by Sue Eisenfeld Whether you simply leave dead trees and wood piles to rot and create a wild meadow patch in your yard or carefully landscape with select species, build ponds, and install bird boxes, creating a "backyard wildlife habitat" is simple-and many of your neighbors in Arlington are doing it. By gardening with the needs of wildlife in mind-paying attention to food, water, cover, and nesting sites-homeowners in developed areas can make a significant contribution to small species conservation.

Nationwide, more than 50,000 acres have been certified as backyard wildlife habitats by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), which operates a Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. Of more than 20,000 certified gardens, 22 are in Arlington, although many more uncertified backyard wildlife habitats surely exist. Given the success of its program, NWF now sponsors a Schoolyard Habitats program and a Workplace Habitats program. Their staff have worked with ACE on various schoolyard projects here in Arlington.

Backyard habitat gardens in our area are typically built to attract butterflies, songbirds, hummingbirds, frogs, toads, box turtles, and beneficial insects such as ladybugs, preying mantises, and dragonflies. The types of wildlife one might expect to attract depends on the plants selected, acreage of habitat, size and location of trees and vegetation, and the type of water sources nearby.

Creating a wildlife habitat in your yard is not difficult. "I was a lazy gardener," admits Marcia Finnerty, one of the Arlington gardeners with a certified home. "I gave up forcing my yard and instead minimized the grass, bought two pre-formed ponds and a birdbath, and let it return to a naturally wildlife-friendly state." Now, her 1/3 acre in North Arlington sees an increased number of songbirds, including Pileated Woodpeckers.

As Arlington is located in an important flyway for migratory birds, backyards within a contiguous area of mature trees can expect to be visited by birds such as warblers and thrushes. Finnerty was once surprised to find a Ring-necked Pheasant cooling its heels under her azaleas.

Chuck and Patty Toftoy also maintain a certified backyard wildlife habitat. "We've been doing this for about 8 or 9 years, even before we knew about the NWF program," Chuck Toftoy explained. "We see a lot more American Goldfinches, House Finches, and other wildlife than we had before we created our backyard habitat." Their 1-acre North Arlington lot demonstrates important habitat features, including two large pine trees (shade), a waterfall and pond (water), a wood pile (cover), several birdhouses (nesting sites), and bird feeders and hummingbird flowers (food).

"The basic goal of our program is to encourage people to plan and maintain their landscapes with the needs of wildlife in mind," explains Heather Carskaddan, manager of the program at NWF. One might start by reducing the amount of grassy lawn, planting a meadow patch in sunny spots, and restoring understory vegetation below the trees. Specific plants and flowers can be planted to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Restoring native plant communities is another emphasis of the NWF program and an important part of creating habitat. The Virginia Native Plant Society and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Division of Natural Heritage also share a commitment to protecting native plants. Plants native to the soils and climate of your specific area provide the best overall food sources for wildlife and generally require less fertilizer, water, and effort in controlling pests. Native plants can support 10 to 50 times as many species of native wildlife as non-native plants.

Reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides is another tenet of any backyard habitat program, and one that makes these programs beneficial for the whole community. "By using less fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, backyard habitats improve local streams and water supplies" explains Carskaddan. More than 70 million pounds of chemical pesticides are applies to lawns in the United States each year. Where pesticides are applied regularly, 60 to 90 percent of earthworms, which keep soil healthy, are killed. Pesticide-free lawns promote garden health, and also allow children and pets to frolic in gardens and yards safely.

Maintaining a backyard habitat also encourages a broader environmental perspective, which can involve composting yard trimmings (leaves, grass cuttings, and garden trimmings) instead of putting them out at the curb for disposal, reducing pollution by using a manual push mower, and reducing water usage. Implementing any of these practices can have huge impacts, given that: about 18 percent of the trash we throw away consists of organic yard trimmings that could be composted and used as a soil amendment instead; about 5 percent of hydrocarbon emissions, which cause smog and poor air quality, in urban areas in summer can be attributed to lawn and garden equipment; and 30 percent of water consumed on the East coast, and 60 percent on the West coast, is used for watering lawns. Luckily, the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia can train gardeners how to garden with these techniques.

"In Northern Virginia, we lose acres of habitat each hour to development," laments Carskaddan. "While creating a backyard habitat only returns small parcels of land to habitat for wildlife, they provide important spaces for small species." While ideally, habitat should be conserved during the development process through better zoning and planning, Arlingtonians are in a wonderful position to create a continuous strip of urban wildlife habitat, right in their backyards.

For more information about becoming a NWF backyard wildlifer, visit or call 703-790-4100. For more information about the Virginia Native Plant Society, visit www.hort.vt.edu or contact the Potowmack chapter of the Society at P.O. Box 161, McLean, VA 22101. Information about Virginia Cooperative Extension or the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia can be obtained by calling 228-6400. Contact ACE for information on Arlington's Rediscovering the Schoolyard initiative.

Side Bar:

In Your Own Backyard
You may already have the makings of a backyard wildlife habitat. Begin by identifying the habitat elements that already exist:

• Plants that provide food-seeds, fruits, and nuts-are important for birds and small mammals. Examples include eastern columbine, trumpet honeysuckle, bee balm, trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, sweetgum, sumac, bayberry, and butterfly bush).

• Dense shrubs or evergreen trees provide cover and protection from the elements and predators (examples include juniper, yew, red-twig dogwood, and bayberry), as do rock, log, and mulch piles.

• Dying or dead trees are excavated and used by woodpeckers, flying squirrels, Great-crested Flycatchers, and honeybees. Dead trees can be topped to address safety issues.

• Water in a pond, water garden, or birdbath is necessary for drinking and bathing.