a series about managing your land for wildlife So, What ...

1 Before you begin makingdecisions about whattrees, shrubs or vines youshould plant on your propertyto attract wildlife , it isessential that you understandsome fundamental concepts in wildlifemanagement. Be sure to read CallingAll Wildlifein this series to help youwith these concepts and with basichabitat evaluation on your land. Thenlook around your neighborhood, find outwhat naturally grows in your area, anddecide how you can enhance the nativehabitat or landscape features on yourproperty. For habitat inventory information,mapping tips and assistance in creating awildlife management plan for your property,refer to Putting Pen to Paperin this , read the Wisconsin wildlife Primerto help you understand which animals occurin your region of Wisconsin, what they eat,what habitats they prefer and what they needfor nest or den sites.

2 The more informationyou have, the better you ll understand yourland and the wildlife it publication you are now reading will helpyou evaluate the wildlife value of plants cur-rently growing on your property. Once you veread the other publications mentioned above,use this bulletin to help decide which plantsyou could add to your property to attractwildlife native to the habitats on your plants described in this publication wereselected for their value to wildlife . Some ofthe plants were selected because they pro-vide good-to-excellent food sources.

3 Somewere selected because they provide maxi-mum winter shelter. Others were selectedbecause they are common on the Wisconsinlandscape, offer some wildlife value, andcould very well be growing on your propertyalready ( , mulberry or boxelder). tree nurseries and garden catalogs are a lot like candy color, shape, texture, flowers, fruit and many other factorsprovide a multitude of choices that can entice you to purchasemore plants than you really need, or to buy something you don tneed at all. Before you buy, consider the following: What plantsare already attracting wildlife to your property?

4 What goodwildlife trees and shrubs are missing? What wildlife do youwant to attract? Can a particular plant grow in your loca-tion and in your soils? This publication will give you theinformation you need to make the best plant selections forwildlife on your and Your Landa series about managing your land for wildlifeSo, What Should I Plant?Trees, shrubs and Vines with WildlifeValuesWhen creating a wildlife management planfor your property, keep in mind that persquare foot of land invested shrubs willprovide more food and cover for wildlife thantrees.

5 That's because shrubs bear fruit at anearlier age, and they bear that fruit from yearto year more consistently than trees. You willreceive a much faster payback by plantingmore wildlife shrubs than trees. Neverthe-less, the wildlife trees described here provideexcellent food and/or shelter and should beincluded in your plans. You'll just have towait a little longer to reap the geographical location of your property inWisconsin, its soil types and moisture levels,depth to bedrock, the kinds of wildlife thatalready live on your property, and your ownpersonal wildlife management goals willdetermine what plants you should considerusing to attract vs.

6 Non-NativeSince the arrival of European settlers, ournative Wisconsin landscape has changeddramatically its overall biological diversityhas decreased. Today, natural resourcemanagers are dealing with many problemsassociated with the widespread invasion ofnon-native, or alien, plants. Often, thesealien plants are so aggressive in their growththey choke out, shade out or otherwise out-compete the more beneficial native plantsthat originally grew on Wisconsin's help maintain our state's native bio-diversity, choose plants native to Wisconsinsince they are especially suited for our state'sclimate and are part of our natural particular select those native plants whichare adapted for your property and soil plants introduced from other parts ofthe United States or other countries may notbe hardy enough to withstand the extremesof drought and cold peculiar to may survive all too well and becomeinvasive pests.

7 Cultivars horticulturally-altered or "improved" varieties of nativeplants may work well as landscape plantsaround your house, but are inappropriate fornative restorations or wildland the best thing you can do toimprove your property's ability to attract ahigh-quality assemblage of native wildlife isto control the alien plants that may havetaken hold. This may mean conducting acontrolled burn, pulling new invaders, cuttingbrush and treating the stumps with a brushherbicide, or controlling alien grasses orweeds with an approved herbicide.

8 Contactthe Bureau of Endangered Resources,Madison, to receive a copy of InvasiveSpecies Control you don't have a problem with exotics onyour land, you may find that the best way ofenhancing your property for wildlife is toplant trees, shrubs and vines native to yourarea. Sometimes, the best tools of the wildlifemanagement trade are the axe, the matchand the and Your LandNote: Emphasis is placed on native plants,since these are best adapted to Wisconsin'sclimate and soils. Not every plantdescribed here is one that you can readilypurchase at your local nursery.

9 You mayhave to order seeds or potted plants fromone of Wisconsin's native plant nurserieslisted inGetting the Help You all native plants described in thispublication are ones that you would wantto plant (boxelder, for example); they havewildlife value, nevertheless and you maywant to keep them on your land if they arealready for DiversityIt is rare in nature to find "monocultures" large stands of a single plant type. You andyour wild neighbors will be better off if youplant a good assortment of native trees, shrubs and vines adapted to the habitats onyour property.

10 The greater the variety ofnative plants you select, the more wildlifeyour land can support. By selecting anassortment of native plants, you canminimize your risk of losing all your plantsshould disease strike a particular species ofplant. Also, if one species should fail toproduce a nut or fruit crop in a given year,another kind of nut- or fruit-bearing plantcould provide alternative food Can I Get The PlantsI Need?You can purchase some plants from local ornative plant nurseries or from one of theDepartment of Natural Resources nurserieslisted in Getting the Help You Needinthis publication series .