LANDSCAPING FOR
WILDLIFE
All Animals Need:
Food
Cover
Water
Space
Habitat
Animals will only reside or forage in an
area that contains enough of these four
essential elements to maintain daily
activities.
Food
Fruit
Seeds
Insects
Attract a variety
Nectar
of birds, reptiles,
bats, butterflies
Larval
and other insects
Meat
Remember to provide food year-round,
especially in winter.
Fruit Bearing Plants
Golden Dewdrop
Duranta erecta
Wild grape
Vitis sp.
Beautyberry
Calicarpa americana
Mulberry
Morus rubra
Large native
tree ~ 40 ft
Full sun
Throughout
Florida
Edible fruit
in spring
Brittle bark,
messy
(USDA Zone 5-9)
Chickasaw Plum
(USDA Zone 8-10)
Prunus
angustifolia
Native
tree
~10 ft
Full to
partial sun
Blooms
early spring
Edible fruit
Suckers tend to form thickets
Holly
Ilex spp.
(USDA Zone 6-9)
Native shrubs
and trees
Sun to partial shade Gallberry
Range varies
Fruit remains through
winter, attracting birds
Salt, drought and
shade tolerant
Suckers
Ilex glabra
Dahoon Holly Ilex cassine
Virginia Willow
Itea virginica
(USDA Zone 6-10A)
Native shrub
~ 7 ft
Full to partial sun
Blooms spring
Drought and flood
tolerant
Suckers tend to
form thickets
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
(USDA Zone 3-7)
Native shrub
~15 ft
Full to partial sun
Throughout
Florida
Fragrant flowers
year-round
Edible fruit
Florida Privet
Forestiera segregata
(USDA Zone 9-11)
Native shrub
~10 ft
Full to partial sun
Throughout Florida
Fast grower
Drought and salt tolerant
Dense cover and fruits attract birds
Nectar Plants
Cardinal flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Golden Dew Drop
Duranta repens
(USDA
Zone 8-11)
Shrub ~ 14 feet
Full to partial sun
Blooms year- round
Throughout Florida
High drought tolerance
Attracts butterflies
Porterweed
Stachytarpheta
jamaicensis
(USDA Zone 8-11)
Native and non-native
perennial ~ 4 ft
Full to partial sun
Blooms year-round
Medium salt and
drought tolerance
Red variety is non-native
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
(USDA Zone 6-9A)
Native vine
Full to partial sun
Blooms spring- fall
Throughout Florida
Attract butterflies
and hummingbirds
Larval Plants
Matchweed,
Phyla nodiflora
is the larval
host of the
Buckeye.
Willow, Salix caroliniana
is a larval host of the Viceroy.
Red Bay
Persia borbonia
(USDA Zone 7-10B)
Native tree
~ 40 ft
Full to partial sun
Throughout Florida
Drought and salt tolerant
Blooms in spring attract butterflies
Purple fruit attract birds
Bays are larval food for
the spicebush swallowtail.
Joe Schaefer
Milkweed
Asclepias spp.
(USDA Zone 8-10A)
Shrub ~ 4 ft
Natives available
Full to partial sun
Blooms year-round
Throughout Florida
Drought tolerant
Nectar attracts
hummingbirds and
butterflies
Larval host of
Monarch and Queen
Passion flower
Passiflora spp.
(USDA Zone 6-11)
Vine
Native varieties
available
Full to partial
sun
Blooms yearround
Throughout
Florida
Larval host of
Gulf Fritillary
Coontie
Zamia pumila
(USDA Zone 9-11)
Native shrub
~ 3 ft
Full-partial sun
Salt and drought tolerant
Throughout Florida
Insignificant bloom
Larval host of
Atala butterfly,
found only in
southeast Florida.
Dutchman’s Pipe
Aristolochia spp.
(USDA Zone 8-11)
Vine
Full to
partial sun
Blooms
summer-fall
Medium
drought
tolerance
Larval host of
Pipevine swallowtail
Senna (syn. Cassia)
Senna spp.
Chapman’s Senna
Senna mexicana
var. chapmanii
(USDA Zone 10-11)
Native
and non-native
shrubs ~ 6-10 ft
Full
to partial sun
Blooms
Fast
fall- spring
growing, short-lived
Larval host
of Sulphurs
Desert Cassia
Senna polyphylla
(non-native)
Cover
Vertical layers
Evergreen species
for winter cover
Standing dead trees,
or “snags”
Brush pile
Water
Permanent water feature
Sound of running water attracts
many animals
PuddlingButterflies obtain
water and
minerals from
liquid in pore
spaces.
Puddling station
Sandra
Granson
Design a Puddling Station
1. Layer sand in saucer
2. Add layer of compost
3. Place pebbles on top
4. Add water slowly
(to pebble layer)
5. Place saucer on
upside down pot
Birdbath
Shallow with mildly
sloping sides
Rough surface
Keep clean
Rinse off any
soap residue
Audubon Society recommends
changing the water and
cleaning bird baths weekly to
avoid spreading avian diseases.
Managing for Wildlife
Vertical
layers of vegetation
Plant natives
No pesticides!
Stop mowing- Weeds add
wildlife value to your yard!
Bidens alba
Long-tailed
skipper
feeding on
Spanish
needle.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis spp.
Horsemint
Monarda punctata
Wild Wonderful Weeds
Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
Blanket flower
Gaillardia pulchella
Tolerance of Nuisance Animals
Diggers
Herbivores
(moles, gophers, squirrels,
armadillos, tortoises)
(deer, rabbits, ducks)
Bring
nutrient to surface
Loosen
& aerate soil
on turf and
landscape pests
Contribute to food web,
circle of life
Nets and fencing may
protect fruits
Harassment or nest
removal for non-natives
Feed
Trapping
and deterrents
Pocket Gopher
Armadillo
Marsh rabbit
More Wild Information
Florida Cooperative Extension Service Wildlife Program
www.wec.ufl.edu/extension
Print on demand
Links and information
Educational programs
Florida Wildlife Habitat Program
Local Audubon Society
Polk County Extension Service
Contact us:
UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service
1702 Highway 17 South, Bartow
Phone: (863) 519-8677
Websites: http://polkfyn.ifas.ufl.edu
http://polkhort.ifas.ufl.edu
http://polk.ifas.ufl.edu