Allen, 2002