Wildlife-Friendly Landscapes

Rebecca Nestle, Grace Cope, Nicole Benda, and Adam G. Dale

Gary Knox, Rachel E. Mallinger, Wayne H. Hobbs, Anne E. Yasalonis, andGary Knox

Florida is home to approximately 315 species of native wild bees. These bees rely on flowers for survival; their diets consist exclusively of pollen and nectar harvested from flowers. Recently reported declines in some bee species have heightened awareness of bee conservation across the United States and motivated efforts to increase floral resources for bees (Biesmeijer et al. 2006; Colla and Packer 2008; Ricketts et al. 2008; Potts et al. 2010; Burkle et al. 2013). Gardeners and land managers can aid in conservation efforts by planting flowers for bees in home or community gardens.

Joe Schaefer

Holly K. Ober

Bats can be a beneficial addition to the wildlife community on your property. With the exception of a few uncommon bats in the Florida Keys, all resident bats in Florida eat insects. Bats reduce common insect pests by consuming them in large quantities and the sound of bat calls can repel additional insects from areas where bats spend time. By attracting bats to your farm, forest, or backyard you may substantially reduce the number of nocturnal insects nearby.

Mark E. Hostetler

Monica E. McGarrity and Steve A. Johnson

Laura A. Warner, Dharmendra Kalauni, John M. Diaz, Emily Marois, Adam Dale, and Jaret Daniels

This publication explains Florida residents’ current involvement in requesting wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance (WFLM) and the perceived barriers and motivators associated with this behavior using the concept of stages of change. Written by Laura A. Warner, Dharmendra Kalauni, John M. Diaz, Emily Marois, Adam Dale, and Jaret Daniels, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2024.

Mark Hostetler, Gregg Klowden, Sarah Webb Miller, andKara N. Youngentob

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. Published by Sustainability of production systems and alternatives

Ryan Buron, Mark Hostetler, and Michael Andreu

During migration, birds travel from their northern breeding grounds to their southern wintering grounds and vice versa. To understand which urban habitats are valuable for specific migratory species, we compared the diversity of migratory bird species that used urban forest fragments vs residential areas with tree canopy in Gainesville, Florida. Study results summarized in this fact sheet can help inform urban planners, developers, and homeowners about vegetation migratory birds use. Conservation of large, forested areas is important, but fragmented landscapes are not useless, and conserving urban forest fragments and trees in residential areas is also important for bird conservation.

Emma V. Willcox, Mark Hostetler, Martin B. Main, andMaena Voigt

Before placing bird feeders in your backyard, consider the bird species you would like to attract. Different birds are attracted to different bird feeders and foods. The following suggestions are useful guidelines, but it is best to experiment. Try a variety of feeders and foods located in different spots around your yard.

Olesya Malakhova, Wendy L. Wilber, Sandra B. Wilson, Kacey A. Russo, Jesse C. Jones, Brooke L. Moffis, Johanna S. Walker, and Basil V. Iannone III

Maintaining monoculture lawns is resource intensive and can have environmental impacts on arthropod and aquatic communities. Here we introduce the reader to some of the many native plants that establish in lawns and if left to grow can provide ecological benefits to urban landscapes. Most resources and marketing regarding these plants focus on killing them rather than on their ecological benefits. This publication introduces the audience to these species and provides information about the biology and benefits of these species, as well as resources to learn more about self-recruiting lawn species.

Joe Schaefer, Joe Schaefer, Jennifer Cohen, andMark Hostetler

The wood duck is one of the most colorful of all North American waterfowl, making it the most sought-after duck by hunters and birdwatchers. By the early 1900s, this highly desirable species was near extinction because of improper hunting regulations and habitat loss. With the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918, hunting of these birds was restricted. Also, wildlife officials developed a management program to increase wood duck numbers. Due to the success of this program, the wood duck is now one of the most abundant waterfowl species in North America.

Benjamin Schwartz, Jiri Hulcr, Andrew Koeser, Stanton Rosenthal, andStanton Rosenthal

This publication provides a practical guide for homeowners and professional arborists to maintain dead wood habitat on their or their clients’ property. It outlines the environmental and financial benefits of keeping dead wood, the different types of habitat one can manage, and strategies for mitigating the risk associated with dead wood.

Hamutahl Cohen, Tina McIntyre, Hamutahl Cohen, Rachel Gutner, Tiare Saracino, Esen A. Momol, andEsen Momol
Other Contacts: Claire Lewis

Considering wildlife in your edible landscape can be a complex challenge. Although wild animals can cause crop damage, this may not be a conflict that has to be addressed. This publication provides a useful decision tree that helps users make choices regarding the species in their managed area. Our goal is to help the gardener become more accepting of wildlife among edible crops and coexist in a shared environment.

Mark Hostetler

The purpose of this fact sheet is to inform homeowners, developers, and city officials about potential considerations to make urban landscapes more eco-friendly, to improve urban biodiversity, and to explore avenues to install more environmentally friendly landscapes that provide wildlife habitat and reduce natural resource consumption.

Dharmendra Kalauni, Laura A. Warner, Emily Marois, John Diaz, Adam Dale, andJaret C. Daniels

The studies summarized in this publication were designed to evaluate the perceptions of green industry professionals and consumers regarding wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance practices to develop insights for future landscape conservation efforts that protect wildlife in Florida’s and the US’s rapidly expanding urban areas. This publication is intended for program planners, educators, Extension agents, green industry professionals, policymakers, and researchers working to promote pollinators and biodiversity in urban and residential landscapes.