Lawns have become the standard for neat, attractive
yards, but a green expanse comes at a high cost to the environment.
It requires large amounts of water, fertilizer and pesticides, as
well as labor for maintenance, and is of practically no use to
wildlife. You can create a wildlife-friendly yard by letting a part
of your lawn go wild. If you simply quit mowing small sections, all
kinds of vegetation may sprout, as it did in Gulf Islands biologist
Riley Hoggard's backyard near Pensacola. Now he enjoys live oaks,
pines, bays and even willows, as well as interesting
wildflowers.
Native plants such as these, wild or planted, will
create a backyard haven for wildlife, especially birds. If you are
among the 75 percent of Florida's population who live within five
miles of the coast, think about re-establishing a coastal hammock
in your yard. A diversity of flowering plants and fruiting trees,
such as coral bean, pigeon plum, live oak, firebush, loblolly and
sea grape, are important sources of food and shelter. Consult a
native nursery near you, or reference our list of Native Plants
for Back Yard Florida Habitats from Planting a Refuge for
Wildlife.
Keep turf to a minimum. Use grass that is
drought-tolerant. Mow at the highest recommended height, and often
enough so that you need remove only 1/3 of the blade, which
decomposes readily, returning nutrients to the yard without
creating a thatch layer. Water less frequently but more thoroughly,
to promote deeper root growth.
For more information on reducing turf, contact your
local county extension service. Their phone number is listed in the
'county' section of the blue pages. Or you may visit the home page
of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural
Services, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/.
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