|
STEP THREE: ADDING HABITAT CORRIDORS
Once you've identified natives found on your property, and have devised a plan for removing invasives, it's time to consider adding in additional native plants. Any species that should be on your property but aren't, because of habitat loss, would be beneficial additions to your site. Given time and encouragement, many of these species will come in on their own; but introducing some of these through planting can be a beneficial tool for creating a more complete ecosystem in less time. Planting to help native plants—and to counteract habitat loss—is accomplished through the creation of habitat corridors. Habitat corridors are plantings with a purposeful arrangement of truly native plants, cared for in a way that makes a space where plant and wildlife relationships can thrive. They provide the necessary components of a functioning habitat and include: food sources, proper host plants for the site, nesting materials, nectar, overwintering homes, and shelter. These plantings can be large or small—even just a few square feet—and create a direct counteract to habitat loss by 1) making new habitat and 2) creating a connecting link between existing, fragmented habitats. Planting habitat corridors is very different from traditional flower gardening or landscaping with natives. Gardening or landscaping with natives involves planting and caring for natives in a human-oriented way, taking natives out of nature and placing them in designs that please the human eye. The goal of these is to make landscapes filled with plants that are more useable to wildlife than non-native ornamentals. Their emphasis on human aesthetics, first, however—their design, layout, care, and plant selection—limits native plant/wildlife relationships and creates a flower bed with natives, rather than a habitat. All habitat corridors, on the other hand, are created with an intentional layout that mimics how native plants would naturally grow—one of the core reasons why habitat corridors can do what they do. It is because they are intentionally planted and cared for differently that they are able to create a direct counteract to habitat loss. Let's take a look below: 
The habitat corridor pictured, above and right, incorporates both truly native species that were planted as well as naturally-occurring natives, in an effort to help native plants and reduce lawn size.
|
WHAT DEFINES AN AREA AS A HABITAT CORRIDOR?
Habitat corridors can be large or small and can vary widely—from just a handful of plants in a small spot by a house to a full scale meadow—or anything in between: A bare area that's being re-vegetated. An eroding slope along a creek with a mix of planted and unplanted species. A strip by the sidewalk. A circular patch of lawn that's becoming natives. They can be completely void of natives at the start, or they may already have some that are naturally-occurring. It isn't size that makes a habitat corridor, but a few other things: 1) The goal for the area is ecological benefits rather than aesthetics. 2) All plants added into the area are truly native to the site. 3) The plants are cared for in a way that promotes their role in the ecosystem. 
This diagram shows how planted habitat corridors help connect fragmented ecosystems. These habitat corridors create a slice of habitat for plants and animals to pollinate and pass between—a direct counteraction to habitat loss.
|
HOW TO CREATE A HABITAT CORRIDOR
After choosing the site for your habitat corridor, and determining what plants are truly native to this spot, it's planting time! Not sure what plants are native to your spot? Contact us! We're happy to offer personalized suggestions for your site.
After choosing the site for your habitat corridor, and determining what plants are truly native to this spot, it's planting time! Not sure what plants are native to your spot? Contact us! We're happy to offer personalized suggestions for your site.
|
A loose layout that welcomes the spreading of plants, such as a meadow-like formation, is essential for habitat corridors, as seen in the photos on this page.
-PLANT LOOSELY in loose, overlapping groups—as opposed to rows or organized clumps of species. -VARY HEIGHTS within the planting: mix tall and short plants throughout the front, middle, and back—rather than all tall plants only in the back. -PLANT CLOSELY, generally spacing plants 12 to 18 inches apart. This creates shelter for wildlife and discourages non-natives from getting a foothold—once plants are established and reach their mature height, the goal is to have no ground visible. -PLANT A USEABLE AMOUNT of each species. Rather than collecting as many plant species as possible, creating a habitat is about having the correct species and enough of them to make a difference. Choose 2+ plants per species to ensure that plants can pollinate and produce seeds to spread and repopulate areas. -INCORPORATE NATURALLY-OCCURRING NATIVES: If your planting site has some naturally-occurring natives present already, these natives will gain your protection by becoming a part of your habitat corridor. Make sure to leave them undisturbed as you plant around them. -CHOOSE LOCAL GENOTYPES for your planting instead of commercialized strains of native plants. What are Local Genotypes? |
|
MAKING YOUR PLANTING LOOK PURPOSEFUL
Because habitat corridors are designed, planted, and cared for differently than traditional plantings, they will look different. While their meadow-like appearance is beautiful, they are very different from flower gardens and more formal landscaping. It is because of this layout that they can play an active role in counteracting habitat loss. If you are hesitant about how such a planting would fit into your neighborhood, a great way to help your neighbors understand what you're doing—and maybe even encourage them to get involved—is to make your planting look very purposeful. Distinct boundaries, edges, and paths help indicate the goal and intention behind your planting. Signage is also a good tool—signs stating that your planting is a habitat corridor, and what it stands for, can help people see your planting as something meaningful, and perhaps even feel inspired to join you in your efforts! If you have a very strict HOA, we're happy to work with you and suggest methods for creating a habitat corridor within the rules of your neighborhood. |
|
PLANTING INFO
Since the plants that you are putting into your habitat corridor are truly native to your site, they have adapted to the exact soil and moisture conditions that are present.
-SOIL: It's important to use the native soil present. Truly native species rely on the soil acidity and composition that exists at your site to thrive. Because of this, no amendments should be added. During planting time, plants should be put directly into the existing soil. For heavily-compacted soil, such as hard clay, we recommend using a hand tool to break up the soil right around your planting hole. Fertilizers should not be used.
-WATERING: Truly native species have adapted to your site's climate and are used to receiving only the rainfall that naturally occurs there. On average, we recommend checking all newly-planted natives for 2-3 weeks after planting. (If planting during hot, dry weather, plants may take slightly longer to adjust—and should be checked for water needs for a few weeks longer.) Rather than watering periodically, water should only be given when necessary during this time period to help them adjust to life outside of a pot. Once they have become established, they should not be given any more supplemental water. It's important to remember that native plants that thrive in dry conditions do not want moist or wet soil, even directly after planting. These can easily be over-watered and will only do well in dry soil, even while getting established.
-FALLEN LEAVES AS MULCH: Fallen leaves should be left among your habitat corridor undisturbed, providing nutrients and maintaining moisture levels for native plants, while creating shelter for wildlife and insects. This important step creates a habitat for the variety of native insects that overwinter in fallen leaves, including many native butterflies and moths. These butterflies/moths attach their chrysalises/cocoons to foliage in autumn and fall with the leaves; they will overwinter on the ground in these leaves. This is an essential part of the butterfly life cycle and ensures the presence of a new generation the following spring.
Since the plants that you are putting into your habitat corridor are truly native to your site, they have adapted to the exact soil and moisture conditions that are present.
-SOIL: It's important to use the native soil present. Truly native species rely on the soil acidity and composition that exists at your site to thrive. Because of this, no amendments should be added. During planting time, plants should be put directly into the existing soil. For heavily-compacted soil, such as hard clay, we recommend using a hand tool to break up the soil right around your planting hole. Fertilizers should not be used.
-WATERING: Truly native species have adapted to your site's climate and are used to receiving only the rainfall that naturally occurs there. On average, we recommend checking all newly-planted natives for 2-3 weeks after planting. (If planting during hot, dry weather, plants may take slightly longer to adjust—and should be checked for water needs for a few weeks longer.) Rather than watering periodically, water should only be given when necessary during this time period to help them adjust to life outside of a pot. Once they have become established, they should not be given any more supplemental water. It's important to remember that native plants that thrive in dry conditions do not want moist or wet soil, even directly after planting. These can easily be over-watered and will only do well in dry soil, even while getting established.
-FALLEN LEAVES AS MULCH: Fallen leaves should be left among your habitat corridor undisturbed, providing nutrients and maintaining moisture levels for native plants, while creating shelter for wildlife and insects. This important step creates a habitat for the variety of native insects that overwinter in fallen leaves, including many native butterflies and moths. These butterflies/moths attach their chrysalises/cocoons to foliage in autumn and fall with the leaves; they will overwinter on the ground in these leaves. This is an essential part of the butterfly life cycle and ensures the presence of a new generation the following spring.
|
The fallen leaves in your habitat corridor are vital for native wildlife like this Red Eft, as well as other amphibians like toads.
|
|
CARING FOR YOUR HABITAT CORRIDOR - and its inhabitants!
-SEEDHEADS & STEMS: When you create a habitat corridor, you make a direct impact against habitat loss. You create a slice of habitat that gives wildlife and plants a place to thrive. This—the physical site on your property and the plants in it—is the most visible benefit of your planting. But, there is something much larger at work! The potential of your habitat corridor to play a huge role in healing habitat loss lies in its seeds. Depending on the species, one plant in your habitat corridor can have hundreds or even thousands of seeds that can disperse from your planting to recolonize areas around you—roadsides, wooded areas, etc. While the forces of nature (and human development) won't allow most of these seeds to germinate, some might. And, if they do, instead of putting one plant into this world, you will have added many: it's offspring, and the offspring from any of those. This is where your habitat corridor plays its biggest role—by helping native plant populations and counteracting habitat loss in areas that expand beyond your planting. This is why it is essential that the plants in your corridor go to seed, and that the seeds are given time to disperse. Stems should remain standing through winter—when seeds will disperse from them by wind, rain, bird transport, or various other ways specific to each species—and should remain until new growth begins in early spring. Or, better yet for wildlife, follow nature's lead and let them stay yearround! Old stems will disappear as new growth gets tall, eventually turning into a natural compost and creating a healthy understory where wildlife—like native bees, who depend on old stems for nesting sites throughout the next year—can thrive. Seedheads and stems serve important roles for wildlife. Seedheads in your habitat corridor become food sources for birds and mammals during winter, while standing stems serve as essential overwintering spots for insects that were present in spring, summer, and fall. These insects are still in your planting during winter, only less visible—most insects spend winters either in their egg stage or hibernating inside the stems of native plants, while most butterflies and moths overwinter in chrysalises and cocoons either in leaf litter or attached to plant stems. These insects that depend on your habitat corridor spring through fall also rely on it during winter. |
|
-WEEDING OUT NON-NATIVES: Check occasionally for non-native intruders, hand pulling any that appear. Be careful not to weed out seedlings of native plants or natives that are coming in on their own!
-ENCOURAGE NATURE: Nature is constantly changing— and so should your habitat corridor. Some species in your planting will become more dominant as time goes by, while some will become less dominant. Native plants are always on the move. They will spread around in your corridor, by rhizomes or stolons or seed, and should never be forced to stay put. This is their survival instinct, a process that's normal and necessary as your habitat matures. The initial layout of your planting is a starting point: your goal is to reintroduce these species back onto your property—and then step back and let native plants do their work. Getting to know the wildlife using your habitat corridor is one of the best moments of all! Birds, butterflies, bees, caterpillars— seeing these is the reward for your efforts! Most insects are inconspicuous, but there are times when you may notice a particularly gregarious insect or caterpillar feeding on foliage in your planting. The method these usually employ is to eat fast (sometimes in groups that defoliate plants) and move on quickly, giving the plant plenty of time to regrow. Although they may initially seem startling, these gregarious insects are not pests. They are an important piece of your habitat corridor and play a major role in the food chain for wildlife like birds. So, research them! Observe them! What are they? Why are they there? What are they doing, and what plants and other wildlife do you see them interacting with? As a steward of these plants, insects, and wildlife, your job is to learn about them and protect them—all of them—and create a place where they can, indeed, thrive. |
The ants in this photo are collecting the sweet honeydew secretion from native aphids. Predators such as flower flies also depend on aphids for their life cycle.
|
