Vermont Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation Landscaping

Do you enjoy observing nature...hearing the song of the chickadee...watching hummingbirds fill up on nectar from trumpet vines...listening to the chattering of squirrels...seeing the beauty and grace of a monarch butterfly perched on a milkweed... experiencing the antics of a Mockingbird...the cooing of the Mourning Doves...the swiftness of the Cottontail...and the brilliance of a Cardinal or Baltimore Oriole?

If the answer is "yes", you'll probably want to landscape your property for wildlife so you can experience even more from Mother Nature by attracting more wildlife to your property.

Wildlife doesn't just randomly appear in a given area. It is there because of favorable habitat. The essential elements that you must provide in your habitat are food, water, cover and a place to raise a family. To attract the most wildlife, you need native trees, shrubs, groundcover, vines and wildflowers, many of which will provide food and shelter.

Native or indigenous plants naturally occur in the region in which they evolved. They are adapted to local soil, rainfall and temperature conditions, and have developed natural defenses to many insects and diseases. Because of these traits, native plants will grow with minimal use of water, fertilizers and pesticides. Wildlife species evolve with plants; therefore, they use native plant communities as their habitat. Using native plants helps preserve the balance and beauty of natural ecosystems.

Remember the function served by plants and structures is more important than their appearance. In other words, don't base your planting decisions solely on what a plant looks like. Following are WindStar Wildlife Institute's plant recommendations for wildlife habitats in Vermont:

Trees

Tall--Maples, Birches, American Hornbeam, White Ash, Oaks, Big-toothed Aspen, Black Cherry, Pin Cherry, Balsam Fir, White or Red Spruce, White Pine, Northern White Cedar, Eastern Hemlock

Shorter--Winterberry, Dogwoods, Serviceberry, Hazelnut, Willows

Shrubs
Elderberry, Redosier Dogwood, Chokeberry, Viburnums, Sumac, Blackberry, Blueberry, Rasberry, Juniper

Perennials
Asters, Monarda, Columbine, Goldenrod, Turtlehead, Milkweeds, Coreopsis, Coneflower, Joe-Pye Weed, Blazing Star, New York Ironweed, Native Sunflowers, Blue Lobelia, Penstemons, Black-eyed Susan, Cardinal Flower

Grasses
Cord Grass, Tufted Hair Grass, Switchgrass, Wild Rye, Rice, Cut Grass, Panic Grass

Vines
Virginia Creeper, Trumpet Vine, Virgin's Bower, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Wild Grape

Groundcovers
Wild Ginger, Foam Flower, Creeping Snowberry, Mayapple, Phlox, Bearberry

Vermont is a New England state famous for its Green Mountains. Vermont can be divided into six geographical land regions; the Northeast Highlands, the Western New England Upland, the Green Mountains, the Vermont Valley, the Taconic Mountains, and the Champlain Valley.

For more information on improving your wildlife habitat, visit the WindStar Wildlife Institute web site. On the web site, you can also apply to certify your property as a wildlife habitat, register for the "Certified Wildlife Habitat Naturalist e-Learning course, become a member and sign up for the FREE WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-mail newsletter.