Attract Beneficials
- Weeds aren't normally welcomed in gardens, but many weeds attract birds and butterflies in abundance.
- Coreopsis, feverfew, and sweet alyssum planted in your vegetable bed will attract beneficial insects, which in turn feast on pests such as aphids and whiteflies.
- Some plants are known as butterfly "feeders", meaning the butterflies lay their eggs on them and the larvae then eat the plants before maturing. Three of these are the leaves of Queen-Anne's lace, dill weed, and fennel. Including these in your garden is a sure way of attracting butterflies!
- Natural fertilizers, compost and organic materials encourage native earthworms. Earthworms are nature's tillers and soil conditioners, and manufacture great fertilizer.
- Allow growth of the pests’ natural predators. Ladybugs, ground beetles, and birds eat many pests, and fungi and moss can infect the pests naturally. Spraying chemicals often kills the beneficial bugs too.
- Birds are wary of water that is more than 2 or 3" deep. Add a few stones that emerge from the water for smaller birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects to land on.
- To create a haven for beneficial insects in your yard, provide water all year, in any size container (avoid stagnant water which attracts mosquitoes), shelter in a variety of plants, flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees, and food , such as pollen and nectar. Once beneficial insects, birds, and animals get to know a particular landscape as a place to find food all year, they will come back.
- Incorporating the sound and sight of moving water will increase the number of birds to your yard or water feature. A dripping hose or water dripping from a tiny hole in a bucket over other water will attract birds.
- Snags (large dead branches), standing dead trees, deadfalls (fallen trees), and stumps are excellent bird attractors, thanks to the insects and larvae that burrow into their wood.
