Bartow Garden Club Learns To Attract Guests To The Garden

Members of Bartow Garden Club gathered at the home of Debi Roberts to learn from one of their own.

Audrey Swindal, Florida Federation of Garden Clubs’ chairman of backyard wildlife habitats, displayed a backboard that demonstrated her talk. 

She said that a suitable habitat contained the four basic elements, food, water, cover and a place to raise young.

Backyards should contain shrubs and trees that produce fruit or seeds.

Flowering plants that provide nectar will attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Humans often supplement this natural larder with feeders that provide food to attract birds. These are often visited by squirrels and other forms of wildlife. It is a good idea to put out only enough food for one day, so there will be none left over to attract rats.

In Florida there is an abundance of food for birds, but we feed them so we can enjoy watching their antics at close range.

An overripe banana will be appreciated by butterflies and a sliced orange will please a mockingbird.

Water should be provided on a daily basis. While a birdbath is nice, it must be kept clean from leaves and algae. Look for one with an easy to clean surface. It should be located where predators cannot lurk in the bushes to pounce on the bathers. A tree overhead provides an escape route for the birds. When it is dry, provide a fine mist in the shade during the heat of the day. This will attract all forms of wildlife. A flower pot saucer filled with clean, wet sand will attract butterflies. They like to drink from a puddle.

Don’t forget to keep a water source on the ground for other wildlife. There are many turtles, frogs and toads, lizards, rabbits, opossums, and raccoons living in residential areas.

Natural cover around a home is provided by trees and dense shrubs. We can encourage wildlife by providing brush piles, compost piles and flower pots or bricks. An upside down clay pot propped up on a shard will make an excellent home for a toad. Remember how many insects they eat. Keep water nearby.

“All amphibians are dying off because of the invasion of exotic species and the use of pesticides,” Mrs. Swindal said. “We need to make an effort to encourage them.”

Wildlife search for suitable places to raise their young.

“A Carolina wren makes a nest in my mailbox every spring and ignores the bird house I provide,” she said. “Many birds will use nest boxes.”

Trees with natural cavities should be left standing if they are not dangerous to human structures.

“If you want butterflies, you must provide food plants for their caterpillars. Providing nesting materials is very beneficial to wildlife. Birds like bits of string, yarn, small strips of plastic and even human hair,” she said.

Other things you can do to make a suitable habitat are to eliminate chemical pesticides, encourage the use of native plants, limit the size of lawns to reduce use of water and fertilizers, and eliminate exotic pest plants and animals.

Finally, contact the Polk County Extension Office and request an assessment of your backyard as a Florida Friendly Landscape. You will receive a lovely sign to show you have helped yourself, your neighborhood and wildlife,” the speaker said.