Backyard Habitat Resources

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Maryland Cooperative Extension
- Offers home and garden information, tips publications, plant problems, Bay issues, and other links
- National Wildlife Federation
- Details on their backyard habitat program
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Project FeederWatch
- Winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Feeder Watchers (like you!) periodically count the highest numbers of each
species they see at their feeders from November through early April.
Invasive Species Resources
Plant Resources
- Colston, C. 2011. Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (BBG
Guides for a Greener Planet).
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Guide which goes into commonly planted invasives and native
alternatives
- Maryland Native Plant Society
- Offers information dedicated to protecting, conserving and restoring Maryland's native plants and habitats
Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat in Maryland
- Provides lists and information about native plants that can be used for habitat restoration and natural landscaping projects
- Tallamy. Douglas. 2009. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can
Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded.
Timber Press.
- This book highlights native plants that are beneficial for
wildlife, particularly those which support beneficial insects
that form the bottom of the food chain.
- Wasowski, Sally and Andy Wasowski. 1994. Gardening With
Native Plants of the South. Taylor Trade Publications.
- This book includes specific information on over 200 familiar,
easy-to-find native plants, over 250 color photographs, nine
sample garden plans, and more.
Wildlife Resources
Backyard Books
There are many books and published articles about backyard wildlife. While planning the creation or enhancement of your "Wild Acre", you may find that these references can help you choose your materials and create and carry out your design. Below are listed just some of the books that are available. If you can't find these books in your local bookstore, you can usually find them in specialty nature stores.
This list is for your convenience only and should not be considered an endorsement by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
- Offers a complete action plan for protecting native pollinators by providing flowering habitat and nesting sites
Terres,
John. 1968.
Song Birds in Your Garden, rev. ed.
New York: T.Y. Crowell.
Tekulsky,
M. 1985.
The Butterfly Garden.
Boston: Harvard Common Press.
Tekulsky,
M. 1990.
The Hummingbird Garden.
New York: Crown Publishers.
Webster,
Wm David, et.al. 1985.
Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and
Maryland. Chapel Hill: The University
of North Carolina Press.
Wetmore,
Alexander, et. Al. 1975.
Song and Garden Birds of North America.
Washington, D.C.: National Geographic
Society.
Yepsen,
Roger B., Jr. 1984. The Encyclopedia of Natural Insect and
Disease Control. Emmaus, PA: Rodale
Press.
Habichat, the newsletter for Stewards of Maryland's Backyard Wildlife, is published by the Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability. This
document is available in alternative format upon request from a qualified individual with a disability.