Although we live on a tiny suburban lot (less than one tenth of an acre), we have met standards of providing food, water, and shelter along with incorporating sustainable gardening habits. Our reward can be found in the dozens of varieties of wildlife that visit on a regular basis, proving that even an urban habitat can be a wildlife-friendly oasis.
Building a Wildlife Habitat in Central Florida
If you live in Central Florida or a similar climate, you might benefit from the tips we've compiled below, including great native plants to use and the kinds of wildlife you can expect to draw.
Our Climate: My Florida Backyard is located in Hardiness Zone 9b, very close to zone 10, in a suburban environment. Though hard freezes are rare, they are not impossible, and we can expect frost on occasion in January and February. We receive about 45 inches of rain a year, with very defined wet and dry seasons. Summers are hot and wet, with cooler drier winters - April and November often bring near-drought conditions.
Food Sources
Water Sources
Shelter
Places to Raise Young
Sustainable Gardening Practices
Food Sources
NWF Requirements:My Florida Backyard Food Sources:
Your habitat needs three of the following types of plants or supplemental feeders:
Seeds from a plant • Berries • Nectar • Foliage/Twigs • Nuts • Fruits • Sap • Pollen • Suet • Bird Feeder • Squirrel Feeder • Hummingbird Feeder • Butterfly Feeder
Bird Feeders - We offer a platform feeder with safflower seed (to keep squirrels away) along with several other feeders. We have tried a hummingbird feeder on occasion, but had only minimal luck. See these blog posts for more on our feeders and feeder visitors:
Berries and Seeds - There are a lot of great native plants that offer seeds and berries for wild birds. Some of our favorites include Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Simpson Stopper (Myrcianthies fragrans), and Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). For more great native plant options, visit the Gardening for Birds page at nsis.org.
Nectar Plants - Our passion for butterflies means My Florida Backyard is full of nectar plants. Our favorite native and Florida-Friendly options include (but are certainly not limited to) lantana, penta, firebush, plumbago, coral honeysuckle, and salvia. Read any of the posts below for details or visit the Gardening for Butterflies page at nsis.org.
Pollen Plants - Don't forget to provide some food for bees and other insects. Try great pollen-producing native plants like Dotted Horsemint or Yellowtop.
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Water Sources
NWF Requirements:My Florida Backyard Water Sources:
Your habitat needs one of the following sources to provide clean water for wildlife to drink and bathe: Birdbath • Lake • Stream • Seasonal Pool • Ocean • Water Garden/Pond • River • Butterfly Puddling Area • Rain Garden • Spring
We're fortunate enough to live on a large stormwater pond, which provides a year-round source of water for wading birds, water fowl, fish, turtles, and more. We also provide water seasonally in bird baths and butterfly puddling areas. If you don't live on a permanent water source like a lake, stream, or the ocean, we recommend checking the links below for information on creating clean water sources for wildlife.
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Shelter
NWF Requirements:My Florida Backyard Shelter:
Wildlife need at least two places to find shelter from the weather and predators:
Wooded Area • Bramble Patch • Ground Cover • Rock Pile or Wall • Cave • Roosting Box • Dense Shrubs or Thicket • Evergreens • Brush or Log Pile • Burrow • Meadow or Prairie • Water Garden or Pond
Aside from a bird nesting box or two, we have several full-grown trees and lots of shrubbery. When you live on a small lot where brush piles or caves just aren't feasible, shrubs are a wildlife gardener's best friend, allowing you to combine food sources with shelter in a small area. Some of our easy-to-grow favorites include American Beautyberry, Firebush, Simpson Stopper, and hollies of all varieties. See the blog posts below for more details, or visit the Native Shrubs page at nsis.org.
- Simpson Stopper - Stop in the Name of Love
- Firebush and Beautyberry - No Man's Land
- Holly - Buzz Buzz Buzz
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Places to Raise Young
NWF Requirements:My Florida Backyard Places to Raise Young:
You need at least two places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and then bear and raise their young: Mature Trees • Meadow or Prairie • Nesting Box • Wetland • Cave • Host Plants for Caterpillars • Dead Trees or Snags • Dense Shrubs or a Thicket • Water Garden or Pond • Burrow
Many of the places that provide shelter also provide places to raise young. To that end, we offer nesting boxes, mature trees, and dense shrubbery. We've also participated in programs to help add sheltering plants to our pond, where ducks and other water birds can raise their young safely. But the biggest contribution we make in this category is caterpillar host plants. Butterflies are specialists, and will generally lay eggs on only very specific plants that their caterpillars then consume. Providing a variety of native host plants is the best way to draw butterflies to your yard. Read the posts below to see what we provide or visit the Host Plants page at nsis.org.
- Monarchs, Queens: Milkweed (Dancing Queen, see also MonarchWatch.org)
- Sulphurs: Partridge Pea (Yellow Days), Cassias (Mission Accomplished)
- Polydamas and Pipevine Swallowtails: Wooly Pipevine (All Together Now)
- Gulf Fritillaries, Zebra Longwings: Passionvines (Too Shy, A Bargain at Twice the Price, Grim Grinning Ghosts
- Skippers: Beans, Hairy-Pod Cow Pea (Sweet Pea, Be Our Guest)
- Giant Swallowtails: Citrus (Who Will Buy My Pretty Flowers), Rue (When Giants Walked)
- Black Swallowtails: Fennel, Dill, Parsley (Cats in the Cradle), Rue (Amazing (Herb of) Grace)
- Zebra Swallowtails: Paw Paw (Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch)
- Brazilian or Canna Skippers: Canna (I'm a-Rolling, Roll With It)
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Sustainable Gardening Practices
NWF Requirements:My Florida Backyard Sustainable Gardening Practices:
You should be doing two things to help manage your habitat in a sustainable way.
Soil and Water Conservation: Riparian Buffer • Capture Rain Water from Roof • Xeriscape (water-wise landscaping) • Drip or Soaker Hose for Irrigation • Limit Water Use • Reduce Erosion (i.e. ground cover, terraces) • Use Mulch • Rain Garden
Controlling Exotic Species: Practice Integrated Pest Management • Remove Non-Native Plants and Animals • Use Native Plants • Reduce Lawn Areas
Organic Practices: Eliminate Chemical Pesticides • Eliminate Chemical Fertilizers • Compost
When we first began to create My Florida Backyard, we set down some ground rules, and the use of sustainable gardening practices was important among them. Here are some of the things we've done to meet this goal.
- Limit Water Use, Install a Rain Barrel (I Wish It Would Rain)
- Reduce Lawn Areas (Keep Off the Grass, Looking for Space)
- Use Mulch: We prefer FloriMulch, made from the removal of the invasive melaleuca tree. Under no circumstances should a Florida-Friendly gardener use cypress mulch - click here to learn why.
- Use Native Plants
- Eliminate Chemical Pesticides and Fertilizers (Make Our Garden Grow, The Ants Go Marching)
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