Over the past century urbanization has changed once ecologically productive land into sterile lawns with exotic ornamental plants. We have introduced walls of glass, toxic pesticides, and domestic predators. The human dominated landscape typically does not support functioning ecosystems or provide healthy places for birds. As a result many bird species are in decline. Your yard – and the kinds of plants in it – matters more than you may know. Native plants play an important role in providing the food and cover birds need to survive and thrive in a way that non-native plants cannot. By increasing the number of native plants, decreasing non-native invasive plants, and making other changes, you can greatly improve the value of your yard to birds.
Dr. Dan Scheiman is Bird Conservation Director for Audubon Arkansas, a state office of the National Audubon Society, based at the Little Rock Audubon Center. Dan has a B.S. from Cornell University, M.S. from Eastern Illinois University, and Ph.D. from Purdue University. Since 2005 he has worked to monitor birds, restore wildlife habitat, and help Arkansans improve their local environments. He has been birding for over 25 years. In the 12 years he has lived in Arkansas he has seen 360 of the 419 bird species documented in the state. His house in Hillcrest features an all-Arkansas native plant yard.