birds

Plants to Attract and Provide a Suitable Habitat for Beneficial Insects, Birds and Butterflie

by Nancy Garrison, 1999

Slowly but surely I’m becoming aware and interested in what I can do in my own garden to attract and provide sustenance for beneficial insects for the purpose of creating a more biologically diverse habitat and more ecologically managing “pests” that might otherwise ruin my plants. There are number of excellent references on this subject which I’ll list at the end of this article, since in this article I am only focusing on some key plants you can grow to make the greatest impact on typical “pest “populations.

My strategy is to plant a beneficial plant at each ends of each of my 4X8’ vegetable beds so that there is a ready supply of pollen and nectar for as much of the year as possible. Since the insects that tend to be a problem in the Willow Glen area include aphids, scale, whiteflies, thrips, mites and a number of caterpillars, I’m growing plants that attract beneficials that prey on or parasitize these pests.

By Sandra Todd
last updated: Sep-2002

Birds include crows, doves, pigeons, starlings, house sparrows, songbirds, vultures, woodpeckers, and all other birds. Most birds causing problems in gardens are classified as migratory non-game birds according to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations and are protected. Starlings, house sparrows, and pigeons, however, may be controlled without a permit if they are causing damage to your home or garden. Remind callers that birds have enormous value as insect eaters, and to protect their role in the garden microcosm, we emphasize scaring away or excluding birds from access to home or garden.