When you compare the birds of a manicured lawn with those that inhabit a grove of chokecherries, the difference is stark. The lawn might support a few starlings and robins. Perhaps, late in spring migration, a handful of desperate Swainson’s thrushes might stop by. The chokecherries, on the other hand, support an intricate community of life, from two-tailed swallowtail butterflies to dozens of species of songbirds. When the fruits ripen in late summer to a deep, juicy black, they attract cedar waxwings, Townsend’s solitaires, western tanagers, American robins, and house finches. Meanwhile, throughout the growing season, the foliage supports a diversity of insects – and the birds that eat them. Flitting among the leaves, you can find Wilson’s warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets, yellow-rumped warblers, and warbling vireos. 

When we consider the diversity of life around us, it’s easy to see a lot of bad news these days. We’ve lost 2.9 billion breeding birds in North America over the last 50 years. Scientists have reported steep declines of once-common insects. But by making a few simple decisions about what we plant in our gardens, we can be part of reversing these trends. In our yards, parks, and neighborhoods, we can provide homes for the birds, bees, and caterpillars. But doing this isn’t just about avoiding extinctions – it’s also a lot of fun.

This article is focused on plants for bird-friendly gardens in the western half of Montana, USA. If you live elsewhere, the specific plants will be different, but the general recommendations will be the same.

Getting started: habitat for birds

Every species of bird is unique in its life story. The habitats it uses, the foods it eats, where it nests, whether it migrates – all of this varies. Nevertheless, all birds need food, shelter, water, and safety from predators. Plants provide excellent food and shelter – especially particular species of plants that are native to the local landscape. But before we get into the specifics of these plants, let’s consider water and predators. 

Some birds, such as American kestrels, can get most or all of the moisture they need from their food. Otherwise, birds need to drink water. Including a source of water in your garden, such as a regularly cleaned bird bath or a backyard wetland, can attract birds to drink or bathe.

Watch out for predators

What about predators in our yards? Outdoor cats are incredibly deadly for neighborhood songbirds. In the United States alone, cats kill well over a billion birds a year. This number is so large that it’s almost unimaginable. But there are a lot of outdoor cats in the United States: around 50 million pets, in addition to as many as 100 million feral cats. Managing outdoor cats, especially feral ones, can be a contentious topic. But keeping your own cats indoors is a relatively easy step to take. By doing so, you’ll help ensure that your bird-friendly garden doesn’t become a death trap for songbirds.

Windows may not be predators, but they’re another deadly neighborhood hazard for songbirds. In the United States, they’re estimated to kill over 350 million birds a year. An article by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology gives an overview of this issue and discusses several solutions. Of these, Acopian Bird Savers are probably one of the most elegant. This is an unobtrusive, low-tech design that consists of vertical rows of cords, spaced four inches apart, that hang from the outside of the window. You can make your own out of parachute cord or bamboo, or you can order them online.

Including different habitat features

Broadly speaking, all birds are associated with one or more of three general habitats: forest, prairie, or wetland. What habitats make up the larger landscape surrounding you? The answer to this question will shape the possibilities for your bird-friendly garden.

Is your home in the middle of a Douglas-fir forest, or is it in a valley-bottom subdivision? Clark’s nutcrackers probably won’t visit your garden unless you have patches of conifers close to you. Similarly, you probably won’t attract marsh wrens or Wilson’s snipes to your yard unless you live very close to a wetland. Meanwhile, many prairie birds need relatively large patches of grasses and herbs. So unless this describes the area around your house, you probably won’t have grasshopper sparrows or western meadowlarks in your yard. Many birds of thickets and forest edges, on the other hand, will readily use yards during migration or the breeding season. And, of course, there are a variety of birds that use more than one of these habitats.

In general, in order to make your yard more inviting for birds, it’s worth considering components of all three habitats: forest, prairie, and wetland. A small water feature probably won’t attract Wilson’s snipes – but, once again, a bit of water in the yard will allow birds to drink and bathe. A prairie patch the size of a front yard is unlikely to bring in grasshopper sparrows, but it will offer important seeds and insects for thicket-edge birds such as chipping sparrows. And patches of native shrubs or trees, such as chokecherries, provide food and cover for a wide diversity of migrating and nesting songbirds.

Why native plants?

You’ve probably noticed that I keep mentioning native plants for birds. Why does this matter? you might be wondering. Perhaps you’ve noticed that robins and Bohemian waxwings often eat the fruits of Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), a frequently-planted invasive that escapes from cultivation to compete with the cottonwoods and willows along our waterways. Or you might have noticed a house finch or pileated woodpecker pecking at an apple, another non-native fruit. 

Yes, there are non-native plants that certain birds will use. But, all things considered, native plants are far superior for our birds. Why? It comes down to food – and, specifically, insects. Doug Tallamy, a researcher who has spent decades studying birds and insects, writes that 96% of North American land birds rely heavily on insects during the breeding season. Soft, juicy caterpillars are especially important. And whereas native plants have coevolved with native insects, non-native plants are comparative deserts for insect diversity.

A non-native plant like Russian-olive may still provide fruits that feed a few species. But in comparison with a chokecherry or another native plant, it’s much less useful for most of our birds. If you want to attract an abundance of birds to your yard, then native plants are the way to go.

Okay, which plants should I plant for the birds? you’re probably asking. Here are some recommendations for western Montana, organized by the foods they provide.

Native plants for insects

What sorts of native plants provide our birds with the most insects? In order to give region-specific recommendations, Doug Tallamy and Kimberley Shropshire teamed up with the National Wildlife Federation to create an interactive website, searchable by zip code. For each zip code, this tool predicts the number of caterpillar species that different native plants will support. And in North America, it turns out, wherever you are, just a handful of native plants support most of the caterpillars.

Around Helena, Montana, willows are at the top of the list. These shrubs host up to 309 species of caterpillars – juicy protein packets to feed our nesting birds. Many of our native willows grow in wetlands, but Scouler’s willow (Salix scouleriana) and sandbar willow (Salix exigua) are common species that often grow in somewhat drier areas.

Cottonwoods and aspens are also high on the list, hosting up to 245 butterflies and moths. Among the cottonwoods are black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera) and plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides) – but keep in mind that these trees are notorious for dropping branches. Meanwhile, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forms thickets from underground rhizomes. For these reasons, cottonwoods and aspens are best-suited for larger yards. 

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and American plum (Prunus americana) are thicket-forming shrubs that are excellent for bird habitat. (They support up to 227 species of caterpillars – and check out this article for an exploration of other miniature insects that live on chokecherries.) However, if you live in an area with a high risk of bear conflicts, keep in mind that chokecherries and plums can attract bears when the fruits get ripe in the fall.

Birches, alders, and pines

Our native birches host 211 species of caterpillars. Water birch (Betula occidentalis) is a small tree that often grows along streams; paper birch (Betula papyrifera) gets much larger. And birches do more than just provide lots of insects. Their trunks (like those of cottonwoods and aspens) also make popular homes for cavity-nesting birds like black-capped chickadees and house wrens. (If you don’t want to wait for your trees to grow, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology also provides thorough instructions for nest box construction.) The related thinleaf alder (Alnus incana) is a large shrub or small tree that hosts 196 species of butterflies and moths.

Among the conifers, pines (Pinus spp.) are important for caterpillars, supporting up to 188 species. Around Helena, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis) are good options. However, keep in mind that they grow to be rather large trees. Also, depending on your surroundings, you might not want to plant them near your house due to fire risk.

Goldenrods, strawberries, and more

What about herbaceous plants? For caterpillars, goldenrod is at the top of the list, hosting 65 species. Common goldenrods in Montana include giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea), Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), and Missouri goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis). These plants are commonly blamed for late-summer allergies, but this is a myth: the culprits are typically ragweeds (Ambrosia spp.), which bloom around the same time.

Other herbs that support substantial numbers of butterflies and moths are native strawberries and sunflowers. Wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana and Fragaria vesca) are low-growing; they may not compete well with taller, more vigorous plants. Sunflowers, on the other hand, are both tall and vigorous. In Montana, common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an abundant annual that often grows along roadsides. We also have two common perennial species, Nuttall’s sunflower (Helianthus nuttallii) and Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani). 

Lupines and sagebrushes are also worthy of mention, supporting up to 40 and 35 species of caterpillars, respectively. Silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus) and silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus) are a couple of Montana’s common lupines. Sagebrushes are very diverse in Montana and include shrubs such as big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana) as well as herbs such as fringed sage (Artemisia frigida) and white sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana). 

Native plants for fruits

I’ve already mentioned chokecherry for the diversity of insects that it hosts. In addition to the insects, this shrub is also a phenomenal fall fruit resource for cedar waxwings, American robins, and many other birds. And besides chokecherry, there’s a wide selection of other native fruits that attract birds, from July onwards through the winter. Many of these plants also host a notable diversity of caterpillars (though they support fewer species of caterpillars than the shrubs and trees I’ve already mentioned).

Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) offers clusters of small white fruits from mid-summer through fall. Gray catbirds and white-crowned sparrows are among the birds that feed on them. This medium-sized shrub also has brilliant red fall foliage.

The native currants – such as golden currant (Ribes aureum) and bristly gooseberry (Ribes setosum) – are some of the earliest fruits to ripen in the summer. They provide a tasty snack for birds and people alike. Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is another popular summer fruit for cedar waxwings, western tanagers, and thrushes. 

Elderberry, snowberry, and more

Blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea) ripens in the fall, as does western mountain-ash (Sorbus scopulina). The snowberries – common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) – also ripen in the fall, but their fruits stick around through the winter. So do the wild roses, such as Woods’ rose (Rosa woodsii) and Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana). Silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) is a great fall fruit that sometimes remains through mid-winter. Note that this is a large, thorny bush, though, and separate male and female plants are needed for pollination.

Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) is a tall shrub that provides winter “berries” (actually fleshy cones) for Bohemian waxwings, Townsend’s solitaires, and American robins. Keep in mind that juniper, like silver buffaloberry, has separate male and female plants, so you’ll need both in your general area for pollination to occur. Juniper is also highly flammable – so it’s probably not a good idea to plant it in areas with high fire risk. Montana also has two lower-growing juniper species that provide options for smaller spaces: horizontal juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) and common juniper (Juniperus communis).

Native plants for seeds

Many birds – such as American goldfinches, American tree sparrows, and pine siskins – commonly feed on seeds. In the case of sparrows, it’s often hard to see exactly what they’re eating, since they feed on the ground. Nevertheless, a few seed-bearing plants are especially noteworthy for the birds they attract. Montana’s native sunflowers – the annual common sunflower and the perennial Nuttall’s and Maximilian sunflowers – reliably attract goldfinches and pine siskins when their seeds ripen in the fall. Our pines, such as ponderosa and limber pine, feed nomadic groups of conifer-seed specialists such as red crossbills and Clark’s nutcrackers. Thinleaf alder, water birch, and paper birch provide winter seeds that often attract common redpolls and pine siskins. And many other native plants, from asters to grasses, also produce seeds that various finches and sparrows may use.

Native plants for nectar

What about hummingbirds? These tiny, beloved hoverers often catch tiny insects – so providing habitat for insects is important to them, too. In addition, they’re well-known for their nectar-feeding habits. A variety of native plants with long, tubular flowers are popular hummingbird plants. These include orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa), yellow columbine (Aquilegia flavescens), scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), beebalm (Monarda fistulosa), and the penstemons. Among western Montana’s common penstemons are Alberta beardtongue (Penstemon albertinus), fuzzy-tongue penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus), and small-flower beardtongue (Penstemon procerus). In addition, some of the plants I’ve already mentioned for insects or fruits – such as golden currant – are popular nectar sources for hummingbirds.

Obtaining plants

Where can you find these plants? Some local nurseries, such as GardenWerks in Helena, carry a limited selection of native plants. In addition, I was able to find three retail nurseries in western and central Montana that offer a wide selection of natives: 

• Blake Nursery, Big Timber, MT: https://www.blakenursery.com/
• Center for Native Plants, Whitefish, MT: https://centerfornativeplants.com/
• Pipilo Native Plants, Charlo, MT: https://www.pipilonatives.com/

(A fourth nursery, Southwest Montana Native Landscapes, has unfortunately closed, though it still shows up on a Google search.)

To find out more, I contacted these nurseries and asked them which plants they stock, of those I list in this article. Find their responses here.

In addition to these retail nurseries, there are a few other commercial sources of native plants in western Montana. For larger projects, the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery and Great Bear Native Plants accept wholesale orders. And if you want to start your own plants, Native Ideals sells locally grown seeds for a variety of Montana species.

Note that certain nurseries that don’t specialize in native plants may “stretch” the concept of “native” to include species that aren’t from Montana. For example, Penstemon strictus is sometimes sold as a native plant, but it grows in the wild in the southern Rocky Mountains and doesn’t reach Montana. When in doubt, look a plant up on the Montana Natural Heritage Program’s Montana Field Guide to learn about its status in the state, or check out the Biota of North America Program’s county-level range maps. These maps are organized by genus and show the distribution, by county, of all wild and naturalized plants in the United States.

The bird-friendly garden

Is this a comprehensive list of all of the plants that are important for bird-friendly gardening in Montana? No! I’ve neglected to mention native maples (Acer spp.), raspberries (Rubus spp.), hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), and many others.

When it comes to growing habitat for birds, there are always more plants you can add. But even if you do nothing more than add a patch of chokecherries and a handful of goldenrods to your yard, where previously there was just lawn, you’ll have made a good start. As the chokecherries leaf out in the spring, wait for the yellow-rumped warblers to appear, hunting insects. When the fruits ripen in the fall, look for the flocks of cedar waxwings and robins. And if you have the space in your yard to include all of the plants I’ve mentioned here, along with a water source… in a few years, your yard will be a paradise for birds.

This story was produced with support from the Gold Country Master Gardener Association.

Further reading

Acopian Bird Savers: prevent birds from flying into windows. Retrieved from https://www.birdsavers.com/

American Bird Conservancy. (2013, January 29). Outdoor cats: single greatest source of human-caused mortality for birds and mammals, says new study. Retrieved from https://abcbirds.org/news/outdoor-cats-single-greatest-source-of-human-caused-mortality-for-birds-and-mammals-says-new-study/

Biota of North America Program. (2014). BONAP’s North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Retrieved from http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Traditional/County

Center for Native Plants. (n.d.) Our most bird friendly species. Retrieved from https://centerfornativeplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cnp_plantselection_birds-1.pdf

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2016, December 5). FAQ: Outdoor cats and their effects on birds. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/faq-outdoor-cats-and-their-effects-on-birds/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2023). All about birdhouses. Retrieved from https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2023, February 24). Why birds hit windows – and how you can help prevent it. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/

Friends of the Mississippi River. (2022). Goldenrod or ragweed: which causes allergies and which benefits pollinators? Retrieved from https://fmr.org/updates/conservation/goldenrod-or-ragweed-which-causes-allergies-and-which-benefits-pollinators

Loss, S.R., Will, T., Loss, S.S., & Marra, P.P. (2014). Bird-building collisions in the United States: estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. The Condor 116(1):8-23. Retrieved from https://bioone.org/journals/the-condor/volume-116/issue-1/CONDOR-13-090.1/Birdbuilding-collisions-in-the-United-States–Estimates-of-annual/10.1650/CONDOR-13-090.1.full

Montana Natural Heritage Program. (n.d.). Montana Field Guide. Montana State Library. Retrieved from https://fieldguide.mt.gov/default.aspx

Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W., & Shropshire, K.J. (2020). Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species. Nature Communications 11:5751. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345818119_Few_keystone_plant_genera_support_the_majority_of_Lepidoptera_species

National Wildlife Federation. (2023). Native plants (by zip code). Retrieved from https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants

Rosenberg, K.V., Dokter, A.M., Blancher, P.J., Sauer, J.R., Smith, A.C., Smith, P.A., … Marra, P.P. (2019). Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 366:120-124. Retrieved from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DECLINE-OF-NORTH-AMERICAN-AVIFAUNA-SCIENCE-2019.pdf

Sánchez-Bayo, F. & Wyckhuys, K.A.G. (2019). Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: a review of its drivers. Biological Conservation 232: 8-27. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718313636

Smallwood, J.A. & Bird, D.M. (2020). American kestrel (Falco sparverius), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A.F. Poole & F.B. Gill, editors). Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/amekes/cur/introduction

Tallamy, D.W. (2019). Nature’s best hope: a new approach to conservation that starts in your yard. Portland, OR: Timber Press.

The post How to grow a bird-friendly garden in western Montana appeared first on Wild With Nature.

Cuando comparas las aves de un césped cortado con las que viven en un parche de capulines (Prunus virginiana), la diferencia es fuerte. Tal vez el césped mantendría a unos estorninos pintos (Sturnus vulgaris) y mirlos primavera (Turdus migratorius). Es posible que, al final de la migración primaveral, unos desesperados zorzales de anteojos (Catharus ustulatus) pudieran pasar por ahí.

Los capulines, por otro lado, mantienen una intrincada comunidad de vida, desde la mariposa cometa xochiquetzal (Papilio multicaudata) hasta docenas de especies de aves. Cuando las frutas maduran a ser jugosas y de color negro profundo al final del verano, atraen chinitos (Bombycilla cedrorum), clarines norteños (Myadestes townsendii), pirangas capucha roja (Piranga ludoviciana), mirlos primavera y pinzones mexicanos (Haemorhous mexicanus). Por otra parte, a través de la estación de crecimiento, las hojas mantienen diversos insectos – y las aves que los comen. Puedes ver chipes corona negra (Cardellina pusilla) revoloteando por las hojas, así como reyezuelos matraquita (Regulus calendula), chipes rabadilla amarilla (Setophaga coronata) y vireos gorjeadores (Vireo gilvus).

Cuando consideramos la diversidad de la vida cerca de nosotros, es fácil ver varias malas noticias en esa época. Durante los últimos 50 años, hemos perdido 2,9 mil millones de aves reproductoras en Norteamérica. A la vez, científicos en varias partes del mundo han reportado declives rápidos de insectos que solían ser comunes. Sin embargo, al tomar algunas simples decisiones sobre lo que vamos a cultivar en nuestros jardines, podemos contribuir en revertir estas tendencias. En nuestros jardines, parques y vecindarios, podemos proveer hogares para las aves, las abejas y las orugas. Y hacerlo no sólo tiene que ver con evitar extinciones – también es algo muy divertido.

Este artículo se enfoca en las plantas que podemos cultivar para las aves en la mitad occidental de Montana, EE.UU. Si vives en otra región, las plantas específicas serán diferentes, pero las recomendaciones generales serán las mismas.

Empezando: el hábitat para las aves

Cada especie de ave tiene su propia historia de vida. Los hábitats que usa, dónde anida, si emigra o no – todo esto varía. Sin embargo, todas las aves necesitan comida, abrigo, agua y seguridad contra los depredadores. Las plantas – en concreto, especies particulares de plantas nativas al paisaje local – ofrecen buena comida y abrigo. Pero antes de que pongamos atención a los detalles de estas plantas, consideremos el agua y los depredadores.

Algunas aves, como los cernícalos americanos (Falco sparverius), pueden conseguir en su comida más o menos toda la humedad que necesitan. El resto de las aves tienen que beber agua. Si incluyes una provisión de agua en tu jardín, tal como un baño de aves que limpias regularmente o un humedal pequeño, puedes atraer las aves a beber o bañarse.

Ten cuidado con los depredadores

¿Qué hay de los depredadores en nuestros jardines? Los gatos domésticos al aire libre pueden ser increíblemente letales para las aves cantoras en los vecindarios. Sólo en los Estados Unidos, los gatos domésticos matan a más de mil millones de aves cada año. Este número es tan grande que es casi inimaginable. No obstante, hay muchos gatos domésticos al aire libre en los Estados Unidos: cerca de 50 millones como mascotas, además de hasta 100 millones de gatos ferales. Manejar estos gatos, especialmente los ferales, puede ser un asunto de disputa. Pero mantener tus propios gatos dentro de la casa es un paso relativamente fácil. Haciendo esto, vas a hacer que tu jardín no sea una trampa letal para las aves cantoras.

Las ventanas no son depredadores, pero son otro letal peligro para las aves cantoras en el vecindario. En los Estados Unidos, se estima que matan más de 350 millones de aves cada año. Un artículo por el Cornell Lab of Ornithology resume este tema y presenta algunas soluciones. De estas, probablemente los Salvapájaros Acopianos son una de las más elegantes. Este discreto diseño de baja tecnología consiste en hileras verticales de cuerdas, separadas por cuatro pulgadas, que cuelgan del exterior de una ventana. Puedes construirlos por ti mismo usando cualquier cuerda o bambú, o puedes comprarlos en línea.

Incluyendo características de hábitats diferentes

Hablando en general, todas las aves están asociadas con uno o más de tres grandes hábitats: el bosque, la pradera o el humedal. ¿Cuáles de estos hábitats forman el paisaje cerca de ti? La respuesta a esta pregunta va a influir en las posibilidades para tu jardín para las aves.

¿Vives en el medio de un bosque del ayarín (Pseudotsuga menziesii), o en una zona residencial en el valle? Los cascanueces americanos (Nucifraga columbiana) probablemente no vayan a visitar tu jardín a menos que tengas parches de coníferos cerca de ti. Igualmente, es probable que no vayas a atraer ni saltaparedes pantaneros (Cistothorus palustris) ni agachonas norteamericanas (Gallinago delicata) a menos que vivas cerca de un humedal.

Por otra parte, la mayoría de las aves que viven en las praderas necesitan relativamente amplios espacios abiertos con gramíneas y hierbas. Por eso, a menos que esto describa el área cerca de tu casa, es probable que no tendrás gorriones chapulín (Ammodramus savannarum) ni praderos del oeste (Sturnella neglecta) en tu jardín. Mientras tanto, varias aves de matorrales o de los bordes de los bosques sí usarán jardines durante la migración o la estación reproductiva. Y, por supuesto, hay varias especies que usan más de uno de estos hábitats.

Generalmente, para hacer que tu jardín invite más a las aves, vale considerar componentes de estos tres hábitats: el bosque, la pradera y el humedal. Es poco probable que un estanque pequeño atraerá las agachonas norteamericanas – pero, otra vez, el agua hará que las aves puedan beber y bañarse. Tampoco es probable que un pequeño parche de pradera mantendrá a gorriones chapulín, pero ofrecerá importantes semillas e insectos a las aves del borde del matorral, tales como los gorriones cejas blancas (Spizella passerina). Y los parches de nativos árboles y arbustos, como los capulines, van a proveer comida y abrigo para diversas aves migratorias y reproductivas.

¿Por qué las plantas nativas?

Probablemente te hayas dado cuenta de que sigo mencionando las plantas nativas para las aves. ¿Por qué eso sería importante? podrías preguntarte. Tal vez hayas notado que los mirlos primavera y los ampelis europeos (Bombycilla garrulus) suelen comer las frutas del árbol del paraíso (Elaeagnus angustifolia), una planta invasora frecuentemente cultivada que a menudo escapa del cultivo para competir contra los álamos y sauces nativos en nuestras riberas. O quizás hayas observado un pinzón mexicano (Haemorhous mexicanus) o un picamaderos norteamericano (Dryocopus pileatus) picoteando una manzana – otra fruta no nativa.

Sí, claro que hay plantas no nativas que algunas aves usarán. Pero en conjunto, las plantas nativas son bastante superiores para nuestras aves. ¿Por qué? Tiene que ver con la comida – y específicamente, los insectos. Doug Tallamy, un investigador que ha pasado décadas estudiando las aves y los insectos, escribe que el 96% de las aves terrestres norteamericanas depende muchísimo de los insectos durante la estación reproductiva. Las orugas blandas y jugosas son especialmente importantes. Y mientras que las plantas nativas han coevolucionado con los insectos nativos, en comparación las plantas no nativas son un desierto para la diversidad de insectos.

Puede ser que una planta no nativa como el árbol del paraíso siga proveyendo frutas que alimenten algunas especies. Pero comparado con un capulín u otra planta nativa, es mucho menos útil para la mayoría de nuestras aves. Si quieres atraer una abundancia de aves a tu jardín, las plantas nativas te ayudarán mucho.

Dale, ¿cuáles especies debo plantar para las aves? podrías estar preguntando. Acá están algunas recomendaciones para el occidente de Montana, organizadas según los tipos de alimento que proveen.

Plantas nativas para los insectos

¿Cuáles plantas nativas les proveen la mayor cantidad de insectos a nuestras aves? Para hacer recomendaciones para regiones diferentes, Doug Tallamy y Kimberley Shropshire colaboraron con el National Wildlife Federation para crear un sitio web interactivo que se puede buscar por el código postal. Por cada código postal, esta herramienta predice cuántas especies de orugas cada planta nativa mantendrá. Y resulta que, en cualquier región de Norteamérica en la que estés, solamente unas especies de plantas nativas mantienen la mayoría de las orugas.

Cerca de Helena, Montana, los sauces (Salix spp.) encabezan la lista. Estos arbustos acogen hasta 309 especies de orugas – jugosos sacos de proteína para alimentar nuestras aves reproductivas. Muchos de nuestros sauces nativos crecen en humedales, pero Salix scouleriana y Salix exigua son especies comunes que suelen crecer en áreas más secas.

Los álamos (Populus spp.) también son muy importantes para las orugas, manteniendo hasta 245 especies. Entre ellos están las especies Populus balsamifera y Populus deltoides – pero fíjate en que estos árboles son reconocidos por caersele las ramas. Otra opción es el álamo temblón (Populus tremuloides), pero esta especie forma matorrales por sus rizomas subterráneos. Por estas razones, los álamos son más apropiados en espacios grandes.

El capulín (Prunus virginiana) y la ciruela americana (Prunus americana) forman matorrales y son arbustos excelentes para el hábitat de las aves. (Albergan hasta 227 especies de orugas – y ve este artículo por una exploración de los otros minúsculos insectos que viven en los capulines). Sin embargo, si vives en un área con alto riesgo de conflictos con los osos, fíjate en que los capulines y las ciruelas pueden atraer osos cuando las frutas maduran en el otoño.

Abedules, alisos y pinos

Nuestros abedules nativos (Betula spp.) mantienen 211 especies de orugas. La Betula occidentalis es un árbol pequeño que suele crecer al lado de los arroyos; la Betula papyrifera es un árbol mucho más grande. Y los abedules hacen mucho más que sólo proveer un montón de insectos. Sus troncos (como los de los álamos) son sitios populares para los nidos de las aves que anidan en cavidades, tales como los carboneros cabecinegros (Poecile atricapillus) o los saltaparedes comunes (Troglodytes aedon). (Si no quieres esperar hasta que tus árboles crezcan, el Cornell Lab of Ornithology también provee instrucciones detalladas de montaje para las cajas nido). Además de los abedules, el aliso gris (Alnus incana), una especie pariente, es un arbusto grande o un árbol pequeño que mantiene 196 especies de orugas.

Entre los coníferos, los pinos (Pinus spp.) son importantes para las orugas, alojando hasta 188 especies. Cerca de Helena, la Pinus ponderosa y la Pinus flexilis son opciones buenas. Sin embargo, recuerda que crecen para ser árboles bastante grandes. También, dependiendo de tus alrededores, podría ser que no quieras plantarlos cerca de tu casa por el riesgo de incendios.

Varas de oro, fresas y más

Y ¿qué tal las plantas herbáceas? Para las orugas, la vara de oro (Solidago spp.) encabeza la lista, albergando 65 especies. Varas de oro comunes en Montana incluyen Solidago gigantea, Solidago canadensis y Solidago missouriensis. A menudo se culpan estas plantas por alergias al fin del verano, pero esto es un mito: típicamente los culpables son las plantas del género Ambrosia, que florecen a la misma vez.

Otras hierbas que mantienen números grandes de mariposas y polillas incluyen las nativas fresas y girasoles. Las fresas (Fragaria virginiana y Fragaria vesca) se mantienen bajas; puede ser que no compitan bien con plantas más altas y vigorosas. Los girasoles, al otro lado, son tanto altos como vigorosos. En Montana, el girasol común (Helianthus annuus) es una abundante planta anual que suele crecer al lado de las carreteras. También tenemos dos especies perennes comunes, Helianthus nuttallii y Helianthus maximiliani.

También cabe mencionar los lupinos y las artemisas, que respectivamente alojan 40 y 35 especies de orugas. Algunos de los lupinos comunes en Montana son Lupinus argenteus y Lupinus sericeus. Las artemisas son muy diversas en Montana e incluyen tanto arbustos, entre ellos la Artemisia tridentata o la Artemisia cana, como hierbas, por ejemplo la Artemisia frigida o la Artemisia ludoviciana.

Plantas nativas para proveer frutas

Ya he mencionado que el capulín mantiene una diversidad de insectos. Además de los insectos, este arbusto también provee frutas. En el otoño, el capulín es un recurso fenomenal para los chinitos, los mirlos primavera y muchas otras aves. Y además del capulín, hay una amplia variedad de otras frutas nativas que atraen las aves, desde julio hasta el invierno. Muchas de estas plantas también albergan una diversidad notable de orugas (aunque apoyan menos especies de orugas que los árboles y arbustos que ya he mencionado).

La Cornus sericea ofrece manojos de pequeñas frutas blancas desde medio verano hasta el otoño. Los maulladores grises (Dumetella caroliniensis) y los gorriones corona blanca (Zonotrichia leucophrys) están entre las aves que las comen. Este arbusto de media altura también tiene un llamativo follaje otoñal de rojo oscuro.

Las grosellas nativas – tales como el Ribes aureum o el Ribes setosum – son algunas de las frutas más tempranas al madurar en el verano. Ofrecen una merienda sabrosa, tanto para las aves como para gente. El guillomo (Amelanchier alnifolia) es otra querida fruta veraniega para los chinitos, las pirangas capucha roja y los zorzales.

Saúcos, perlitas y más

Las frutas del saúco azul (Sambucus cerulea) maduran en el otoño, así como las del serbal (Sorbus scopulina). Las bayas de las perlitas – Symphoricarpos albus y Symphoricarpos occidentalis – también maduran en el otoño, pero siguen siendo disponible a través del invierno. Esto es el caso también por los rosales, tales como Rosa woodsii y Rosa nutkana. El arbusto Shepherdia argentea es otra buena especie cuyas frutas a veces permanecen hasta medio invierno. Sin embargo, nota que este arbusto es grande y espinoso, y se necesita distintas hembras y machos para polinizarlo.

El enebro Juniperus scopulorum es un arbusto de gran altura que provee “bayas” invernales (las cuales realmente son piñas carnosas) para los ampelis europeos, los clarines norteños y los mirlos primavera. Fíjate en que el enebro, así como la Shepherdia argentea, tiene distintas hembras y machos: vas a necesitar los dos en tu área general para que la polinización ocurra. Además, el enebro es altamente inflamable – así que probablemente sería una mala idea plantarlo en áreas con alto riesgo de incendios. Montana también tiene dos enebros de más baja altura, el Juniperus horizontalis y el Juniperus communis, que proveen opciones para espacios más pequeños.

Plantas nativas para proveer semillas

Varias aves – como los jilgueritos canarios (Spinus tristis), los jilgueritos pineros (Spinus pinus), los chingolos arbóreos (Spizelloides arborea) y otros gorriones – a menudo se alimentan de semillas. En el caso de los gorriones, generalmente es difícil ver exactamente lo que comen, dado que suelen alimentarse en el suelo. No obstante, algunas plantas son especialmente notables por las aves que sus semillas atraen.

Los girasoles en Montana – el anual Helianthus annuus y los perennes Helianthus nuttallii y Helianthus maximiliani – atraen de forma fiable los jilgueritos canario y pinero cuando sus semillas maduran en el otoño. Nuestros pinos, como la Pinus ponderosa o la Pinus flexilis, mantienen grupos errantes de aves que se especializan en las semillas coníferas, incluso el picotuerto rojo (Loxia curvirostra) y el cascanueces americano. El aliso gris y los abedules proveen semillas invernales que suelen alimentar los pardillos norteños (Acanthis flammea) y los jilgueritos pineros. Y varias otras plantas nativas, desde las asteráceas hasta las gramíneas, también producen semillas que varios pinzones y gorriones pueden usar.

Plantas nativas para proveer néctar

¿Qué tal los colibrís? Estas minúsculas y queridas aves suelen cazar insectos diminutos. Por eso, plantar el hábitat para los insectos les importa a los colibrís también. Además, son bien conocidos por su predilección por alimentarse con néctar. Varias plantas nativas con flores largas y cilíndricas son populares con los colibrís. Entre ellas están la Lonicera ciliosa, la Aquilegia flavescens, la Ipomopsis aggregata, la Monarda fistulosa y las campanitas (Penstemon spp.). Las campanitas comunes del occidente de Montana incluyen el Penstemon albertinus, el Penstemon eriantherus y el Penstemon procerus. Además, algunas de las plantas que ya he mencionado por los insectos o las frutas – como la grosella Ribes aureum – son fuentes populares de néctar para los colibrís. 

Cómo obtener plantas

¿Dónde puedes encontrar estas plantas? Algunos viveros locales, como GardenWerks en Helena, tienen una variedad limitada de plantas nativas. Además, logré hallar tres viveros minoristas en la parte occidental o central de Montana que ofrecen una amplia variedad de plantas nativas:

• Blake Nursery, Big Timber, MT: https://www.blakenursery.com/
• Center for Native Plants, Whitefish, MT: https://centerfornativeplants.com/
• Pipilo Native Plants, Charlo, MT: https://www.pipilonatives.com/

(Un cuarto vivero, Southwest Montana Native Landscapes, lamentablemente ha cerrado, aunque todavía parece en una búsqueda de Google.)

Para aprender más, me puse en contacto con estos viveros y les pregunté cuáles plantas tienen, de las que he mencionado en este artículo. Encuentra sus respuestas aquí.

Además de estos viveros minoristas, hay unas fuentes comerciales adicionales para plantas nativas en el occidente de Montana. Para proyectos grandes, el Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery y Great Bear Native Plants aceptan pedidos mayoristas. Y si quieres germinar tus propias semillas, Native Ideals vende semillas localmente cultivadas por una variedad de especies nativas a Montana.

Fíjate en que algunos viveros que no se especializan en plantas nativas a veces “extenden” el concepto de “nativo” para incluir especies que no son realmente nativas a Montana. Por ejemplo, a veces se vende Penstemon strictus como una planta nativa, pero esta especie existe en estado salvaje sólo en el sur de las Montañas Rocosas y no llega a Montana. Si hay alguna duda sobre una especie, búscala en el Montana Field Guide del Montana Natural Heritage Program para aprender más sobre su situación en el estado, o revisa los mapas al nivel del condado presentados por el Biota of North America Program. Estos mapas se organizan por el género de planta y muestran la extensión, al nivel del condado, en la que reside cada planta salvaje o naturalizada en los Estados Unidos.

El jardín para las aves

¿Es esto una lista completa de todas las plantas que serían importantes para cultivar un jardín para las aves en Montana? ¡Claro que no! No he mencionado los arces nativos (Acer spp.), ni las frambuesas (Rubus spp.), ni los espinos (Crataegus spp.) ni muchos otros.

Si queremos cultivar un buen hábitat para las aves, siempre habrá más plantas que podemos añadir. Pero aun si no hicieras nada más que plantar un parche de capulines y unas varas de oro donde antes sólo había un césped cortado, habrás empezado bien. Mientras los capulines abran sus hojas en la primavera, espera hasta que los chipes rabadilla amarilla aparezcan, cazando insectos. Cuando las frutas maduren en el otoño, busca las bandadas de chinitos y mirlos primavera. Y si tienes espacio en tu jardín para incluir todas las plantas que he mencionado acá… en pocos años, tu jardín será un paraíso para las aves.

Esta historia fue producida con apoyo de la Gold Country Master Gardener Association.

Leer más

Acopian Bird Savers: prevent birds from flying into windows. Recuperado de https://www.birdsavers.com/

American Bird Conservancy. (2013, el 29 de enero). Outdoor cats: single greatest source of human-caused mortality for birds and mammals, says new study. Recuperado de https://abcbirds.org/news/outdoor-cats-single-greatest-source-of-human-caused-mortality-for-birds-and-mammals-says-new-study/

Biota of North America Program. (2014). BONAP’s North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Recuperado de http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Traditional/County

Center for Native Plants. (sin fecha). Our most bird friendly species. Recuperado de https://centerfornativeplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cnp_plantselection_birds-1.pdf

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2016, el 5 de diciembre). FAQ: Outdoor cats and their effects on birds. Recuperado de https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/faq-outdoor-cats-and-their-effects-on-birds/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2023). All about birdhouses. Recuperado de https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2023, el 24 de febrero). Why birds hits windows – and how you can help prevent it. Recuperado de https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/

Friends of the Mississippi River. (2022). Goldenrod or ragweed: which causes allergies and which benefits pollinators? Recuperado de https://fmr.org/updates/conservation/goldenrod-or-ragweed-which-causes-allergies-and-which-benefits-pollinators

Loss, S.R., Will, T., Loss, S.S., & Marra, P.P. (2014). Bird-building collisions in the United States: estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. The Condor 116(1):8-23. Recuperado de https://bioone.org/journals/the-condor/volume-116/issue-1/CONDOR-13-090.1/Birdbuilding-collisions-in-the-United-States–Estimates-of-annual/10.1650/CONDOR-13-090.1.full

Montana Natural Heritage Program. (sin fecha). Montana Field Guide. Montana State Library. Recuperado de https://fieldguide.mt.gov/default.aspx

Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W., & Shropshire, K.J. (2020). Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species. Nature Communications 11:5751. Recuperado de https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345818119_Few_keystone_plant_genera_support_the_majority_of_Lepidoptera_species

National Wildlife Federation. (2023). Native plants (by zip code). Recuperado de https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants

Rosenberg, K.V., Dokter, A.M., Blancher, P.J., Sauer, J.R., Smith, A.C., Smith, P.A., … Marra, P.P. (2019). Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 366:120-124. Recuperado de https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DECLINE-OF-NORTH-AMERICAN-AVIFAUNA-SCIENCE-2019.pdf

Sánchez-Bayo, F. & Wyckhuys, K.A.G. (2019). Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: a review of its drivers. Biological Conservation 232: 8-27. Recuperado de https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718313636

Smallwood, J.A. & Bird, D.M. (2020). American kestrel (Falco sparverius), versión 1.0. En Birds of the World (A.F. Poole & F.B. Gill, editores). Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Recuperado de https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/amekes/cur/introduction

Tallamy, D.W. (2019). Nature’s best hope: a new approach to conservation that starts in your yard. Portland, OR: Timber Press.

The post Cómo cultivar un jardín para las aves en el occidente de Montana appeared first on Wild With Nature.

September 7, 2022

If you’re familiar with the Carroll College campus, you’ve probably walked past it countless times. It’s a small, bushy patch of plants in front of the Corette Library, spilling exuberantly onto the sidewalk. A bunch of plants, you’re probably saying: who cares? But these plants are special. They’re from the wild, members of Montana’s native flora. And here in the heart of the city, this garden is supporting a bunch of interesting wildlife.

When you think of Montana’s wildlife, you probably think of elk, grizzly bears, bison, and sandhill cranes. And no, I’m not suggesting that you’re likely to find grizzly bears or elk stopping in front of the Corette Library. To see the wildlife in this garden, we just have to think smaller. Take bees, for instance. Among Montana’s wildlife, there are at least 399 species of bees – and that’s just bees! Besides bees, there are countless flies; colorful and harmless wasps; various spiders… To see our state’s mini wildlife, all we need is a change of perspective and a bit of patience.

So what creatures are there in this native plant garden? This article is a teaser: an introduction to the garden, a guide to some of its plants, and a few snippets about some of the creatures here. Later this winter, watch for a follow-up article where I’ll identify all of these creatures and look at what they’re actually doing here.

Planting the garden

The Carroll College native plant garden got its start in 2012. Carroll Grounds staff and many volunteers helped plant 32 species of native plants in this little patch in front of the library. It was an effort that involved the larger Helena community, too, with funding from Last Chance Audubon Society and the Kelsey Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society.

For several years, the Carroll community continued to watch the garden, producing a report every fall on how the plants were faring. But by 2018, when I began taking classes at Carroll, it seemed that interest in the garden had waned. Unless you were one of the people involved in planting it back in 2012, it would have been easy to walk past without recognizing the garden.

The plants

But recognized or not, the plants have persisted. Ten years from its original planting, the Carroll native plant garden continues to thrive. Which plants are growing here? Let’s meet a few of the most prominent ones.

Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

Recognize showy milkweed in the garden by its lush, velvety leaves, each pair placed opposite each other on the stem. In the fall, look for the strange seed capsules, covered with warty bumps. As they dry out, they’ll release hundreds of flattened brown seeds, each attached to a white tuft of silk. The fall winds scatter the seeds to new sites. 

Showy milkweed is the plant that feeds the larvae of the well-known, rapidly-declining monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus). This summer, I found a monarch caterpillar feeding on a showy milkweed patch in the Helena Valley. Are there any at Carroll College, as well? If you’re around next summer and you spot some, let me know!

Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)

It’s hard to miss these bushes in the fall, when their narrow gray leaves are overtopped by masses of soft yellow flowers. And today, a crowd of honeybees are busy having lunch here. They’re constantly moving from one flower to the next, burying their heads deep within the bright yellow corollas. But it’s not just honeybees – with a closer look, it’s possible to find a surprising diversity of insects on these flowers.

Blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea)

The tallest shrub in the garden, recognize blue elderberry by its clusters of powdery, whitish-blue berries. If this bush were growing a few miles outside of town, I’d be expecting black bears or grizzly bears to come in and strip these juicy fruits. Here in the middle of Helena, watch for robins, cedar waxwings, or other fruit-eating birds to come and harvest the bounty.

Lewis’s flax (Linum lewisii)

The leaves of Lewis’s flax are delicate and easy to overlook, but the flowers are hard to miss. They’re flat, showy, five-petaled blue blooms. This is a common grassland species across Montana, and it can flower for months through the summer. The fruits look like miniature tan pumpkins. Watch for a variety of small bees on these flowers.

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Oops! This prickly plant, with its feathery pink flowers and fluffier tufts of seeds, isn’t native to Montana. And why someone decided to name it “Canada thistle,” I don’t know: it’s actually native to southeastern Europe. This plant is a “weed” that has crept into the native plant garden uninvited. But as long as it’s here, it is providing some habitat for wildlife. I spot an orange hoverfly, camouflaged to resemble a honeybee, visiting the thistle flowers.

Wood’s rose (Rosa woodsii)

Back to the plants that are “supposed” to be here. In this garden, Wood’s rose is easy to identify: just look for a rose bush with lots of red fruits and spaced-out prickles along the stems. When it’s flowering in June, Wood’s rose is a magnet for pollinators. And will any birds come to the garden this winter to eat the fruits? Let me know if you see any!

Common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

Its leaves look like mouse ears and they’re arranged in pairs on the stem, just like showy milkweed. The flowers are tiny pink bells. By the winter, if they get pollinated, they’ll be replaced by globe-shaped, waxy white fruits. Watch for bumblebees and striking, spiny-haired flies visiting these flowers. In wilder parts of Montana, these bushes provide excellent cover and nesting sites for songbirds such as lazuli buntings. 

Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)

This plant is similar to the sunflowers that farmers grow for birdseed and Spitz snacks – but while those sunflowers must grow from seed each year, Maximilian sunflower plants are perennials that live for multiple years. The flowers are smaller, too. But just like the annual sunflowers that produce birdseed, these plants can attract quite a diversity of wildlife to the garden. Some species of bees are specialists on sunflowers. And once the flowers fade and the seeds get ripe, watch for American goldfinches coming in to feed on them. 

The wildlife

Plants, plants, plants, you may be thinking – what about the wildlife? Here’s a quick sketch. Note that this is all just from a couple of hours in the garden on one fall morning, September 7, 2022. As the weather and the plants change through the year, the wildlife you could see here is going to change, too. 

The honeybees are everywhere this morning. There are hundreds of them, hungrily visiting the rabbitbrush flowers. It’s like lunchtime at the STAC [the Carroll College dining hall, for those who may not know], honeybee-style. And the honeybees aren’t the only wildlife on the rabbitbrush today. Several bumblebees join them in the flower-feeding frenzy. (These may be Hunt’s bumblebees, Bombus huntii.) There are also a few woodland skippers (Ochlodes sylvanoides), triangular orange butterflies prone to rapid escape flights when disturbed.

A few grasshoppers are resting on the snowberry leaves and the rabbitbrush flowers, taking a break from chewing holes in plant leaves. And then – what’s that? A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) has built her web in the shade of a rabbitbrush bush. And in her web, lightly mummified in silk, is a grasshopper. Chewing holes in the garden plants has its risks!

Carroll College’s tinier wildlife

Some of the other wildlife in the garden today are harder to see. But I’m looking closely – and I’ve got an insect net with me. I’ll be collecting specimens of some of these harder-to-identify creatures – and once I’ve learned more about them in the lab, I’ll be able to share their stories in depth this winter. I spot several solitary wasps on the rabbitbrush flowers. They’re black with yellow lines across the abdomen. Much smaller than yellowjackets, they’re also much less aggressive. You probably wouldn’t notice them unless you were looking.

There’s a fuzzy bee fly with dark wings on the rabbitbrush. Another has wings that are entirely clear. I spot a white-haired bee with long antennae. Another bee is small with white lines across its abdomen. A large black wasp with a narrow waist is investigating the rabbitbrush leaves, and nearby a brilliant green fly is resting. Several hoverflies that mimic honeybees are visiting the rabbitbrush and Canada thistle blooms. A tiny wasp with a long ovipositor takes off from the rabbitbrush, while a spiny black fly lands on a snowberry flower.

In roughly an hour of watching and netting, I collect 15 insect specimens. It’s a sample of just a few of the species of wildlife that this garden is supporting today. This winter, watch for more details about these particular insects.

Sed vitae

And in the meanwhile, if you ever need a break from your daily routine, consider stopping by the Carroll College native plant garden. You probably won’t see grizzly bears or bison here. But you’re very likely to see a few of Montana’s smaller wildlife – creatures that are around us all the time, but that we may not know as well as the large mammals. 

Ten years ago, Carroll College and the community came together with foresight to plant this garden. Perhaps a bit forgotten, it’s still an educational resource, a complex world in miniature, and a reservoir of biodiversity in a time when biodiversity is rapidly declining across the globe. It’s a place that we, the community, created – a place that’s full of life. Quiet and unadvertised, but in plain sight for all of us to appreciate, it’s a silent testament to the Carroll College motto: non scholae, sed vitae. And indeed, this garden in front of the Corette Library is a place that’s for life.

Further reading

Wilson, J.S. & Carril, O.M. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America’s bees. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

The post Montana’s mini wildlife in the Carroll College native plant garden appeared first on Wild With Nature.

August 18, 2022

Sometimes, a day in the field doesn’t go as planned. I had started out this morning thinking that it would be a pollinator identification day. The setting: Carol “Kate” Wilburn’s urban Missoula yard. Since 2019, Kate has been converting her lawn into a garden packed with fruit trees and wildflowers. There are apples, currants, peaches, and apricots growing with dozens of species of native plants. She wants to have a yard where she can grow food, create wildlife habitat, and hold educational programs. Today, I wanted to take a look at the wildlife habitat. In a cityscape dominated by asphalt and houses, what creatures show up when we plant native plants?

In spite of the summer’s heat, Kate’s yard has been a profusion of flowers this year. At this season, there are five plants in particular that stand out: purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve), Rocky Mountain beeplant (Cleome serrulata), Missouri goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis), and Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani). When I arrived here and saw this palette of pink, purple, and yellow, several questions came to mind. How much diversity could we find here? What patterns would we see?

Kate is not just an avid gardener, but also my mom. We’ve been talking for months about doing a blog post on the insects in her yard. It seemed like a great opportunity to combine a visit with a check-up on her garden. Were the native plants really providing habitat for lots of insects here, as we hoped?

The best-laid plans

The plan for this field day was simple. We would spend time focusing on each of these five plants, observing patterns of insect activity. We would also catch some of the representative flower visitors, sneaking up on them and popping them quickly into plastic vials. Just like I did with bumblebees last month, we would put the vials on ice in a cooler to let the insects chill. Then we would take photos of the chilled insects, identify them, and let them fly off.

The day was already hot when we started, with the sun near its zenith and the temperature climbing rapidly toward the 90s. We began with the purple coneflower. The insect-catching went well. Within 15 or 20 minutes, we had an assortment of bumblebees and orange skippers in plastic vials.

It was at the “identify them” stage that the plan started to go awry. Whether it’s a fluke of nature or some malicious taxonomic conspiracy, it seems that for every common species of skipper butterfly (family Hesperiidae), there is at least one other that looks nearly identical. We spent most of an hour cross-checking two different field guides, maneuvering recalcitrant skippers in a butterfly viewing cage, and debating. Eventually, we decided that the butterflies we were seeing were all a common, remarkably variable species, the woodland skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides).

Bees and their identification

Then it was on to the bumblebees – and they weren’t much better. The identification keys I have require females, but most of these bumblebees were males. We tentatively identified them as Hunt’s bumblebees (Bombus huntii), but we couldn’t be sure.

We finally came upon a female bumblebee, her abdomen mostly black with a yellow band at the base. This one would be straightforward, I thought! The cheek length of a bumblebee is both one of the most important characters for identification, and also one of the most difficult to discern. Quite sure that I was seeing a cheek that was as long as wide, I reached a dead end in the key. Perhaps it was slightly shorter than wide? Or slightly longer than wide? She was already warming up and beginning to wiggle. I took various photos and let her fly off, hoping that in the future I might learn to identify her.

Then it came time to look at an even-smaller bee, her hind legs coated in pollen. I flipped to the right page in my identification guide and took her off of the ice. Almost immediately, she began to twitch and wake up. I only had time to get a few photos and admire her briefly before she flew off. I looked back at the key, feeling defeated. Did she have just one subantennal suture or two? Was her tongue long or short? Forget it! Maybe this is why bee biologists usually work with specimens, I thought.

Too much

I needed to adjust my expectations. Clearly, identifying all of these insects in the field was way more than we could reasonably achieve today. So instead, we did something that anyone can do in their yard. We watched flowers, took photos, and tried to distinguish different “species” in the field by shape, size, and appearance.

And although we ended the day with many questions still unanswered, what we saw was compelling. In Kate’s urban yard, each of these five plants is supporting a variety of insects. Each plant is unique, with its own community of pollinators. So come along with us on this journey: five plants, one afternoon, and a surprising diversity of insects in one small city yard.

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

The purple coneflower is a crowd of pastel, magenta-and-orange flowerheads rising above roughly textured leaves. This species is one of those wildflowers that wouldn’t be here without some human help. Although its cousin, narrow-leaved coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) is a Great Plains species whose range extends into eastern Montana, purple coneflower is a plant of eastern North America’s wet prairies and meadows.

Of the five plants we’re looking at today, this is the only one that isn’t actually native to Montana. In general, native plants are especially important for our local insects: the plants and the insects have been evolving together for millennia. Nevertheless, the purple coneflower is busy with bumblebees and orange skippers today. We also spot a few tiny bees that invariably seem to escape when we try to slip up on them with a vial.

Most of the bumblebees are those males with orange-banded abdomens that we tentatively identify as Hunt’s bumblebees (Bombus huntii). We also catch a female who remains a mystery, her abdomen boldly clothed in yellow and black.

Along with the bumblebees, an assortment of woodland skippers (Ochlodes sylvanoides) are nectaring here. This is a very common late-summer butterfly across much of the west. An adaptable habitat generalist, its larvae can develop on various native and introduced grasses. The adults visit a range of flowers.

A few more bees

In about 15 minutes of observation, we spot just a single honeybee (Apis mellifera) here. So honeybees are visiting the coneflower, but not very commonly.

We also manage to catch two small bees. The first is smaller than a raisin, her hind legs dusted with deep yellow pollen. Each segment of her abdomen is tipped with bands of fine white hairs.

The other bee is larger, also with a banded abdomen. Its eye is pale green and the tip of its abdomen bears a prominent, spiny structure.

Except for the small, white-banded bee, none of these visitors seem to be carrying pollen. Are they only collecting nectar from the coneflower?

Smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

The asters are busy clumps of pale lavender blooms, appearing feathery from a distance. The flowers are loaded with more nectaring woodland skippers, their tongues unfurled. The other common insects here seem to be a variety of medium and small bees. The most common are approximately raisin-sized. Like the smaller bee we found on the coneflower, they have white bands of hair across the abdomen. These bees are clearly females, collecting pollen on their legs. They make a barely audible hum as they buzz busily from flower to flower.

We spot another species that looks similar but is clearly smaller. From time to time, we also see a few bees with remarkably long antennae here.  

The asters are very active with all of these takeoffs and landings. Just on these two plants that we’re watching, we’re seeing probably a dozen skippers. At any instant, there are close to forty bees on them.

Unlike honeybees and bumblebees, these are very likely solitary species, each female provisioning her own nest with pollen and nectar to feed her young. Honeybees get lots of press, but the diversity of solitary bees is incredible. Many of them are raisin-sized or smaller, like those we’re seeing here. Lots of them nest in the ground; others nest in hollow plant stems. And the fact that they’re here, in urban Missoula, tells us that these species are finding what they need to survive. I wonder how far they’ve flown to find these flowers.

Seeing the diversity

We keep spotting additional species. There’s a little bee – or is it a wasp? – with a grayish abdomen, yellowish legs, and some yellow markings on the face. 

Another bee looks like the green-eyed spiny one from the coneflower. We can’t know for sure without collecting both, but it seems likely that they’re the same species.

Nectaring alongside all of the woodland skippers, I notice a different butterfly. It’s similar to them in size and shape, but has much crisper white markings on the orange-green hindwing. I catch it for a closer look. After much study and debate, we decide that it’s probably a common branded skipper (Hesperia comma). Or could it be a western branded skipper (Hesperia colorado)? In either case, it’s another widespread member of our late-summer butterfly fauna. The caterpillars feed on grass, and the adults find nectar on a variety of flowers. 

Rocky Mountain beeplant (Cleome serrulata)

The beeplants have already been blooming for weeks, but there’s no end in sight. The pale purple flowers, with their long, protruding stamens, surround tight clusters of darker, unopened buds. These plants are annuals, growing from seed each year. Nevertheless, they’ve thrived for several years now in Kate’s yard, reseeding happily. Some of this year’s plants are as tall as I am.

These flowers are by far the most popular today with the honeybees (Apis mellifera). But this afternoon, we’re not seeing very many other insects visiting them. Compared to the smooth blue aster, the activity level here is basically nothing. We spot a single woodland skipper. There’s the occasional medium or small bee that flies off before we can get a good look. I also notice several shiny ants crawling around on the stems and unopened flower buds. What are they doing? They don’t seem to be visiting the open flowers.

Watching the bees

As always, observing insects in the field is humbling. There’s so much more out here than what we can photograph or catch. A bumblebee moves briefly from flower to flower. Its abdomen is mostly yellowish, and I suspect it may be a white-shouldered bumblebee (Bombus appositus). I decide to try for photos instead of catching it in a vial. It bounces from flower to flower and I follow it with my camera, just a little bit too far behind. Then it flies off, and I have neither the bee nor its photo.

I watch the honeybees here more closely. Their pollen baskets are empty, and they seem to be poking their heads deep inside the flowers instead of paying attention to the widely spreading stamens. They aren’t bothering with pollen; presumably they’re collecting nectar here.

A black and white wasp is flying from cluster to cluster. But like the ants, it’s paying attention to the flower buds rather than the flowers themselves. It’s another mystery that we won’t unravel today.

Missouri goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis)

The goldenrods are sprawling, enthusiastic fountains of yellow covered in the activity of various small insects. Many of the plants are knee-high, evidently appreciating the water here. In their usual, sun-baked grassland habitats, Missouri goldenrod stays much shorter.

Wasps are common here this afternoon. I catch a prominently striped, yellow and black species: probably a predatory wasp in the family Crabronidae. If I’m right about the family, these are wasps that specialize in hunting various other insects. Some hunt beetles, some hunt caterpillars, and some even hunt other wasps and bees. They carry their prey to their nests, providing food for the larvae. The adults, on the other hand, feed mostly on flower nectar.  

Another wasp is a little bit larger and blacker. A broad, prominent yellow band crosses the abdomen, which comes to a distinct point. These wasps are more skittish than the bees, and it’s difficult to catch them.

We see the occasional, medium-sized pollen-collecting bee here, resembling those we found on the smooth blue aster. There are also several well-camouflaged, speckled tan bugs visiting these flowers.

Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)

Almost as tall as the beeplants, these perennial sunflowers form vigorous, upright patches with bright yellow flowerheads and sandpapery green leaves. The sunflowers in this yard are a bit of a botanical mystery. They were sold as Maximilian sunflower, and seem to have some characteristics of that species, a native of eastern Montana. But while Maximilian sunflower leaves are usually folded in half along their midvein, like small green canoes, these leaves are more relaxed. This makes them look more like Nuttall’s sunflower (Helianthus nuttallii), a common species in our intermountain part of the state. In either case, these are striking plants. And the bees seem to be loving them.

We catch a medium, hairy gray individual with sky-blue eyes. Another one, densely covered in white, has hairy scoops on its forelegs.

There are several tiny bees with blunt abdomens. A couple more woodland skippers and what appears to be another Hunt’s bumblebee are visiting these yellow blooms.

One bee has extremely long antennae, green eyes, and a stiff covering of hairs. Another is small and narrowly cylindrical, with yellow markings on the legs.

Bees and beetles

A few of these bees – like the one with the long antennae – seem similar to species we saw earlier on the smooth blue aster. But many of these bees are new to us today. As with the other five plants, the insect community on the sunflowers is largely unique.

Kate spots a solitary beetle, medium-sized and brassy-haired, on the sunflower blooms. This is a blister beetle (family Meloidae), probably Epicauta ferruginea or one of its close relatives. The adults feed on the foliage and flowers of sunflowers and related plants – but the larvae are specialized predators in the soil, hunting down grasshopper egg pods and feeding on the eggs. Grasshoppers are rare in the middle of the city, so this blister beetle is a special find.

Catching glimpses

One urban Missoula yard, surrounded by asphalt and lawns. Four species of native plants, and one immigrant from the tallgrass prairie. What we’ve seen today is just a glimpse of this community, but it’s a tantalizing one. Each of these flowers is different – not just to our eyes, but to the insects’ eyes, too. Each patch holds its own stories of the pollinators it supports. For the purple coneflower, it’s the stories of nectaring bumblebees and woodland skippers. The smooth blue aster supports more skippers and a variety of pollen-collecting bees. The Rocky Mountain beeplant is feeding honeybees, ants, and a smattering of less-common visitors. For predatory wasps, the Missouri goldenrod is proving important today. And the Maximilian sunflower is harboring yet other species of bees.

There’s so much more we could ask here. Which bee and wasp species have we seen today? What are their life histories? Are they floral generalists or specialists? Twig nesters or ground nesters? But to answer those questions would take a much more intensive project, or someone much more skilled with bee identification than I am.

The bees and their flowers

We can’t answer those questions today. But anyone can go out in their yard and do this. Anyone can glimpse the sorts of general patterns that we’ve seen. In Kate’s yard, it seems, each of these flowers is adding something unique to the pollinator habitat that’s present. And they aren’t growing in isolation: there are also fruit trees, vegetables, and dozens of other native plants here. Some bloom earlier, some later.

The plants in this yard have only been here for two to three years now. But already, by spending part of a single day looking at five flowering plants, we’ve tallied 21 species of insects on these blooms.

It would take more sleuthing to learn the full stories of the insects we’ve seen today. But anyone can plant native flowers in their yard. Anyone can go outside, sit next to a patch of blooms, and spend a few minutes getting acquainted with the insects they’re attracting to our yards.

And if you’re looking for a few more beautiful, hardy native plants to boost pollinator diversity in your yard, here are some ideas.

Further reading

Glassberg, J. (2001). Butterflies through binoculars: the west. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Montana State University. (n.d.) Bumble bees of Montana. Retrieved from http://mtent.org/projects/Bumble_Bees/key_female.html

Pyle, R.M. (2002). The butterflies of Cascadia. Seattle, WA: Seattle Audubon Society.

Wilson, J.S. & Carril, O.M. (2016). The bees in your backyard. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

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