LONDON, Ohio – If you want to attract birds, butterflies and pollinators to your farmyard – plant native. That’s what experts from Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee advise.

“The native plant movement is growing (pun intended),” said Brian Hackett, wildlife specialist/district technician with the Knox (Ohio) Soil and Water Conservation District. “Use native plant species. The plants are the basis of the food web, the foundation.”

If your garden features non-native ornamentals, a lot of insects might not be able to use those plants, Hackett explained when he presented this information at the virtual Farm Science Review. Insects are the next step up the food chain. Most insects have adapted and evolved with native plant species. A lot of them are specialists which means they can only reproduce on certain native plant species.

“The moral of the story is, having food available for the next creature up on the food chain,” Hackett said. “If you have the plants you can attract insects. Almost all terrestrial bird species raise their young on larva, like caterpillars. They’re nice little compact protein packs that do a good job of raising baby birds.”

If you have the native species in place, the moths and butterflies will come to lay their eggs. Then there will be caterpillars for the birds. It’s that chain that keeps on going.

“Pick and choose a variety of plants, get diversity, create structure,” he said. “Get some plants that are low, such as wildflowers, some shrubs that are medium height and some trees. That provides the birds with food, cover, nesting space.”

Providing native plants is important, reaffirmed Mimi Barnes, wildlife information specialist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. A farmer looking at large food plots might consider planting native warm-season grasses that provide seed, insect cover or cover for ground-nesting birds.

“That can be done on a small scale, too,” Barnes said. “In my flower bed I have little bluestem, a native warm-season grass and it’s beautiful. It’s a great landscaping plant that can be done on a large or small scale because it provides for so much.”

Planting en masse is also a good idea, Barnes said. She plants at least three plants in a clump. That provides a larger picture of color for bees, butterflies, moths and more, to see from a distance.

“I love native plants, but I’m not a purist,” Barnes said. “I have zinnias and peonies and other non-native plants in my garden. It makes the heart happy to see a bee or a monarch butterfly on one of our plants!”

Beyond birds and flower gardens, Hackett also suggested having a brush pile. Rabbits, opossums and more can make their den in a brush pile. Bees and insects overwinter in them. Birds will use them for shelter.

“You don’t have to have them sitting in the middle of your front yard,” he said. “You can tuck them away. I have a shed in my yard and we keep a brush pile in the back of the shed, so you can’t see it.”

Water is another primary wildlife need and a birdbath or water feature does not need to be hidden away. Water features, while pricey and requiring maintenance, can attract frogs and toads, Hackett said.

“A good thing for pollinators and insects is a low birdbath, one that sits about a foot off the ground, and putting in some rocks,” Hackett said. “You have the water level just going up to the rocks. Butterflies and bees will utilize that. It’s almost like a pollinator insect drinking fountain rather than a birdbath. That way they don’t drown.”

Beyond the backyard, farmers can look at odd areas: edges, corners, lanes, places where they don’t they plant crops, but maybe bush hog every year, said Brian McGowan, Purdue University extension wildlife specialist. Those places can provide for wildlife.

“Some of these areas might be better managed if the farmer did fall tillage, a fall discing every year,” McGowan said. “That is going to provide a little different composition, from a wildlife standpoint. A lot of these areas are seeded to fescue or a cool-season grass. That offers little quality habitat or food. Converting to some kind of a native cover would be preferable.”

If a farmer is enrolled in a federal cost-share program there are restrictions on mowing and other practices during the bird primary nesting season, McGowan said. They could still avoid doing those types of practices in other areas, avoid mowing in the spring through June 1or even June 15 depending on where you are.

Jarred Brooke, Purdue extension wildlife specialist, also suggested tree lines as a good place to provide wildlife habitat, and recommended planting some of those areas for pollinators.

“The Indiana Native Plant Society website shows native plants, and also invasive plants you may want to think about removing or not planting,” Brooke said. “It has good suggestions on landscaping with native plants.”

All of these experts suggested contacting the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. A private lands biologist can work with farmers or landowners to develop a conservation plan.

They also recommended these resources: ohionativeplantmonth.org for a list of native plants and more; indiananativeplants.org is a good resource no matter where you live, as is the National Wildlife Federation (NWF.org). Follow the “get involved link” and click on “certify a garden,” to certify your yard as wildlife habitat.