New Mexico Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation Landscaping
The following are WindStar Wildlife Institute’s plant recommendations for wildlife habitats in New Mexico:
Trees
Western White and Douglas Fir; Rocky Mountain and Bigtooth Maple; Mountain Birch; Netleaf Hackberry; Desert Willow; Arizona Cypress; Arizona and Flowering Ash; Arizona, Texas and River Walnut; Alligator, Utah and Rocky Mountain Juniper; Engelmann and Colorado Blue Spruce; Bristlecone, Pinyon, Linber, Ponderosa and Southwestern White Pine; Arizona Sycamore; Western Cottonwood; Quaking Aspen; Wild Plum; Arizona White, Blackjack, Gambel’s and Gray Oak; Mexican Buckey
Doves are very common birds and can be found in New Mexico.
Shrubs
Fern Acacia; Whitethorn; Speckled Alder; Bee Brush; Utah Serviceberry; Desert Honeysuckle; Four-wing and Spiny Saltbush; Desert Hackberry; Cliff Rose; Larchleaf Goldenweed; Western Coral Bean; Winterfat; Apache Plume; Wright’s Catclaw; One-seed Juniper; Anderson Wolfberry; Fremont, Red, Creeping and Agarito Barberry; Chokecherry; Shrub Live Oak; Smooth Sumac; Western Thimbleberry; Red Raspberry; Mexican Elderberry
Flowers
Monkey flower, Lupine, Sunflower, Cardinal Flower, Penstemon, Blanketflower, Prairie Rocket, Hummingbird trumpet, Nodding Onion, Blue Columbine, Desert Marigold, Desert Paintbrush, Narrow-leaf Fireweed, Larkspur, Beeplant, Cut-leaf Coneflower, Evening Primrose, Phlox, Goldenrod
Vines
Clematis; Snapdragon; Arizona and Canyon Grape
Cactus
Hedgehog, Strawberry, Barrel and Pancake Cactus, Yucca
Grasses
Sand, Little and Big Bluestem, Sideoats, Black and Blue Grama: Buffalo Grass, Switchgrass, Canada Wild Rye; Sweet Grass; June Grass; Mountain, Bush and Purple Muhly; Indiangrass; Tall, Sand and Mesa Dropseed
The eastern third of New Mexico is covered by the Great Plains. The Great Plains run from a high plateau in the north south to the Pecos River. Rivers in the high plateau have cut deep canyons into the landscape. South of the Canadian River, along the eastern edge of New Mexico, the land is referred to as the High Plains or Staked Plains (Llano Estacado). In the central part of New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains extend into New Mexico from Colorado to the north. The Rio Grande River cuts through the Rocky Mountains from north to south. East of the Rio Grane, is the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountain range. To the west of the Rio Grande are the Nacimiento and Jemez Mountain ranges. The fertile Rio Grande Valley provides suitable farm land using modern irrigation techniques. The Basin and Range Region covers about one-third of the state and lies to the south of the Rocky Mountain Region. This region extends south from around Sante Fe to Mexico and west to Arizona. This area is marked by rugged mountain ranges, such as the Guadalupe, Mogollon, Organ, Sacramento, and San Andres mountain ranges, separated by desert basins. The Native Plant Society of New Mexico can provide lists of plants for a specific region.
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.