Louisiana Yards and
Neighborhoods
Landscapes
For Wildlife
www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn
Attracting Wildlife
• Food
– Fruit-bearing
– Nectar plants
– Larval Plants
• Cover
• Water
– Puddling station
– Birdbaths
• Managing for Wildlife
• Weeds
• Nuisance Animals
• More Information
All Animals Need:
Food
Cover
Water
Space
Habitat
Animals will only reside or forage in an
area that contains enough of these four
essential elements to maintain daily activities.
Food
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Fruit
Seeds
Insects
Attract a variety of
Nectar
birds, reptiles, bats,
butterflies and other
Larval
insects
Meat
Remember to provide food year-round,
especially in winter.
Fruit-bearing Plants
for Louisiana
Muscadine Vitis sp
Beautyberry Calicarpa americana
Fruit-bearing plants available
at many nurseries or retailers
Firethorn Pyracantha spp.
Large evergreen shrub
Bears flowers and fruit
Good wildlife food and cover
Full sun to partial shade
Does best in well-drained soil
Parsley Hawthorn
Crataegus marshallii
• Large shrub
• Flowers in spring
• Fruits in fall
• Very good for attracting
birds that eat its fruit
and nest in shrub
Pecan Carya spp.
• Many varieties.
• Prefers deep, fertile, welldrained soil.
• Nuts are excellent human
and wildlife food.
Hickory
• In the genus Carya
• Includes 12-13 species native to N.A.
• Nuts used as food by many species of
wildlife and leaves used by some larvae
of butterflies and moths
Mayhaws
Crataegus poaca and Crataegus aestivalis
• Usually reach 20-30 feet tall at
maturity.
• Native to habitats that have low,
wet and slightly acid soils.
• Full sun to partial shade.
• Berries ripen from mid-April to
mid-May.
• Fruit for human consumption
and wildlife.
Mulberry Morus rubra
• Large, native
tree ~ 40 ft
• Full sun
• Throughout
Louisiana
• Edible fruit in
spring
• Brittle bark,
messy
Holly
Ilex spp.
• Native and introduced
trees
• Sun to partial shade
• Range varies
• Fruit remains through
winter, attracting birds
• Salt-, drought- and shadetolerant
• Suckers
Gallberry Ilex glabra
Dahoon Holly
Ilex cassine
Paw Paw
Asimina triloba
• Humid growing zones.
• Germinating seedlings need
partial shade for 1st or 2nd
year.
• Fruiting mature plants need
full sun.
• Slightly acidic (ph 5.5-7) welldrained soil.
• Mature – small tree seldom
taller than 25 feet.
Good fruit-bearing plants for
wildlife not readily available
at retail stores.
Chickasaw Plum
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Native tree ~10 ft
Full to partial sun
Blooms early spring
Edible fruit
Suckers tend to form
thickets
Prunus angustifolia
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
• Native shrub ~ 15 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Throughout
Louisiana
• Fragrant flowers
year-round
• Edible fruit
Nectar Plants
for Louisiana
Cardinal flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Lantana spp.
• Woody perennial
• Sun or partial shade
• Great for butterflies
Pentas spp.
• Variety of flower colors
• Moderately fertile soil that
retains moisture well
• Full sun to shade
• Attracts butterflies and
hummingbirds
Golden Dew Drop
Duranta erecta
• Shrub ~ 14 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Throughout Louisiana
• High drought tolerance
• Attracts butterflies
Porterweed
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
• Native and non-native
perennial ~ 4 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Medium salt- and
drought-tolerant
Red variety is non-native
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
• Native vine
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms spring-fall
• Throughout Louisiana
• Attract butterflies and
hummingbirds
Virginia Willow
Itea virginica
• Native shrub ~ 7 ft
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms spring
• Drought- and floodtolerant
• Suckers tend to form
thickets
Larval Plants
for Louisiana
Butterfly Matchweed Phyla nodiflora
Adult and larvae of Phaon Crescent
Phyciodes phaon
Willow, Salix caroliniana is a larval
host of the Viceroy
Red Bay
Persia borbonia
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Native tree ~ 40 ft
Full to partial sun
Throughout Louisiana
Drought- and salt-tolerant
Blooms in spring; attracts
butterflies
• Purple fruit attracts birds
Bays are larval food for the spicebush swallowtail
Mexican Milkweed
Asclepias spp.
• Shrub ~ 4 ft
• Natives available
• Full to partial sun
• Blooms year-round
• Throughout Louisiana
• Drought-tolerant
• Nectar attracts hummingbirds
and butterflies
Larval host of Monarch
and Queen
Passion Flower
Passiflora spp.
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Vine
Native varieties available
Full to partial sun
Blooms year-round
Throughout Louisiana
Larval host of
Gulf Fritillary
Does not sting
Dill
Anethum graveolens
• Plant in cool weather
• Full sun
• Can grow up to 3 ft tall
• Sow seeds close together
• Good plant to attract caterpillars
Parsley
• Full sun or light shade
• Transplant plants to 9 inches apart
• Must protect in cold weather with coverings
such as straw
• Good to attract caterpillars to your garden
Cover
• Vertical layers
• Evergreen species for winter
cover
• Standing dead trees or “snags”
if practical
• Brush piles if practical
Water
• Permanent water feature
• Sound of running water attracts many
animals
Puddling: Butterflies
obtain water and
minerals from liquid in
pore spaces.
Puddling station
Design a Puddling Station
1. Layer sand in saucer.
2. Add layer of compost.
3. Place pebbles on top.
4. Add water slowly (to
pebble layer).
5. Place saucer on upside
down pot.
Birdbath
• Shallow with mildly
sloping sides
• Rough surface
• Keep clean
• Rinse off any soap
residue
Audubon Society recommends
changing the water and cleaning
bird baths weekly to avoid
spreading avian diseases.
Managing for Wildlife
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Vertical layers of vegetation.
Plant natives if possible.
Introduced plants also useful.
No pesticides!
Plant wild flowers or reduce
mowing in certain areas of your
property if possible.
• Manage pets.
Long-tailed
skipper
feeding on
Spanish
needle.
Coreopsis Coreopsis spp.
Horsemint Monarda punctata
Plant Wildflowers for Wildlife
Pokeweed Phytolacca americana
Blanket flower Gaillardia pulchella
Tolerance of Nuisance Animals
Diggers (moles, squirrels,
armadillos, tortoises)
Bring nutrient to surface
Loosen & aerate soil
Feed on turf and landscape
pests
Trapping and deterrents
Garden moles
Herbivores (deer, rabbits,
ducks, squirrels)
 Contribute to food web,
circle of life
 Nets and fencing may
protect fruits
 Harassment or nest
removal for non-natives
Armadillo
Gray squirrel
Venomous Spiders and Disease-carrying
Insects to Avoid
Mosquito
Southern Black
widow (male
and female)
Ticks
Poisonous Snakes
Copperhead
Canebreak Rattlesnake
Water Moccasin
Coral Snake
Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
• A snake controls how much venom
is injected.
• 50% of all snake bites are dry.
• 25% are warning bites with enough
venom to cause pain, swelling,
tissue loss and possible limb loss.
• 25% are potentially lethal.
IF YOU ARE BITTEN BY A SNAKE,
SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION!
More Information
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LSU AgCenter www.lsuagcenter.com
Louisiana Dept of Ag. and Forestry
Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Local Audubon Society
Further Reading
Trees for Louisiana Landscapes-A Handbook. LSU AgCenter
#1622 (online only).
Gardening for Butterflies in Louisiana. Gary Ross. LDWF.
Louisiana Backyard Wildlife Management. Bill Vermillion. LDWF.
Economy Bat House Plans. Batcon.org.
http://www.batcon.org/bhra/economyhouse.html.
Backyard Bird Feeding. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
http://library.fws.gov/Bird_Publications/feed.html.
Homes for Birds. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
http://library.fws.gov/Bird_Publications/house.html.
Acknowledgements
The LSU AgCenter thanks the Florida State
Extension Service for many materials and several
photos used in this presentation.
Louisiana Yards and
Neighborhoods
Landscapes
for Wildlife
www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn