Category: Wrenaissance history

Although I moved text around and reorganized the pages on the website, I also reused a significant portion of the text. The introduction, motivation, and general information on habitats stayed the same. The description of the habitat changed as I made changes in the yard. I’m not repeating the home page info which hadn’t changed but I am including some of the updates of the habitat particulars.

Four Essential Elements

Food

Food is one of the basic, and easiest, habitat requirements to provide. Many of us already have bird feeders in the backyard. I have five or six depending on the season – a tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds, a thistle feeder, a hopper feeder with mixed seed, a hummingbird feeder, a peanut feeder, and a suet feeder. Because I’ve seen so many goldfinches this year, I’ve added a second thistle feeder to accommodate them. This one requires the feeding birds to hang upside down to eat – a trick which goldfinches find easy but house and purple finches do not.

Bird stores, hardware stores, and even pet stores and grocery stores sell bird feeders, or you can make your own. The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center has detailed plans for a variety of feeders. The Division of Migratory Bird Management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has pamphlets on Backyard Bird Feeding and Landscaping to Attract Birds.

This can be a family project. KidzKorner has basic bird feeding information appropriate for children as well as low cost tips on feeding birds in your own yard, and the National Bird-Feeding Society has a free Learning about Backyard Birds kit for kids. Building a milk jug bird feeder is a great (but simple) project for kids.

Project FeederWatch provides information on its website on choosing feeders and choosing the right food. The Nutty Birdwatcher offers a feeding chart showing seed preferences. There’s another diet chart on wildbirdcare, and pictures of different kinds of seeds from Conservation Commission of Missouri. Most of the places you can buy bird feeders also sell bird seed, suet, and other supplies. You can also make your own gorp. The Wrenaissance FAQ page answers some common questions about bird feeding.

In addition, you’ll want to start cultivating natural food sources in your yard. Remember those native plants? That’s what your local birds are best adapted to eating. You can find out which plants are native to your area from your local native plant society or cooperative extension service. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center operates a clearinghouse of native plant information, and your local public library or bookstore will have books on native plants and bird gardening specific to your area. You can also search the NWF habitat database for habitats near you and see what plants they’ve chosen.

Wrenaissance’s fruit, seed, and berry plants include oak trees, inkberry, viburnum, serviceberry, paw paw, highbush blueberry, and American holly, all native to this area. Nectar plants for hummingbirds and butterflies include columbine, cardinal flower, azalea, blue lobelia, and bee balm. See the Wrenaissance plant list for more details on what I’ve planted.

Water

Water is also easy to provide, and it will attract many birds and small mammals – more even than a variety of feeders. The sound of running or dripping water is extremely attractive to birds. Commercial misters or drippers are available at most bird seed stores, but a milk bottle with a tiny hole in it suspended above the bird bath will be just as effective. (Warning: it can be challenging to get the hole the right size, but it’s a good solution for areas that aren’t convenient for a faucet connection or electrical pump.) A few of us are lucky enough to have a natural pond or stream in our yards, and many more have built one to enhance a habitat or just for the aesthetic value. If you want to build one, the National Wildlife Federation provides instructions and encouragement. Robyn’s Pond Page provides in depth information and links.

Wrenaissance doesn’t have a pond (yet), but it does have two bird baths. One is near the feeders, and one hangs off the deck where it’s convenient to run a heater and keep the water supply available through out the winter. Winter water is even more important than summer, because there are fewer other sources of water for wildlife. It’s on the deck for easy access to the outlet (properly installed and grounded for outdoor use), but also for convenient viewing: on sub-freezing days, there’s a parade of birds and other wildlife coming for a drink.

Cover

Cover is protection – from natural predators such as hawks, and from neighborhood cats who roam free. It provides birds and other small animals the security to venture to your feeders and birdbath, when a safe haven is only a short distance away.

Wrenaissance includes native evergreen hollies such as the American holly tree in the front yard. There are also evergreen cherry laurels and a cypress, all inherited from the previous homeowners, planted in close proximity to provide a hedgerow in front of the house. In the backyard, there’s a row of five cotoneasters planted in front of the deck that are rapidly coalescing into a compact, low height hedgerow that offers shelter but doesn’t obstruct the view.

Alas, the brush pile had to go – brush piles provide excellent shelter for small amphibians and mammals, but aren’t a good idea in urban and near-urban areas.

Nest Sites

If your property has large trees and shrubs, there will be natural places for birds and squirrels to nest. Snags (dead trees still standing in place) are great for cavity nesters such as woodpeckers. You can supplement these with bird houses (also called nestboxes).
Wrenaissance has a bird bottle (a less than optimum but traditional shelter that draws a tenant about every other year) and a bird house which typically houses a wren family or chickadees in the summer. Several years it’s had a surprise winter tenant. There are also Carolina Wrens nesting in the garage about half the time – but I haven’t yet designated the garage as an official nest box.

The Birdhouse Network at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides an excellent resource on birdhouse basics, including construction plans.

Welcome to Wrenaissance
NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat #23563
Urban Wildlife Sanctuary #304

Not at lot of changes from 2001 and earlier, but websites were a lot more static back in the day. Despite that, it seemed to take up a fair amount time. Perhaps I’m conflating all my online actives and communities into one blob of time and assigning it to the website.

Wrenaissance.com exists as a way for me to share my enthusiasm for backyard wildlife habitats, and the joy that I’ve gotten from creating, improving, and living in one. It also lets me share some of the information I’ve learned over the years, which I hope will convince you that creating your own backyard habitat is a good idea, an achievable goal, and a lot of fun.

It’s really not difficult to create a wildlife habitat in your yard, if you’re willing to give up the typical suburban lawn and provide food, water, and shelter for small animals instead. It also helps to plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers, since local plants and animals are suited to each other.

Why did I do this?

• I really enjoy watching birds, squirrels, and other wildlife and wanted to do everything I could to attract them to my yard
• It’s good for the environment – songbird migration is disrupted and bird species are disappearing at an alarming rate due to habitat loss as cities and suburbs sprawl further afield
• Pesticides are killing birds.
• Traditional landscaping has disadvantages
• Pollution from yard runoff has damaged watersheds, rivers, and larger bodies of water such as the Chesapeake Bay
• Use of native plants helps preserve biodiversity
• It’s fun! There are lots of other people with a backyard wildlife habitat. Join the crowd!

The greatest reason for me, however, is that having a backyard wildlife habitat adds tremendously to my quality of life. Watching the birds, squirrels, and other critters who visit the yard is the most relaxing part of my day. Puttering around the yard, adding more native plants, and plotting where to put the pond someday is my best escape from stress and hassle. It takes only as much time and effort as I have to give to it, and often can and must go on autopilot for long stretches of time when I’m busy at work or elsewhere. You don’t need green thumbs or years of experience to create a habitat – anything you do that makes your yard a more welcoming place for wildlife will return rewards that far more than repay the work you did to create it. Like me, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you have made the world a little better place through your actions.

Both the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service offer information and step-by-step guides to creating a backyard wildlife habitat as well as general information on the why and how of backyard conservation. The Division of Migratory Bird Management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has pamphlets on Backyard Bird Feeding, Landscaping to Attract Birds, Backyard Bird Problems, Bird Houses, and Migratory Songbird Conservation. There’s an abundance of books, magazines, and electronic resources available if you want more information. Take any small step today!

What’s here and what’s what?

Follow the links at the bottom of the page to read about Wrenaissance, its habitat design, the plants and other wildlife-friendly features it contains, and the birds and small mammals which have visited. There are photographs throughout – for most photos, if you click on the small pictures it will link you to a larger version.

You’ll also find links to other habitats and to print and electronic resources for further exploration. Feel free to link here or to any of the pages from your own website. I ask, however, that you respect my work and the effort I put into it and ask for permission as well as give credit before using text or images from Wrenaissance elsewhere in any format.

Webrings

This site is a member of the WebRing Backyard Wildlife Habitats
View a complete list of WebRing memberships here

Urban Wildlife Ring
This site is owned by Wrenaissance Woman

Wrenaissance Woman was an identity I tried on for awhile, but it was too cumbersome and I quickly reverted back to just Wren as my web and blog identity.

By 2001, I had updated the home page with a shorter intro combined with the former How and Why page. I had the same photos in a banner at the top, which I haven’t repeated here. I also provided a timeline of habitat development, that’s a sort of proto-blog.

Welcome to Wrenaissance
NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat #23563

Wrenaissance.com exists as a way for me to share my enthusiasm for backyard habitats, and the joy that I’ve gotten from creating, improving, and living in one. It also lets me share some of the information I’ve learned over the years, which I hope will convince you that creating your own backyard habitat is a good idea, an achievable goal, and a lot of fun.

It’s really not difficult to create a wildlife habitat in your yard, if you’re willing to give up the typical suburban lawn and provide food, water, and shelter for small animals instead. It also helps to plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers, since local plants and animals are suited to each other.

Why did I do this?

Both the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service offer information and step-by-step guides to creating a backyard wildlife habitat as well as general information on the why and how of backyard conservation. There’s an abundance of books, magazines, and electronic resources available if you want more information.

Wildlife

The wildlife list grew, with the addition of

• red fox
• rabbit
• Baltimore Oriole
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Chronology

2000

• Away for most of July and August, I find that the wet summer has helped the yard thrive in spite of benign neglect. One pepperbush has died off, and one of the arrowwood viburnum washed out during a summer storm, but the rest of the various plantings, old and new, are hanging on. A surprise patch of coreopsis I thought had died in last year’s drought has reappeared, and the late, lamented third paw paw tree has also resurfaced. (Now I have to find a place to transplant it.) The remainder of the warm weather will go to trimming, thinning irises and lilies, mulching, and preparing for fall and winter. 
• June 11 – A busy summer at work leaves much less time than I would like for the yard (or these web pages). 
  • Still, I have managed to put in 3 Mountain Laurels, 8 Virginia Sweetspire, and 5 Viburnum (3 arrowwood and 2 possumhaw).
  • I also planted a lot more cardinal flowers, wood poppies, bluebells, and foamflower, and added blue lobelia to the red.
  • I laid out some new beds in the front yard, where the sweetspire have now been planted.
  • I’m enjoying watching the squirrels and various birds feast on the serviceberry bush.
• May 30 – Another exciting sighting: a Baltimore Oriole pair are living nearby and were seen in the yard several times over the Memorial Day Weekend. I have seen them several times since then, and they appear to be nesting in the trees next door but are frequent visitors to the backyard.
• April 2 – The serviceberry is in full bloom, and other shrubs and trees are starting to leaf out. I’m working my way through the usual, fun spring chores – cleaning the bird feeders, weeding, trimming, mulching – but also planning and dreaming.
• March 8 – Sitting on the deck, I heard the squirrels go crazy fussing about something. Looking around for a trespassing cat, I was startled to see a red fox pop out from under our fence and trot across the back yard. If I hadn’t had company who also saw it, I’d probably have convinced myself it was a hallucination by now.
• February 27 – Some days I see more weeds than flowers. Some weeks I hardly see any birds other than sparrows and starlings. I wonder if it’s worth all the time and work it takes to try to build a habitat. Then I realize that in the past two months I’ve seen three species in the yard for the first time ever – a hairy woodpecker, a yellow bellied sapsucker, and 5 red-winged blackbirds.

Wrenaissance History

1999

• Certified as Backyard Wildlife Habitat by NWF
• Installed retaining wall to control erosion in front
• Lost two locust  trees to Hurricane Floyd
• Planted American Holly, Redbud, Pussywillow, and Lilac in front
• Planted Serviceberry, Magnolia, Spicebush, Sweet Pepperbush, Cotoneasters, Bee Balm, Wood Poppy, Bluebells, Foamflower, and more Columbine and Cardinal Flowers in back
• Added a second birdbath and a squirrel feeder
• Added Hummingbird feeder

1998

• Planted noninvasive ground cover, and created stone-filled drainage areas to lessen water runoff
• Tore down old shed in back, moved firewood stacks behind garage
• Planted three Paw Paw trees (one later died, two survivors), one Viburnum, one Highbush Blueberry, three Winterberries, and three Inkberries in back
• Began butterfly garden with Columbine, Cardinal Flowers, and Azalea 
• Installed birdbath heater for winter

1997

• Regraded back and side yards to help with erosion control
• Began to learn about native plans and wildlife habitats
• Revised landscape plan and began to lay out new beds to minimize lawn area
• Cleared several large patches of English ivy, Japanese Honeysuckle, and other invasive plants

1996

• Began repair of fence, deck, garage
• First draft of landscape plan
• More birdfeeders (thistle, black oil tube, peanut, and suet feeder)
• Lost second apple tree (one remains)

1995

• Bought house, moved in
• Began to clear brush and poison ivy from yard
• First bird feeder (platform, mixed seed) 
• Lost one apple tree to borers
• Planted dogwood, irises, daylilies

An updated chronology and list of other habitat websites for 2001.

Twenty years later, who remembers the early days of the web and sites like The Mining Co, About.com, Suite 101, and Geocities? Or webrings? I can’t say I really miss those sites, and I don’t want to turn back the clock, but I do miss the camaraderie of those early days. The intersecting sets of wildlife/nature lovers and geeks was small but active. It’s hard to imagine that we, the internet equivalents of Mom and Pop shops, were the sources of information. The big players, the Audubon Society, Cornell Lab, NWF, and others were slower to get online and their offerings were limited compared to what they have online today.

2001

• You win some, you lose some. Losses: all three pepperbushes, three of the five viburnum, the re-emergent coreopsis, all the mountain laurels, one of two azaleas, three inkberries, all the foamflowers and some of the bluebells and wood poppies.
• On the other hand, the survivors are thriving.
• A busy summer has left little time to work in the yard or on the web pages, but behind the scenes thinking and planning continues. A consultation with landscape designer John Magee provided some new ideas that I hope I’ll be able to make real before much longer.

Websites

• Abe Lincoln’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat: A habitat in Southwestern Ohio on I-70 near the Indiana state line. Photos, habitat hints, squirrel box plans, links, and more. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #6769
• Audrey’s Wildlife Habitat: A few pictures, some basic information on creating habitats, a recommended reading list, and an excellent guide to native plants for the area. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #20725.
• Backyard Wildlife Habitat #23776: A Maryland habitat. Pictures and links to other bird info.
• Backyard Wildlife Habitat #25604: A habitat on a lake in the north woods of Idaho. Detailed pictures of pond construction and an invasive plant list. 
• Bee’s Ivory Tower: A pond, some photos, and information on amphibian monitoring. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #13303.
• Bigsnest Wildlife Pond: This Sebastopol, California backyard pool was transformed into a pond and wildlife habitat featuring native plants. Includes a five year illustrated chronology of the habitat development and pictures of wildlife visitors, plus a link to the authors’ dragonfly web pages.
• Bren’s Backyard Conservation Page: Backyard Wildlife Habitat #28776. General information on backyard conservation with pictures of the habitat and the birds that visit it.
• Butterfly Zone: This site discusses how to attract butterflies to your garden, including the basics of how to plan a small butterfly friendly garden or window box. The Urban Gardener’s Journal is the history of the creation of a backyard wildlife habitat in Virginia. 
• Carroll’s Critters: A certified backyard habitat since 1986, Carroll’s Corner attracts birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, and loves all of them.
• Cruger’s habitat in Oregon: A property inventory/application and a collection of photos from Backyard Wildlife Habitat #19051.
• David Jordan Bird Habitat: David is a 15 year old bird enthusiast in Yorba Linda, CA. He includes information on the habitats and the NWF habitat program as well photos and information on his backyard, Backyard Wildlife Habitat #18455.
• A Day in the Life of a Florida Backyard Wildlife Habitat: An article from EcoFlorida Magazine, on the joys of creating and living in your own backyard habitat.
• Family Stone backyard wildlife habitat: The Family Stone backyard wildlife habitat is in Loveland, Colorado. It is a xeriscape – not quite a desert, but the need for watering is eliminated by the wise choice of plantings. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #16540
• Fantastic Michigan Wildlife Habitat: Brief text and photos from an NWF certified backyard wildlife habitat.
• Feathers & Flowers…A Habitat Haven: An online project creating a haven for birds and butterflies. Two writers – one who wrote about birds, one about gardens – at The Mining Co (now about.com) joined forces to create a wildlife-friendly  backyard. Includes a history of the project, lots of photos, and links to more online about habitats, birds and gardens. 
• Garden Bench: Dedicated to promoting backyard habitats and wildlife gardening, Garden Bench includes a habitat tour, photos, and a variety of links and information, some commercial. The habitat also is featured in an article, “Murdo Morrison’s Suburban Backyard Habitat,” at Suite101.com where the author is the editor of the backyard habitat area, and as one of Suite101’s collection of garden tours. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #18606
• Garden Mosaic: Garden and pond pictures from the backyard wildlife habitat. Reference section with information on planning, birds, birdseed, links, and references.
• Gardening for Wildlife Conservation: This site illustrates how one dedicated enthusiast is setting about the task of caring for a yard in a wildlife-friendly way. Three acres in Devon (UK) are being transformed into a haven, and a larder of plenty for all wildlife.
• Graham’s Paradise Garden: The home of the ‘Town Gardens’ and ‘Urban Wildlife’ Webrings. A tiny garden in north-west England, open to the public for charity,  offering cultivation tips and sources of supply of many hardy perennials. Featuring a virtual tour of the garden, plus garden and wildlife quizzes. 
• Guadagno Habitat 2000 and Pond Page: Pictures from a certified habitat in Levittown, NY, and step-by-step photos of pond creation. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #26695.
• J’s Garden Jungle: A refreshing look at urban wildlife habitat renewal combined with organics and native plants and water. NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat # 28771 and Texas Certified Wildscape # 1564.
• Jeremy’s Wildlife Web: Jeremy lives in Somerset in the South West of the United Kingdom. He regularly posts information on the birds, foxes, squirrels and hedgehogs which are frequent visitors to his garden. The site also has a bird box camera in a nesting box.
• Kevin’s Backyard and Wildscape Page: The transformation of a typical backyard into a wildlife habitat. Large photos take some time to download. Texas Wildscape #1363 and Backyard Wildlife Habitat #24355.
• Lake Big Fish: Backyard Wildlife Habitat #16518, also known as Lake Big Fish, is an oasis nestled in the suburban sprawl of Plano, Texas. Lake Big Fish is also a registered Texas Wildscape Backyard Wildlife Habitat (Texas Wildscape #712). 
• Liebler-Neubig Prairie Project: Rick and Laura decided to convert much of their suburban front lawn into a natural area. Pictures show how the project progressed from the original layout through the second year. Also includes pictures of the controlled burn in March 2001.
• Lois and David’s Birding and Backyard Habitat: Lois and David  live in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. Their yard has become certified by the National Wildlife Federation as Backyard Wildlife Habitat #10309. They have established a Butterfly Garden, a Wildflower Area, plants that attract hummingbirds, and many perennial beds. 
• Los Inocentes del Norte Wildlife Sanctuary: A 37 acre wildlife sanctuary home in Missouri. Includes information and photos on energy efficient, passive solar house along with flora and fauna. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #21833.
• Mark and William’s Place: Starting from scratch, building home and habitat. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #24555.
• My Garden Path: A Florida & National Backyard Wildlife Habitat: A Florida and National Wildlife Habitat – perfect proof that you don’t have to have a lot of land to create a refuge for wildlife. 
• Nest Box: Photos, info, and links, with an emphasis on birds and birding, and a particular interest in bluebirds.
• NWF Example Habitats, Inspirational letters, and a Memoir: Backyard Wildlife Habitat #364: Text and pictures from participants in the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program, from the early years of the program to the present day. You also can search a database to find habitats by state, use, size, or features.
• Our Backyard Forest: An Ohio habitat with wildflowers, prairie grasses, trees, and shrubs –  at first purchased plants, but later grown from local seed to preserve the local ecology . There is a plants page with a description of each plant, a picture book of photos taken around the yard, and a collection of useful links to other interesting and educational sites. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #25845.
• Pam’s Puddle: Emphasis on ponds and water gardening, with backyard photos, lots of links, and narrative of step by step pond creation. 
• Robyn’s Pond Page: Web site on the plants and animals in a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Lots of info about aquariums and ponds.
• Snider’s Nature Gardens: Lots of photos of a certified backyard habitat and the critters that visit it.
• Stewardship Garden: Photos, Project FeederWatch counts, and habitat creation information from Backyard Wildlife Habitat #27815.
• Unpave the Way for Wildlife: Journey North’s nationwide collection of backyard and schoolyard habitats.
• Urban Houston Habitat: Plant list and photos, references, and links for a certified Texas habitat. Parent site includes other pages for Texas North Coast birders and naturalists. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #18935.
• Urban Wilderness: The Urban Wilderness is a comer lot in an older urban neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. Only a few seasonal pictures, but the page is part of a larger site, the Heartland All Species Project.
• Water Lily Cottage: Water Lily Cottage is located in Montecito, California, and is a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. The garden includes a large collection of California native plants and other non-native plants that are suited to dry climates (xeriscaping) plus a water garden. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #22119.
• Webrings: Webrings link sites with common themes through a shared navigation bar. Wrenaissance is part of the Urban Wildlife and Backyard Wildlife Habitats web ring.