Lawn Culture

Everyone loves a beautiful, freshly cut green lawn, well, almost everyone. More and more people are moving away from the traditional large grass covered areas, opting instead to use more trees, shrubs, and other plants, and they are “going native” with the varieties.

I suspect that this trend will continue, as water use restrictions and environmental laws begin to effect the amount of water available for lawn use, and the allowable nutrient “run off” produced by traditional lawn care. Certain lawn nutrients may eventually be severely restricted, particularly the amount of phosphorous, due to it’s negative effects on lakes, ponds and waterways. Such restrictions are inevitable unless we learn to self regulate. It is only a matter of time.

Most of our traditional lawn grasses are not native, and therefore require extra water and nutrients to thrive. While they do produce oxygen and process water fairly efficiently, the extra nutrients, pesticides, and other excesses may make them a less practical practice than in the past.

Landscape Cultures

Traditional landscapes, with their heavy use of exotic plants, are also losing favor. Most of these non native plants require more water, more fertilizer, and more insecticides than their native counterpoints.

There is also a biodiversity issue involved. Who would have ever suspected that so many of the popular landscape plants from the middle of the last century would have taken on the role of environmental terrorists? The Japanese Silk tree, commonly called Mimosa, the Chinaberry, the Chinese Tallow, and a variety of Asian privets are now more prevalent in our woodlands, than in the home lawns where they were once used as landscape plants. Thought to be safe, and non invasive at the time, they have now become a serious threat to native biodiversity throughout the lower half of the country. Which of the currently popular exotics will become problems? It is hard to know, but just because they do not appear to be invasive now, does not mean that they won’t gain a foothold later.

Why is this a problem?

When invasive species gain a foothold in our forests and waters, they tend to eliminate the native competition, much of which is needed to support native wildlife. If a native plant preferred by pollinators disappears, the pollinator may move on. This gives the non native an even stronger foothold. It also means that the insects which pollinate food crops may be gone as well.

Studies have shown that the nutrient value of most of the non native species is less than that of the native varieties, particularly for native wildlife. As these exotics take over more and more territory, the native wildlife populations sometimes get hungry, and move on. These are just a couple of the hundreds of reasons why biodiversity should be considered when devising a landscape strategy. It is not just an issue in some remote forest or jungle, it is a problem on the home front as well.

The Native Alternatives

The fact is, that our traditional ways of dealing with our outdoor habitats are responsible for a number of environmental problems such as water quality and biodiversity, and over use of pesticides. With growing awareness of these effects, many are choosing to take a different path.

Native Habitats

Native habitats, or, backyard habitats, are viable alternatives to traditional lawns and landscapes. Rather than imposing our will on the environment, we simply allow the native environment to do what it does best, with our assistance. In the long run, there is less fertilizer, water, and pesticide needed. The native varieties are acclimated to the native environments, and native soils, and are resistant to native pests. After the initial installation or modification, there is much less labor involved. It is a cheaper, easier, more environmentally friendly form of landscaping.

Invasive plants in East Texas

Backyard Habitat Help

Backyard habitats can be great for the environment, for the entertainment and education of children and adults, for the control of unwanted insect predators like mosquitoes, and for many other less tangible reasons.

Most of the work can be done by the motivated homeowner, but sometimes a little help is needed. we have many pages of information available here to help you, and we have lists of other backyard habitat help resources as well.

Beside these information resources, we also offer practical backyard habitat help for the homeowner when it is needed. We do this by offering consultation and help with identification of species, the elimination of unwanted species by the least drastic means, and we can help with design and construction when needed.

Not everyone who wants to do something good for wildlife, the environment, nature and the neighborhood, has the skills, the tools, the license, or the time to perform some of these tasks. If you find yourself in one of these situations, we will be glad to help you develop your own backyard wildlife habitat.

Our services are provided for those in the East Texas area.

Why Create a Backyard Habitat?

• A love of wildlife.

If you are a nature lover, why not create some in your backyard? When we say create, we really mean cooperate. When working on such a project, we are merely filling in the blank spots, or removing things of detriment.

• For the aesthetic value.

The sheer beauty of minimally managed nature as viewed from your back deck.

• For the enjoyment and education of children.

Watching the look of fascination in a child’s eyes. Enough said!

• Insect protection.

More people die from Malaria each year than from any other factor. Malaria is only one of the many diseases carried by mosquitoes. Birds and bats eat mosquitoes like kids eat candy. Having birds and bats, cuts down the mosquito problem, which cuts down on on pain, swelling, and disease. It also decreases the need for insecticides, which is always a good thing for the environment, for health, and for your wallet!

So, aside from the environmental good, and the aesthetic appeal, you are providing a public health service, that saves you money!

Basic Native Backyard Habitat Requirements

The place to begin, is in determining your DIRECTion. What do I mean? Well, let’s use this little acrostic:

Decide>Identify>Remove>Encourage>Construct>Transplant

We call this, our DIRECT approach to backyard habitats.

Decide>Identify>Remove>Encourage>Construct>Transplant

• Decide what you want to accomplish.

Is this to be a bird sanctuary, a small animal habitat, or do you simply want to attract butterflies? To some extent, by following these guidelines, you will have some of all.

• Identify what you already have.

What is already good about your landscape, and what is bad? What invasive non native plants are in the way? What will you need to do to get rid of them, and what will you use to replace them? This may cause you to want to modify what you initially wanted, as the opportunities expand. Keep in mind that you are dealing with living things, and that your project may evolve just as nature evolves.

• Remove the plants that are non native, or at least the ones that tend to be invasive.

It has been our experience, that wildlife can survive in a mixed habitat of natives and non native plant life, but that any non natives tend to throw things out of balance. Some birds will eat their fill of of non native berries or seed, and not be physically benefited. They will tend to seek out better nourishment, even if it is somewhere else. Remember, that you have limited space, so everything that grows, should benefit wildlife, or the wildlife will go.

• Encourage the plants that are native and beneficial.

There are several ways that this can be done, including a little pruning, and some of the other cultural practices that are normally used with landscape plants.

• Construct any additional structures, and water features.

You may need to provide extra cover, water, and food for the wildlife. It could be something as simple as a bird or bat house,a rock den area,a feeder for supplemental feedings, or a water feature complete with falls for the wildlife to drink from and wash in.

• Transplant any native plants needed to round out the habitat.

If you have done the things on the rest of the list, you may find that you need some other plants to help round out the native wildlife diet. Planting an extra seed bearing tree, or a few shrubs that might be the favorite food of one of your winged or furry friends, might be just the thing to encourage them to spend time at your place. Just make sure it is native.

Residential Habitat Services In East Texas