False Fall
What are you waiting for?” - Art by Noémie Morgane in Delémont, Switzerland
Like many areas of the world this summer, our city grappled with unprecedented heat and drought. We’ve shattered plenty of records here in Central Texas, including not one but two 11-day stretches of temperatures above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. To help wildlife through the hot days, I created a refuge in our backyard.
The problem with a changing climate is that wildlife has to adapt even when their internal clocks tell them to begin migrating, storing food, and, for butterflies, placing eggs on native plants to jumpstart the next generation. They follow their usual route only to find the pantry bare, and the plant and forest motels for weary travelers have disappeared.
How can we help wildlife with this constantly changing timeline and disappearing habitat? If you have a space where you are able to create a refuge at home or in your community (schools, libraries, community gardens, and community centers are a great place to start!), you can offer a place for wildlife to rest on their journey. This week, I’m sharing a few tips to get you started.
We’ve had great success with the Small High Perch Hummingbird Feeder with Nectar Guard Tips at Wild Birds Unlimited and the Eliminator Bird Feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited (video). We try not to encourage too many squirrels and doves into our yard because they attract rattlesnakes, and we have a dog that likes to run around the backyard. Squirrels do stop by, however, for water or the occasional peanut the chickadees drop from the feeders (as shown in the video below). We try to feed wildlife with native plants, but there are times in the year when the heat keeps native plants from flowering, and berries aren’t as abundant. Audubon has this guide to help you if you are wondering when should you feed wildlife.
Know your local fauna and flora. Many birds, pollinators, and wildlife depend on very specific plants for their diet. Do you have these planted in your yard? I like the Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide and Native Host Plants for Texas Moths: A Field Guide for our area, and this collection of guides as well as guides published by Quick Reference Publishing, available in many independent bookstores.
Wildlife needs supplemental water during a drought. The importance of birdbaths (an article from Audubon) is evident after watching the number of animals that visited our birdbath and water buckets over the last month, including a hawk that stopped by every afternoon to dip his feet in the cool water. I added water wigglers to all of our bird baths to attract birds and keep mosquitoes at bay. Changing out water in bird baths and buckets often and offering water at varying heights (small and shallow for butterflies and lizards, ground level for armadillos and non-climbers or smaller climbers like the ringtail, mid-height for birds and the occasional raccoon or fox).
Keeping the garden alive despite the heat means there will be berry-producing native plants, milkweed, and passion vine for Monarchs, rue for swallowtails, and Gulf Fritillaries this fall. Yes, maintaining a pollinator garden means an investment in water and time, but the payoff will be the gorgeous pollinators visiting your garden.
Ensure birds migrate safely this fall by participating in Audubon’s Lights Out Program and Lights Out Texas. Post a sign in your yard or neighborhood to remind neighbors to turn off their lights at night during migration season.
Recommended Reading
Sharing Your Garden with Wildlife (my booklist on Bookshop.org)
Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Talllamy
Nature’s Best Hope (Young Readers’ Edition): How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy and Sarah L. Thomson