By Mary Lou Marchand
Beltrami County Master Gardener
Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, mice, voles, birds and more! Summer and winter we gardeners struggle to keep these critters from digging up fresh plantings, eating berries as they ripen, enjoying hosta and green bean salads, chewing on tree bark or just being a general nuisance in the garden. One year we had a chipmunk that kept digging up the basil plants on the end of one bed and leaving them a couple of feet away from the rest. Finally I moved the basil plants to where they were dropped and he left them alone. Who knows?
In preparing our gardens and plantings for winter, we protect young trees from rabbits, mice and voles, spray a deer/rabbit repellent on other plantings and generally hope the wildlife will leave our gardens alone. But I also enjoy the winter wildlife and I’m willing to make my winter landscape friendly for those animals that stay active all winter.
Trees, shrubs and perennials offer winter food for wildlife. Squirrels and some birds such as nuthatches and chickadees stash nuts from oaks, sunflowers and horse chestnuts storing the food for later eating. Blue jays tuck seeds into crevices and other hiding places and retrieve them when food is less plentiful.
Winter birds also enjoy berries from vibunums, dogwood and sumac. We’re birdwatchers and right now the robins and other birds are eating the grapes we’ve left for them and the smaller crab apples from our neighbor’s tree. Later the cedar waxwings will come through and enjoy the remaining fruit, and we’ll enjoy seeing them.
Seed heads on some perennials will feed a variety of our cold weather birds. I leave heads on coneflowers, anise hyssop, and rudbeckia for the finches to eat. Because we enjoy the birds, we also hang feeders filled with sunflower seed and nyjer thistle. Remember to keep feeders clean to protect birds from the spread of disease caused by moldy seed or other birds’ droppings. Feeders can also provide food for smaller seed-eating animals such as mice. If you don’t want them around, clean up the spilled seed.
Planting native evergreens such as cedar, spruce and fir provides places where wildlife can find cover from predators and cold winter weather. Winter roosting boxes for chickadees, nuthatches and even the smaller woodpeckers keep our feathered friends warm during our cold winters. Plans for roosting boxes are available on the internet and in books at our public library or boxes can be purchased.
Water can be scarce for wildlife in winter. Most birds and animals need drinking water but birds also look for bathing water. Keeping feathers in top condition improves their insulating value and helps the birds survive the winter. Heated birdbaths keep the water just above freezing and use little electricity. We set ours on a hay bale to keep it close to the ground for the birds. Two winters ago we were lucky enough to have a pair of cardinals come to drink and bathe all winter.
You can plan now for next year. Look around your property for a place to add some berry shrubs or evergreen trees. The birds and other wildlife will thank you for it.
