Matt Frye/The Smithville Herald A tree frog blends into a crape myrtle tree in Tim and Lisa Luttrell’s garden. The Luttrell’s said their garden is a haven for area animals.
Join our Mailing List!
Please click the link below to sign up for your community paper mailing list. Stay up to date with all the events going on in your community as well as the latest news.Sign Up Today!
Wildlife welcome
By Kathy Crawford
Balancing the welfare of wildlife with environmental issues on a global level can be perplexing. But most everyone can help balance the ecosystem within their own patch of earth, like Smithville residents Tim and Lisa Luttrell and Jay and Jennifer Fulton have done.
“I know we can’t save the world, but we can do it one yard at a time,” Jennifer said.
The National Wildlife Federation sponsors the Certified Wildlife Habitat program. Certification requires five elements: food, water, places for cover, places to raise young and sustainable gardening.
“We’re very big gardeners,” Lisa said. “We love wildlife and nature, too. If you love one, you usually love the other.”
Judging by the fauna they draw, the Luttrells have been successful with their wildlife habitat. Their two-acre plot is host to foxes, skunks, possums, raccoons, deer and a large barn owl. Despite the array of mammals, Lisa is still fondest of the insects.
“I love the bumblebees,” she said. “The bee population is diminishing.”
So, Lisa is particularly happy to draw them in with her flowers, like frittalaria. She also has Knock Out Roses, which are resistant to disease and insects. Such flowers or plants reduce the need for chemicals. The National Wildlife Federation also suggests using mulch, compost or starting a rain garden as sustainable gardening.
Other insects, such as praying mantises, dragon flies, monarchs and other butterflies also enjoy the nectar in the Luttrells yard. In Jennifer’s yard, she attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and caterpillars with a bee balm. She leaves downed trees in her backyard as a source of cover and food.
“The downed trees create so many insects, and the birds eat them,” she said.
When natural food from nectar, nuts, seeds and berries isn’t abundant, wildlife welcomes bird, squirrel and butterfly feeders.
Water sources can draw more diverse wildlife to a yard. The Luttrells have a creek running along the backside of their land, outside of their fence. Tim said that deer drink from the creek then lie down in the native grass for naps.
“We try to leave everything as it is,” Tim said.
The couple also have bird baths, a fountain and a pond they created in an old claw foot tub. They keep goldfish in it during the warm months.
A neighbor’s large pond feeds a creek that runs along the Fulton’s property. They also have visits from deer, and geese stop by in the spring to lay eggs by the water’s edge.
But frogs are Jennifer’s favorite wildlife. They built a rock path across the creek and inadvertently provided a sanctuary for tadpoles because bigger fish from the pond can’t swim past the wall. Snakes are fond of swimming in the creek, too, and Jay is not a big fan.
“They just scare the bejeezus out of me,” he said.
Dense shrubs, nesting boxes and vegetation provide places to raise young, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Jennifer counted 13 nests last winter in the surrounding trees.
Luisa Grant, programs assistant for the Habitat Education Programs said the wildlife federation’s mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for future generations. For more information, visit www.nwf.org/backyard.
“It’s really easy,” Jennifer said. “Anybody can do it.”
Staff writer Kathy Crawford can be reached at 532-4444 or kathycrawford@npgco.com.
printable version
e-mail this story
“I know we can’t save the world, but we can do it one yard at a time,” Jennifer said.
The National Wildlife Federation sponsors the Certified Wildlife Habitat program. Certification requires five elements: food, water, places for cover, places to raise young and sustainable gardening.
“We’re very big gardeners,” Lisa said. “We love wildlife and nature, too. If you love one, you usually love the other.”
Judging by the fauna they draw, the Luttrells have been successful with their wildlife habitat. Their two-acre plot is host to foxes, skunks, possums, raccoons, deer and a large barn owl. Despite the array of mammals, Lisa is still fondest of the insects.
“I love the bumblebees,” she said. “The bee population is diminishing.”
So, Lisa is particularly happy to draw them in with her flowers, like frittalaria. She also has Knock Out Roses, which are resistant to disease and insects. Such flowers or plants reduce the need for chemicals. The National Wildlife Federation also suggests using mulch, compost or starting a rain garden as sustainable gardening.
Other insects, such as praying mantises, dragon flies, monarchs and other butterflies also enjoy the nectar in the Luttrells yard. In Jennifer’s yard, she attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and caterpillars with a bee balm. She leaves downed trees in her backyard as a source of cover and food.
“The downed trees create so many insects, and the birds eat them,” she said.
When natural food from nectar, nuts, seeds and berries isn’t abundant, wildlife welcomes bird, squirrel and butterfly feeders.
Water sources can draw more diverse wildlife to a yard. The Luttrells have a creek running along the backside of their land, outside of their fence. Tim said that deer drink from the creek then lie down in the native grass for naps.
“We try to leave everything as it is,” Tim said.
The couple also have bird baths, a fountain and a pond they created in an old claw foot tub. They keep goldfish in it during the warm months.
A neighbor’s large pond feeds a creek that runs along the Fulton’s property. They also have visits from deer, and geese stop by in the spring to lay eggs by the water’s edge.
But frogs are Jennifer’s favorite wildlife. They built a rock path across the creek and inadvertently provided a sanctuary for tadpoles because bigger fish from the pond can’t swim past the wall. Snakes are fond of swimming in the creek, too, and Jay is not a big fan.
“They just scare the bejeezus out of me,” he said.
Dense shrubs, nesting boxes and vegetation provide places to raise young, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Jennifer counted 13 nests last winter in the surrounding trees.
Luisa Grant, programs assistant for the Habitat Education Programs said the wildlife federation’s mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for future generations. For more information, visit www.nwf.org/backyard.
“It’s really easy,” Jennifer said. “Anybody can do it.”
Staff writer Kathy Crawford can be reached at 532-4444 or kathycrawford@npgco.com.