Hospitable homes

CEDAR RAPIDS - You don't need acres of land to create your own wildlife habitat.

Susan Day, a backyard bird and habitat expert, says even small yards can attract songbirds, butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife to enjoy.

“It doesn't have to be a 3-acre yard,” says Day, 58, an author and photographer who will be keynote speaker at the Winter Gardening Fair in Cedar Rapids. “Anybody can do this.”

Keys include the right type of plants, water features and protection from predators and the elements.

“Wildlife needs food, water and shelter just like people do,” says Day, who serves as president of the North American Nature Photography Association.

In her presentation at the Feb. 18 gardening fair, Day will discuss native plants that grow well in Iowa and also benefit wildlife.

Milkweed is among the necessary elements for gardeners hoping to attract monarch butterflies, she notes, adding that each type of butterfly has a differing food source for its larval stage as caterpillars.

Another point Day will explain to her Cedar Rapids audience: if you want to draw wildlife to your yard, don't spray.

Pesticides kill off the very butterflies and other beneficial creatures you're trying to attract, she says.

Flowers in the salvia family - generally planted as annuals in Iowa - are stellar food sources for hummingbirds, Day's favorite.

“I've always had a passion for hummingbirds,” she says.

Day estimates 200 ruby-throated hummingbirds are regular visitors to the home where she and her husband live in south-central Illinois.

Their 63-acre property in Alma, Ill., includes a 5-acre native grass and wildflower prairie and two shallow water wetlands.

The yard is certified with the National Wildlife Federation and Illinois Audubon Society Backyard Habitat programs.

Her husband, Richard Day, 56, is a professional nature photographer whose work has appeared in national publications including Audubon, Birder's World, Sierra Club, National Geographic and National Wildlife.

He will teach a beginning nature photography class during the Winter Gardening Fair, one of more than 45 workshops offered at the event, presented by Iowa State University Extension's Linn County Master Gardeners.

The daylong fair will be at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Workshop topics include mulch, hostas, lawn care, creating compost, ornamental grasses, daylillies and more.

Most are taught by master gardeners.

As of earlier this month, more than 300 people had registered and some classes were already filled.

Besides her keynote presentation, Susan Day, who co-wrote “The Wildlife Gardener's Guide to Hummingbirds and Songbirds From the Tropics,” will lead a session on gardening for hummingbirds and butterflies.

Butterfly bushes, butterfly weed, verbenas and marigolds are among her favorites for attracting and feeding both.

Day says she doesn't have a problem with “undesirable” wildlife. She grows plants that don't attract deer in some spots and uses natural sprays as needed, such as one occasion when a chipmunk seemed determined to use her container plants for its own hiding place.

She and her husband are tolerant of the skunks, squirrels and opossums that also make their way to their land.

“It's all wildlife and it's all part of the food chain,” she says. “If you're going to garden for wildlife, we don't draw any lines.”