Wildscaping: Natural Wildlife Habitats in Your Back Yard - University of Kentucky

1. Wildscaping FAQ
Q: Are there any long term financial benefits of
wildscaping?
A: Yes! Most well managed wildscapes do not
Wildscaping:
need fertilizer, mowing, or sprinkler sys- Property managed for people and wildlife.
tems like a normal lawn.
Q: Won’t a wildscape attract more bugs to my
property?
A: Wildscaping tends to attract insects that
prey on pests like mosquitoes. Insects also
attract songbirds and other wildlife.
Q: I have a small lot, can I still wildscape?
A: Wildscaping can be done on any scale. How-
ever the larger, the better. Consider joining
together with neighbors and creating a
large, multi-lot wildscape.
Q: How do I get more information on how to
wildscape?
A: Contact us at UKNRC471@gmail.com
University of Kentucky NRCM Capstone Class
http://www.ca.uky.edu/nrcm/index.php
E-mail: UKNRC471@gmail.com Natural Wildlife Habitats in Your Back Yard

2. How to get involved
Almost anyone can help create a wildscape.
What is Wildscaping? If you are not a property owner, volunteer-
Wildscape is a word that is becoming in- ing your time or other resources to help
creasingly common across the United develop a neighbor’s wildscape is a great
States, especially in communities devoted option. You can also contact your local
to improving local wildlife habitat. The term municipal parks program to find out if
“wildscape” comes from the combination of there are opportunities to get involved with
two familiar words: wilderness and land- a public wildscape. Another great way to
scape, and the idea is to design a landscape help out is to promote awareness of inva-
with the needs of native wildlife in mind. In sive species in your area. Plants and ani-
practice, a wildscape is a small plot of land mals that are not native to a landscape can
(ranging from a few square yards to tens of be very detrimental to the natural flora and
acres) that is managed to encourage native Why Wildscape fauna.
wildlife. A wildscape usually includes a gar-
A great way for homeowners to improve the For more information about Wildscaping ,
den of native flowers and grasses, a water
natural wildlife communities in their area. you can get a copy of Wildscaping: A How To
source, and other specific things helpful to
Encourages the restoration of native plant and Guide, by contacting UKNRC471@gmail.com.
wildlife such as bird houses. “Wildscaping”
animal species and strengthens the local envi-
is the process of creating a wildscape.
ronment .
To create a passageway between two larger
expanses of forest or grassland, such as na- “Unless we modify the places we live, work, and play to
ture preserves or parks. meet not only our own needs but the needs of other spe-
Provide food and protection for wildlife. cies as well, nearly all species of wildlife native to the
United States will disappear forever. This is not specula-
Improve the aesthetics of your property while tion. It is a prediction backed by decades of research” -
also eliminating the need for manicuring your Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, University of Delaware
lawn.
Control pest insect populations while attracting
birds and other wildlife.