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Native Plant Landscaping to Attract Birds in Central Florida
Summer Bird’s Needs Winter Bird’s Needs
• Food• Water• Cover• Place to nest
Great Horned Owl on Nest
Red-bellied Woodpecker, near Nest Cavity
• Food• Water• Cover
FoodAll birds, even “seed-eating” birds, require insects and/or small animals in their diet, especially when providing for nestlings.
Consider a backyard HABITATwhich allows insects to flourish. Make your yard hospitable for the insects and spiders, and the birds will come.
Supplement with suet, seeds, fruit, berries and nectar ?
Great-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus
Include Native trees and shrubs that are attractive to wildlife.
Your garden and your life will be richer.
American Robins and Cedar Waxwings in East Palatka Holly
WaterMost backyards in need supplemental water …
Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
Add a fountain or mister especially during migration in Spring and Fall.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Summer Tanager
Common Yellowthroat
Swainson’sThrush
Summer Tanager
Northern Waterthrush
Cape May Warbler Yellow-billed Cuckoo
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A Birdbath is a MustBe sure to keep it clean; and add stones
so that the water is not too deep.
Blue Jay
Northern Mockingbird
Cardinal
Finches Tufted Titmouse
Cover
Finch
Birds need an assortment of dense and sparse shrubbery so they can hide from predators.
Savannah Sparrow
Carolina WrenBlue-headed Vireo
Predators include larger birds, snakes, coyotes, bobcats, house
cats and feral cats.
Fish Crow
Great Blue Heron eats Wood Thrush
Bobcat
Banded Watersnake
Keep House catsindoors!
Boxes for Eastern Bluebirds are also used by Tufted Titmouse, Carolina
Chickadee, Great-crested Flycatcher and others.
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Tufted Titmouse
Nest Sites – Cavity Nesters
Urbanization has removed natural
nest sites –dead/hollow trees. Nest
boxes may bring these birds to
your yard.Eastern Screech Owl
Natural Nest sites – shrubs and trees
(off the ground)
Northern Mockingbird nest in East Palatka Holly Tree
Finch babies in a flower arrangement.
Great Horned Owl nest
Ground-nesting Birds
Bob White Quail
Common Nighthawk
Killdeer
Florida Mottled Duck
Areas where nests are located need to be free from disturbance until
eggs are hatched.
During nesting season: NO MOWING,
NO FOOT TRAFFIC, NO VEHICLE TRAFFIC.
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Remember the birds’ basic needs: food, water, cover and
a place to nest.
Plant it and the birds will come.
A Review of Basic Garden Principles1. The right plant in the right place – what are the wet/dry, sun/shade,
and soil requirements of this plant?
2. How big will the plant be when fully grown? Leave enough room.
3. Leave a path through your garden to access the plants.
4. Plant from short to tall. Include various textures.
5. Plant for wildlife: edible parts such as nectar, fruits, leaves, as well as for cover and nest sites. Plants with insects and spiders attract birds.
6. Plant Florida natives or Florida-friendly plants.
7. Visit a garden with your plant selections in all seasons to be sure you like the “looks” of this plant for YOUR garden.
8. Plant for humans too – the finished garden should be pleasing to look at.
A Few Words on ExoticsAn “Exotic” is a plant brought to Florida AFTER the first Europeans visited here.
An “Invasive Exotic” is an exotic that takes over the landscape, replacing native flora. Wildlife that depends on the native flora will suffer.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES plant invasive exotics in your garden.
Where possible, plant natives.
Camphor Tree
Chinese Tallow Tree
Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo
Lantana
Mexican Petunia ETC.
Join the Florida Native Plant Society or Visit Native Plant
Demonstration Gardens to Learn What to Plant to Attract and Feed
Birds, Butterflies and Other Pollinators.
Florida Native SMALL YARD TREES…
Eastern Bluebirds in Hercules Club Tree
• Florida Native, citrus family
• Grows naturally in dry (scrub, sandhill) areas
• Extremely drought tolerant
• Host plant for Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
• Fruits are prized by birds
• Good for nest placement
• Open branching
• Has thorns
Zanthoxylum clava-herculisHercules’ Club/Toothache Tree
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HolliesVarious species of native hollies are available in Florida, adapted to wet, mesic and dry habitats. Select the one best suited to your yard.
Fruits are prized by the birds and the trees make good cover and nest locations.
Negative: hollies require male and female trees to cross-pollinate before the female trees set fruit. There must be a male (non-fruiting) tree in the neighborhood.
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird in E. Palatka
Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker
East Palatka Holly
Dahoon Holly
(damp)
American Robins and Cedar Waxwing in
Ilex x attenuata ‘East Palatka’ (East Palatka Holly)
Flowering DogwoodShowy spring bloomer
Red seeds for birds
Prefers average to moist , acidic soil
Native PlumsPrunus angustifolia (Chickasaw Plum)
Prunus umbellata (Flatwoods Plum)
Native PlumsPrunus angustifolia (Chickasaw Plum)
Prunus umbellata (Flatwoods Plum)
Beautiful spring blossoms
Attractive fruit
Suitable for open or wooded yards
Drought tolerant once established
Chickasaw plum tends to sucker
Chionanthus virginicus (Fringe Tree)
Chionanthus pygmaeus (Pygmy Fringe Tree)
Frilly spring blossoms
Purple fruit for birds
Drought tolerant-sun or partial shade
Palms & PalmettosProvide fruit & insects
Provide excellent cover and nesting locations
Well adapted to Florida climate
Palmettos make a beautiful natural screen.
Northern Mockingbird
Boat-tailed Grackles
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Rhus copallinum (Winged Sumac)Rhus copallinum (Winged Sumac)
Great for woodland edges or background plants
Showy flower & fruit clusters-pretty fall color
Dry, sandy soils best
Spreading tendency, aggressive
SCRUB OAKS & TURKEY OAK
Sand Live
Chapmans
Myrtle
Extremely drought tolerant
Great cover & nesting
Sweet acorns for birds
Scrub oaks form thickets
Turkey Oak
LARGE TREES & SNAGS…
Leave them in place,
where possible
LARGE TREES & SNAGS…
Leave them in place,
where possible
Blue Jay and Hawk in Snags
Pines (Long-leaf Pine)
Tall pines are an attractive perch for
raptors, as well as nest sites
Great-horned OwlRed-shouldered Hawk
Bald Eagle
Pine cones provideseeds for birds &other wildlife
Insects for PineWarblers& other songbirds
Summer tanager
Osprey
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Live OaksLive oaks are beautiful shade trees and are home to endangered flying squirrels.
Live Oaks provide food (acorns, small vertebrates, insects, spiders) for a variety of birds.
They also provide perches, cover and nest locations.
Birds scratch through leaf litter to find insects.
Oaks are larval host plants for Hairstreak butterflies.
Negative: they take years to grow to large sizes.
Yellow Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk Pileated Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker
Black-throated Blue WarblerBlack-and-white
Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Blue Jay
Oaks, continued
HackberryHackberry is very tall and prefers a moist habitat, and is often found along streams.
The hackberry attracts migrants, including warblers.
It is the larval food plant for the Hackberry Emperor butterfly.
Black CherryThe Black Cherry tree is a beautiful shade tree with that blooms late in the spring and bears attractive fruit.
It is also a larval food for the Tiger Swallowtail and Red-spotted Purple butterflies.
Bushes and Shrubs for the Florida YardBushes and Shrubs for the Florida Yard
White M Hairstreak on Sparkleberry
Sparkleberry• Attractive shrub
• Beautiful spring blossoms attract butterflies
• Berries for birds in the fall
• Drought tolerant
Walter’s Viburnum• Attractive shrub and
hedge-dwarf available
• Beautiful spring blossoms
• Berries for birds in the fall
• Drought tolerant
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Firebush
• Drought tolerant -Sun or shade
• Attractive yellow-to-red tubular flowers bloom all summer
• Attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies
• Fall fruits attractive to birds
• Locally native variety grows to 6’
• Dwarf variety grows to 4’
• Negative: winter freezes may kill plant above the roots. It will quickly re-grow.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Beautyberry
Northern Mockingbird in Beautyberry
• Easy to grow
• Birds love the berries
• Drought tolerant, mesic to dry
• Prefers shade, but does well in sun
• Grows to about 4’ in height
• Non-descript blossoms in spring
• Deciduous
Yellow-throated warbler
Blueberries
Various species of native blueberries are available in Florida, adapted to wet, mesic and dry habitats. Select the one best suited to your yard.Fruits are prized by the birds. Blueberries and Deerberries prefer shade to some sun, and are attractive shrubs for your yard.
Highbush
Blueberry
Deerberry
Shiny Blueberry
Dwarf Blueberry
Coral BeanHummer favourite
Drought tolerant
Thorny-good background plant
Simpson’s Stopper &
Graceful shrub or small tree
Showy ,fragrant flowers in spring
Drought tolerant
Orange-red berries prized by birds
Excellent cover & nesting Tree
Blue berry-like fruit
Drought tolerant
RED CEDAR
Elderberry
• Full sun
• Moist to wet
• Grows to 18’ tall
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Vines Virginia Creeper• Beautiful red foliage in the fall
• Birds enjoy the berries
• Makes attractive ground cover
• Does not “take over” the garden
• Grows in sun or shade-
• Average moisture
Northern Cardinal
Crossvine
Carolina Chickadee
• Blooms in spring when Hummingbirds migrate through. It’s a hummingbird favorite.
• Beautiful yellow to salmon-colored blossoms.
• Prefers mesic conditions and shade.
Coral Honeysuckle
• Blooms all summer. A hummingbird and butterfly favorite.
• Prefers mesic to dry conditions and does best in full sun.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Trumpet Vinea Hummingbird favorite
Prefers full sun
Mesic to dry conditions
Greenbriar, or Catbrier
• Shade to part sun
• Mesic to dry
• Growing stem tips taste like asparagus
• Many species in Smilax genus
• Caution: has thorns!
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Gulf Fritillary & Tropical Sage
Beard Tongue (dry) Ruby-throated Hummingbird & Ironweed (damp)
Obedient Plant (damp) Ruby-throated Hummingbird & Aloe (dry)
Wood Sage (damp)
Annuals and Perennialsto attract
Hummingbirds
More Hummingbird Favorites…
Milkweeds-damp to dry
Cardinal Lobelia (damp)Dotted Horsemint or
Spotted Beebalm (dry)Swamp milkweed (wet)
Sandhill milkweed (dry)Butterfly milkweed (dry) Various Lobelias…
Bird Pepper
Elliott’s Love Grass-seeds
Cardinal eating Dayflower seeds
Caterpillar on Fennel. Birds like to eat caterpillars.
Thistle-seeds
More Annuals & Perennials for the Birds
The Incredible Diversity of Florida’s Native Plants
Native Plants:
4,143 Vascular Plant Species2,825 Native & 1,318 Naturalized
1 in 12 are Endemic (228)
Endangered – 437
Threatened – 114
Commercially Exploited – 8
In Cultivation ‐ + 520
150 Fern Species
18 Ecosystems
82 Plant Communities
Example: Lake Wales Ridge
Burrowing OwlsRight – Christina Evans
Savannah SparrowChristina Evans
American BitternChristina Evans
Bachmann’s Sparrow on Rusty LyoniaKissimmee Prairie Preserve, Cristina Evans
Bachmann’s Sparrow Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, Christina Evans
Bachmann’s Sparrow on Rusty Lyonia
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Black and White Warbler
Black Bellied Whistling Duck
Blue Herron
Bluebirds
Bluegray Gnatcatcher
Chickadee
Brown Thrasher
Yellow Throated Warbler
Cedar Waxwing, John Spohrer
Eastern KingbirdChristina Evans
Eastern Meadowlark on BeautyberryChristina Evans
Eastern MeadowlarkSherry Fischer
Egret
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Eastern TowheeLoraine Margeson
Grasshopper SparrowChristina Evans Goldfinch with Insect
Gray Catbird
Great Crested Flycatcher
Loggerheaded Shrike
Hooded Warbler
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Summer TanagerMelissa Wilder
Migrant Summer Tanager
Marsh Wren, Cristina Evans
Mocking Bird
Mottled DuckRalph Smith
Northern Bobwhite QuailChristina Evans
Oven Bird near Serenoa repens
Painted Bunting on Wax myrtle
Prothonotary Warbler
Purple Gallinule Red-Winged Black Bird
Scrub Jay
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Scrub Jay
Scrub JayDisney Wilderness Preserve
Scrub JayCruickshank Preserve, Brevard
Vince Lamb
Scrub Jay
Scrub JaySnail Kite Swamp Sparrow, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, C. Evans
Swamp Sparrow
Shipping Sparrow
Song SparrowLake Woodruff Refuge
Sherry Fishcher
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Swallow Tail Kite
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey
Christina Evans
Turkeys
Vermillion FlycatcherOrlando Wetlands Park
Hooded Warbler Christina Evans
Scrub Jay
White Eyed Vireo, Melissa Wilder
White Eyed Vireo
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Scrub Jay
WoodStork, Cristina Evans
Scrub Jay
Yong WoodStorkCheryl Duber, Tampa
Scrub Jay
White Eyed VireoWoodstork Rookery, Alice LewisPileated Woodpecker
J. Andrew Boyle
Red-Bellied Woodpecker,
G. Robins
Yellow-Bellied Sap Sucker
Scrub Jay
White Eyed Vireo, Melissa Wilder
White Eyed Vireo
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Scrub Jay
White Eyed Vireo, Melissa Wilder
White Eyed Vireo
Worm Eating Warbler
Yellow Rumped Warbler Yellow Rumped Warbler
Yellow Rumped Warbler on Holly
Yellow Rumped Warbler on Wax Myrtle
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Yellow Throat Warbler,
Reed Noss
Yellow Throat WarblerYellow Throat Warbler
Swamp Sunflower
Yellow Throat WarblerRoosevelt Wetlands
Yellow Throat WarblerMelissa Wilder
Yellow Throat WarblerChristina Evans
Yellow Throat Warbler
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Yellow Warbler With Caterpillar
Lawrence West
Yellow WarblerMelissa Wilder
Plant it and they will come.
Plant and Enjoy a native plant garden and help birds save birds from extinction.
Photos by Christina Evans, Author, Vince Lamb of the Conradina Chapter and Peg Lindsay & Peg Urban of the Lake Beautyberry Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
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