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You can support biodiversity in your yard, starting today! Incorporate these tips before or after your yard visit with a habitat advisor.
You can support biodiversity in your yard, starting today! Incorporate these tips before or after your yard visit with a habitat advisor.
Start Doing ... Less!
Start Doing ... Less!
Leaves are nature's mulch! Plants like this Ohio spiderwort thrive in a woodland environment with leaves on the ground.
Mow less. When you must mow, set your mower height to three inches or higher.
Leave the leaves. Many beneficial insects live in leaves over the winter or use them for shelter all year. Leaves also act as free mulch - they help the soil retain moisture and improve soil quality. If needed, you can move them to a different location in your yard. Learn more about the benefits of leaving leaves.
Stop using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. This includes spraying for mosquitoes. These chemicals pollute waterways, the soil, and the air. They can kill bees, caterpillars, and other beneficial insects.
Let stems stand over the winter. Some bees nest in these over the winter.
Remove Non-Native Invasive Plants
Remove Non-Native Invasive Plants
Non-native invasive plants reproduce and grow aggressively and crowd out native plants. Their aggressive growth can alter ecosystems and reduce habitat. All non-native plants host few or no wildlife-sustaining caterpillars.
"The Big Five" are Arkansas's worst and most common invasive plants. Find more information about these plants and how to remove them below.
Other invasive plants grow in our area as well. If you receive a yard visit from AWS, our Habitat Advisors will note any additional invasives in your yard. They will also provide more in-depth reference materials for removing invasives from your yard.
Bradford pear trees are popular in landscaping, but they are invasive.
Bradford (Callery) pear (Pyrus calleryana)
Bradford (Callery) pear (Pyrus calleryana)
Bradford pears have white blooms very early in the spring and red leaves in the fall. These trees have short life spans but spread very aggressively, crowding out natives. They host few caterpillar species. Learn more about Bradford pear trees and how to remove them.
Chinese privet is fast-growing, spreads easily, and pushes out native plants.
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense)
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense)
Chinese privet leaves stay green all winter. They produce large quantities of white flowers in the spring, and gray-purple berries in the fall. Birds distribute their millions of seeds by eating the fruit and dispersing the seeds in their droppings. The plants’ roots also produce suckers. Learn more about Chinese privet and how to remove it.
English ivy grows across the ground and climbs trees and fences.
English ivy (Hedera helix)
This vine has a thick, waxy evergreen leaf. It spreads across the ground and climbs trees and fences. English ivy not only can kill trees but also can destabilize brick and mortar if it is left undisturbed. You may want to use gloves when removing this vine because English ivy causes contact dermatitis in some people. Learn more about English ivy and how to remove it.
Japanese honeysuckle can quickly engulf shrubs, small trees, and structures.
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
This evergreen vine can spread across the ground and engulf shrubs and small trees, sometimes making them collapse under the vine’s weight. Japanese honeysuckle has significant tap roots and can be very difficult to remove mechanically, especially more mature plants. Learn more about Japanese honeysuckle and how to remove it.
Nandina berries can be toxic to birds.
Nandina or Sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica)
Evergreen and older cultivars produce bright red berries that persist into the winter. Newer cultivars do not bear fruit. Unfortunately, nandina is still sold at many garden centers. The berries contain compounds that produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide which can kill birds that eat them. Learn more about nandina and how to remove it.
Plant the Right Natives for Your Yard
Plant the Right Natives for Your Yard
To help you get started, below we highlight high-impact native plants for various light and moisture conditions. These species can often be found at local native plant sales and online.
There are many wonderful plants in addition to the highlights below. Apply for a yard visit to receive personalized plant recommendations that work for your yard.
Herbaceous Flowering Plants
Herbaceous Flowering Plants
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: dry, medium
Why we like it: long bloom time, reseeds, tough, easy starter plant
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: shade tolerance, hummingbirds, early blooms
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry
Why we like it: long bloom time, reseeds, drought tolerant, color
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: pollinator magnet, height/privacy, moisture tolerant
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: host for the monarch and other caterpillars, hardy, drought tolerant
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: long bloom time, low maintenance, birds eat seeds in fall
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: moist
Why we like it: good for shade, long bloom time, bright flowers, will self-seed
Light: sun
Moisture: dry
Why we like it: lots of blooms, drought tolerant, can form colonies
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: moist, wet
Why we like it: blooms multiple times, pollinator magnet
Grasses, Sedges, and Ferns
Grasses, Sedges, and Ferns
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium
Why we like it: fall color, good for structure
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium
Why we like it: 4-season interest, fall color, well-behaved
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: good replacement for liriope
Light: part shade, shade
Moisture: dry, medium
Why we like it: groundcover, dry shade solution, almost evergreen
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: moist
Why we like it: 4-season interest, erosion control
Light: part shade, shade
Moisture: dry, medium
Why we like it: low maintenance, evergreen
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: ornamental seeds, drought tolerant, erosion control
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: medium, moist, wet
Why we like it: tall height for a sedge, spreads easily, groundcover
Light: part shade, shade
Moisture: moist, wet
Why we like it: distinctive shape and color, spreads quickly
Shrubs and Trees
Shrubs and Trees
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: medium
Why we like it: beautiful purple berries that birds love, hardy
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium
Why we like it: grows quickly, easy to shape, attracts pollinators
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: grows quickly, leaves turn red in the fall
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: moist, wet
Why we like it: attracts many pollinators, beautiful blooms
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: medium, moist, wet
Why we like it: grows quickly, interesting blooms
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: animals love the red berries, good spring color
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: early spring blooms, heart-shaped leaves
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: interesting fruits, shade tolerant
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: evergreen, berries in winter
Attribution for this photo:
“Ilex opaca” by PA Natural Heritage Program PNHP, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dy, medium, moist, wet
Why we like it: keystone plant, can be propagated
Quercus - oaks
Quercus - oaks
If you have room in your landscape, consider planting a native oak tree. Oak trees are keystone species. This means entire ecosystems depend on them for survival and habitat. Their acorns feed over 100 different wildlife species and more than 500 butterfly and moth caterpillars live on oak trees.
There are 30 native species of oak in Arkansas. These are just a few:
Quercus alba - white oak
Quercus macrocarpa - Bur oak
Quercus phellos - willow oak
Quercus shumardii - Shumard's oak
Vines
Vines
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: replacement for the invasive Chinese wisteria
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: medium, moist
Why we like it: long bloom time, hummingbirds
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: grows quickly, produces masses of flowers
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: large and interesting blooms, can grow in poor soil
Light: sun, part shade, shade
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Why we like it: fragrant flowers, good for fences and arbors
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: moist
Why we like it: large heart-shaped leaves, unique blooms
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: moist
Why we like it: early blooms, evergreen
Light: sun, part shade
Moisture: medium
Why we like it: unique blooms, low maintenance
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