Morning folks.
I had poste d this on the Wildlife forum and thought I woudl post this here to for all you hummer and butterfly people. You may not realize it but you can register yoru backtards as a NWP with all the bird sand butterflie s you take care of raise and provide for .
her e the link to the details.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/751439/
Your backyard as a National Wildlife Preserve.
Thanks for the link to the thread. NWF has some easy to follow guidelines for making a wildlife habitat in your own yard, and I wouldn't be surprised if more of the Butterfly and Hummingbird lovers on DG meet the NWF requirements.
http://www.nwf.org/backyard/
We used the guidelines a couple of years ago to create our wildlife habitat, although we didn't register it yet (I don't think we did, anyway,...maybe we did...) We were pretty ignorant of many of the needs of wildlife and reviewing some of the recommendations on the site helped us become more aware of conservation and the use of native plants in our yard.
If your backyard habitat qualifies, you can order a NWF yard sign which helps raise community awareness, too. https://secure.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/certify/signOrder.cfm
Registering our butterfly garden on Monarch Watch is something we need to do, too. http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/certify.html
I think it comes with a yard sign which the neighbors might find informative, too.
Or, if you don't want to register, and your yard feels naked without a sign, I like this one, too: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Butterfly-Garden-Posters_i1113739_.htm
and these are kind of cute:
https://www.kangaroocenter.com/store/productdetails.aspx?ProdID=39
https://www.kangaroocenter.com/store/productdetails.aspx?ProdID=38
thanks again for the reminder. It will be interesting to hear if any Butterfliers or Hummingbirders gardens will qualify. I'd imagine we'd have quite a few eligible.
I got mine registered! You're right, many prob. qualify and don't realize it. The money to get registered goes to the NWF so I feel good about that, and being recognized as a wildlife habitat.
They'll send a nice certificate (I got mine framed) that says your yard is certified as a National Wildlife Federation backyard habitat. You can also pay a little extra for a yard sign.
This message was edited Jul 23, 2007 4:39 PM
Cool.. that nic e information to know and loved them othe r type signs too. : )
Mine says "the backyard of Judy, Harley and Sophie Green" is recognized.
Harley is a chow chow. Sophie is a cocker spaniel. But it IS their backyard!
Good info. I took a landscaping for wildlife class and they gave us the info to register our yards too. Haven't gotten around to it..but do have signs that say:
Butterfly Crossing, Hummingbird Crossing and the most popular one that everyone can relate to...Mosquito Crossing. :o)
Now if I can only convince the powers that be that I should qualify for a tax deduction too!!!
~ Cat
This is funny....I got my yard registered about 2 weeks ago.
I got my new place certified about 6 months after moving in. I really only had to put in nectar plants. I have a pond, lots of woods and open areas but of course I had to put bird baths, fountains and oodles of feeders to bring the birds and other critters close to the house.
Cat I am not sure about Tx but in MS if you have a endangered species living on your property can get a tax break.
Don't guess the common opossum is endangered...drats!!!
Hmmm...does that mean I can transplant horned toads from the ranch to my backyard? Or I can just register the ranch since all the critters are found there naturally. :o)
Too hard to think about at this hour....yawn....stretch...zzzzz
~ Cat
lol Cat. It is worth checking into
Donna... For real? I didn't know that. There are several of us neighbors here that unless we desperately have to, don't take down any trees cuz we have some endangered woodpeaker that has been making it's home here.
First few years it arrived we would watch it make hole afte r hole to attract a female. Gues s the female s very particular of wher e they live. Finaly a coupel years back he finally got himself a mate and now we have one family flitering around.
One of his favorite trees was rotted so bad and a storm took it down , but it layign at an angle along side another tree so we leave it just encase he wants it.
Still, that somethign finding out that can qualify for a tax deduction. Always somethign ne w to learn. Wonde r if they have it here in Alabama.
Is the red-cockaded woodpecker your endangered species?
http://www.forestry.state.al.us/publication/TF_publications/endangered/red_cockaded_woodpecker_in_alaba.htm
http://www.fws.gov/daphne/RCW/RCW-SafeHarbor.html
My yard was designated by NWF a few years ago. I'm also a Texas Wildscape.
Starlight, if you have Red Cockaded Woodpeckers in your neighborhood, you are very lucky indeed. They are *very* specific about what habitat they will nest in. Congrats to you and your neighbors for not cutting down the trees.
Carla
Tabasco.. Thanks for those links. I never can remember the name of it. I always usually just call it the red rare woodpecker.
Not too far from my house is where a A national Wild Fish and Wildlife guy lives. I've talke d to him before when helping injured wildlife that wanders here. Think when I get a chance I will go talk to him and see about havign my plac e put in the Safe Harbor program or see if they ant to capture these and relocate them to other breedign grounds where more may be to mate.
I would hate to see them go cuz I enjoy watchign them walk up and down the trees and love listening to peek peek peek while they hunting bugs. They so funny to watch. : )
They love my security pole in the back to hunt bugs on.
This cool seeing how many other folks are NWF. It nice to know so many others care cuz it is hard sometime s when some folks get on ya about how your yard looks or always telling ya, why don't ya cut down them trees and plant some grass. They just don't understand I like my wild little jungle with all it's wildflowers and weeds and critters. When I felel the need to go barefoot and lay in a yard with real grass, I just go to a friends house and roll like a dog in their's. LOL
You know... it's been at least a year since I've seen a red-headed woodpecker in my backyard. When I bought my house, he was there as frequently as the red-bellied ones.
So sad to see such an obvious decline when I enjoy watching them so much.
Stinkin' construction.
Do armadillos qualify??? LOL We have trees still down from tornado damage back in March.. birds love them. We have pileated woodpeckers.. I call them big chickens..
Elaine
Elaine~According to this website, "many species of armadillo are endangered or threatened." I love this, a genuine tax break for the average person!
http://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/armadillos.html
Although it should be noted, the odds are great that you have the common nine-banded armadillo that is NOT endangered. Sorry. :-p
Just letting ya'll know I finally gotta 'round to it!!! Registered a couple of days ago.
Glad there's no homeowners association here! I live in a neighborhood with neatly trimmed yards but just like Starlight said...it should stop those raised eyebrows when my front yard starts to look like a jungle compared to everyone else's clean green mowed ones. Am so glad everyone's backyards are fenced...they'd surely have a cow if they could see mine :o)
I'll have to read up on the endangered species of Texas and see if anything is familiar to me. Every little bit helps.
~ Cat
The regular red-headed woodpecker is getting scarcer, too, around here. They love the old big oak trees and so many of these oaks are being cut down or dying in the suburbs and in farm fields too.
It's hard to believe these handsome birds were once game birds and were thought to be pests.
P,,thanks for the link.. don't know what kind of armadillos I have.. Not real crazy about them, but we have mostly woods around us so I let them live. They do root around some of my plants, but don't seem to hurt them.
Elaine
P.S. yes, it is good to know that we have a few tax breaks.....
Congrats on your registration Cat!!!! : )
Awwwwwww. Cute armidillo pic. Ya got a family! : )
Hi, we registered our yard a few months ago :) I ordered the sign too...just have to get to buying a post to mount it on!
There is a lady near us, in edgewater Park NJ, that is being sued by her township and ordered to cut down some of her overgrown bushes that she has in her certified yard. They claim her weeds are a mosquito attraction and a potential health hazzard; can you imagine!! Our local paper did a big write up about it. All she wants to do is attract butterflies. She has the support of some NJ Audubon Society members. It has created quite a stir around my area. Whoever it is that complained about her hasn't come forward. Interestingly, the first court hearing was postponed after all the media coverage this past week.
this tells you more of the story (this is a diff article than what was in our local Burlington County Times)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/some-in-nj-trying-to-be-green-find-local/n20070715093809990001
wow what a great article. I sure hope she wins!!!!
Wind that is terrible. I sure hope that she wins and folks get of f her back. Thanks for sharing such a story. if you hear anymore please keep us informed won't you. I sure hope some other societies step up and can help her protect her yard.
I hope she wins too. I was wondering if the NWF even knows about it and if they did; would they get involved with their legal dept to help her. I'll let you know if and when I hear any more about it. Happy Gardening in the meantime :)
Me 2...hope she wins.. My yard would never make 'yard of the month'.. But, I think my birds, hummers, butterflies, turtles, armadillos, deer,, and more would call mine heaven.. LOL
Elaine
Yes, what the Sierra Club guy said is so true: we have zoned out the opportunity to help the wildlife and even for individual creativity. Mostly just endless suburbs with no trees and 'easy maintenance' plants are the rule and what people are accustomed to, now.
So too bad (and makes for a dull and lifeless community.)
I have to agree with all of you!! I hate the cookie cutter neighborhoods!! When I moved to NC from NY I did not want a house that had absolutely no trees. So we looked and looked and found our perfect paradise. Yes I have some mosquitos but I have lots of other animals and birds and of course my hummers that make what I have done there worth it. I dont use any pesticides and use or try to use native palnts. I was fortunate to be certified by NWF of which I was already a meneber this past month and I am awaiting the arrival of my sign so I can BRAG!!!!!
We have a "let it lie" philosophy on our 2.5 acres (1 acre fenced) of nw Georgia woods. Our framed NWF Habitat certificate has been hanging by our front door for decades. We're proud to be #9496!
jo
I agree,, I hate those pesticides.. the county has to call me every year and I always tell them do not spray my woods for mosquitoes. I have had more butterflies this year than ever and we are in the middle of a severe heat/drought. My water bill is going to be a reason to work more substitute teaching jobs..LOL I need to register my backyard and front yard...
Elaine