Planting for Wildlife

Wildlife, game and non-game, has certain basic requirements. Three of the most important are food, water, and shelter.

Changing wildlife numbers in an area is primarily a matter of altering the amount of food, water, or shelter. Generally wildlife is found where two or more kinds of vegetation meet. At an ``edge,'' variety of plants is greatest, so a much broader range of food items and cover materials is available.

Lack of adequate cover may limit wildlife numbers. Therefore, whenever possible preserve such sites as bays, heads, fence rows, hedge rows and old house sites. Although wildlife cover can be planted, it is much easier and cheaper to preserve natural cover.

Water seldom limits wildlife populations in Georgia. For that reason, there is little need to manage water except to attract waterfowl. However, water is necessary, so food and cover should be located near it

In many areas, food is the principal factor limiting wildlife numbers. Under most circumstances, native vegetation provides both cover and the best foods for our native wildlife. Every attempt should be made to preserve and encourage native food plants. Table 1 lists some native plants important to wildlife.

**Table 1:** Native plants useful to wildlife.
Trees and Shrubs Bicolor (Lespedeza bicolor Turcz)--Not native, but naturalized over large area. Excellent quail food. Blackberry (Rubus spp.)--Berries eaten by most wildlife. Cherry, black (Prunus serotina Ehrh.)--Fruits taken by quail, turkey, grouse and particularly raccoon. Dogwood, flowering (Cornus florida L.)--This plus various other dogwoods taken avidly by turkey, grouse, quail, squirrel and a host of small birds. Grape, muscadine and other species (Vitis spp.)--Fruits quite palatable and preferred by a number of species including deer, turkey, quail, grouse and raccoon. Hickory (Carya spp.) Nuts eaten by squirrel. Shells usually too hard for other species. Honeysuckle, Japanese (Lonicera japonica Thunb)--Outstanding winter deer browse. (Large and healthy deer herds in Georgia Piedmont may be result of this plant.) Utilized by rabbits. Fruits eaten by quail and songbirds. Excellent cover for numerous species. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.)--Leaves eaten by grouse and deer. One of the most important winter foods of ruffed grouse. Oaks (Quercus spp.)--Acorns utilized by most game except dove. Very important for food and cover. Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima Carruthers.) is planted extensively as an almost fail-proof source of acorns. The acorns seem to be as readily utilized as those of native species. Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.)--Fruits eaten by deer, raccoon, opossum and turkey. Pines (Pinus spp.)--Pine mast used by quail, squirrel, turkey, and songbirds. Five to 15-year-old plantations can provide bedding area for deer. Clear-cut, site-prepared areas provide nesting and food for quail to about the second or third year following preparation. Plums, wild (Prunus spp.)--Fruits utilized by deer, turkey, bear and raccoon. Provide excellent cover. Viburnums (Viburnum spp.)--Fruits eaten by deer, raccoon, opossum, turkeys, squirrels and songbirds. Waxmyrtle (Myrica cerifera L.)--Fruits eaten by deer, quail, turkey and songbirds. Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria Ait.)--Excellent deer browse, and fruits taken by quail, turkey, raccoon and songbirds. Upland Weeds and Herbs Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge)--Excellent for turkey. Lightly mowed fields or openings provide excellent turkey brood range. Seed heads avidly stripped. Beggarweed, Florida and perennial (Desmodium tortuosum Schub and Desmodium spp.)--Seeds are quail food. Greenbriar (Smilax spp.)--Vines serve as palatable deer browse. Fruit used by turkey, grouse, bear and raccoon. Lespedeza, common (Lespedeza striata (Thunb.) H. and A.)--Probably best quail food in Georgia. Lespedeza, other native species (Lespedeza spp.)--Seeds are quail food. Milkpea (Galactia spp.)--A highly palatable quail food. Partridge pea (Cassia fasciculata Michx and Cassia nictitans L.) Seeds are quail food. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.)--Seeds highly palatable food for dove, songbirds, raccoon and bear. Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.)--Seeds eaten by dove, quail, and songbirds. A very important species. Aquatic and Marsh Plants Arrow-arum (Peltandra virginca (L.) Schotts and Endl.)--Important for wood duck, especially in beaver ponds. Asiatic dayflower (Aneilema keisak Hossk.)--Perhaps one of the most important duck food plants for the larger dabbling ducks--mallard and black--particularly in beaver ponds. Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli (L) Beauv.)--Duck and quail food. Bulrush, saltmarsh (Scirpus robustus L.)--Outstanding duck food plant in brackish water. Bulrush, soft-stem (Scirpus validus Vahl)--Highly palatable duck food. Pondweed, sago and other species (Potamogeton spp.)--Utilized by ducks. Smartweed, Pennsylvania (Polygonum pensylvanicum L.)--Used by ducks, to some extent by doves. Smartweed, swamp (Polygonum hydropiperoides (Michx. Small)--Excellent duck food plant, particularly in beaver ponds. Spikerush, dwarf (Eleocharis parvula (R. and S.) Link)--Very good duck food in brackish water. Tearthumb (Polygonum sagittatum L. and Polygonum arifolium L.)--Important duck food in beaver swamps. Watershield (Brasenia schreberi Gmel.)--Good duck food, particularly for ring-neck ducks.

Although mention is made that these plants serve as food for one species or another, most also provide cover for many wildlife species.

Under certain circumstances it may not be possible to manage native food plants. In these cases, use locally available domesticated plant materials. There are a number of different plantings which can be used for wildlife. See Table 2 pages

. Although plants are generally listed singly, you may want to plant several different ones. If you can only plant one kind, try to stagger planting dates. Either technique--mixing varieties or staggering planting dates--will provide a longer period of food availability.

**Table 2:** Plants for wildlife food plantings.
Plant¹	Used by²	Soil³	pH⁴	Rate	Planting Dates	Time to maturity	Other
Annual Game-bird Mix: Korean lespedeza, rape, milo, browntop, peas, soybeans	DO, Q, R, T	All	6.0-6.5	Broadcast: 25 lb/acre	May-June		Seeds available as food from Sept. to March. Mix equal parts of each. Annual.
Asiatic day-flower	Du	Wet pond soils		Broadcast seed or push plants into bottom about 12 $\prime\prime$ apart	May-July		No commercial source; seeds or plants collected in wild and planted. Perennial.
Bahiagrass	R, T	All	6.0	Broadcast: 15 lb/acre	Feb 1-Apr 1		S. GA only. Occasional mowing until July 1 will improve use as brood range. Perennial.
Beggarweed, Florida	Q	Fertile, moist sandy soils		Broadcast: 10 lbs/acre	No later than June 1	150-180 days	Use scarified seed; S. GA only. Seed available as food from Nov through Feb. Annual.
Chufa	T	Well-drained sand or sandy loam	6.0	Broadcast: 50 lbs/acre. 18 $\prime\prime$ or 24 $\prime\prime$ rows: 25-35 lbs/acre	May-July		Rotate after 2-3 years. Annual.
Clover, Crimson	D, R, T	All except poor	6.0-6.5	Broadcast: hulled--15-20 lbs/acre unhulled--45-60 lbs/acre	Sept 1-Oct 1		Inoculate seed. Use reseeding variety. Winter annual.
Clover, White	D, R, T	Moist clay or loams	6.5-7.0	Broadcast: 2-3 lbs/acre	For winter: Sept 1-Oct 1		Good for winter greens. Innoculate seed. Use scarified seed. Perennial. May die in summer.
Clover and grass mixture	D, R, T	All	6.5	Drill: 8 lbs. of mixure per acre	Mix 1: Sept.-Oct.; Mix 2: Sept.; Mix 3: Feb.-March		Specify clover and innocualte. Mix 1. White clover and fescue, 1:3. (N. GA); Mix 2. White clover and bludgrass, 1:2 (N. GA); Mix 3. White clover and dallisgrass, 1:3 (S. GA)
Corn	D, Do, Du, Q, S, T	Fetile, well-drained loam	6.0-6.8	Space at 8-10 $\prime\prime$ in 36 $\prime\prime$ rows (ca. 7 lbs/acre)	March 15-June 1	80-100 days	Can be flooded for waterfowl. Plant to mature before frost. Annual.
Corn and Soybean Mixture	D, Do, Du, Q, R, S, T	All, best on fertile loam	6.0-6.8	Alternate rows & plant as for individual crops or 4 lbs corn & 25 lbs in soybeans in 36 $\prime\prime$ rows	March 15-June 1	80-100 days	Annual
Lespedeza, Annual: Korean Kobe, common	Q	All except sand	6.0-6.5	Broadcast: 30-35 lbs/acre	Feb 1-March 1		Seed generally available after first frost. Annual. Will reseed.
Lespedeza, bicolor	Q	All except deep sands or poorly drained	6.0-6.5	Plants: 24 $\prime\prime$ apart in 36 $\prime\prime$ rows Seed: 36 $\prime\prime$ rows 12-14 lbs/acre	Nov 1-April 1 for plants, March 1-April 15 for seed		Use scarified seed. Seeds avaiable as food beginning in Sept. Use a 0-20-20 fertilizer for maximum seed production. Perennial.
Millet, Browncap	Do, Du, Q, T	Well-drained	6.0	Broadcast: 20 lbs/acre	April 1-July 1	60 days	Can be planted in dewatered ponds for ducks. Annual.
Millet, Japanese	Du	Wet soils		Broadcast: 20 lbs/acre	July 1-Aug 1	75 days (up to 110 days for late varieties)	Keep water off until 10 $\prime\prime$ high. Light grazing may improve seed yield. Annual.
Millet, Proso	Do, Q	Well-rained	6.0	Broadcast: 20 lbs/acre Drill: 15 lbs/acre	April 1-July 1	75 days	Can be used in duck ponds: dewater, plant by June 15 and flood in Sept. Annual.
Brown-top millet-grain sorghum mixture	Do, Du, Q, T	All	5.8-6.2	Drill: 10 lbs brown-top & 15 lbs sorghum/acre	April 1-July 15		Equal parts black amber cane, orange amber cane, atlas sorghum, dwarf kaffir, sudangrass, alta fescue-omit fescue in S. GA and substitute napiergrass. Annual.
Oats	D, R, T	All	6.0	Broadcast or drill: 2-2 $\frac{1}{2}$ bushels/acre	Aug 15-Oct 15		Annual
Pea, Partridge	Do, Q	Moist sites preferred but will produce on all	6.0-6.5	Broadcast: 15 lbs/acre. Rows 30 $\prime\prime$ , 7 lbs/acre	March 1-April 15	150 days	Seed available as food beginning in Nov. Annual.
Rye	D, R	Loam	6.0	2-2 $\frac{1}{2}$ bushels/acre	N. GA Aug 15 through Sept 15. S. GA Sept 15-Oct 15
Ryegrass, Winter	D, R, T	Best on fertile soils	6.0	Broadcast: 40 lbs/acre	N. GA Aug 15-Sept 15 S. GA Sept 15-Oct 15		Very useful on areas bared in the fall. Will provide winter greenery. Annual.
Sesame	DO, Q	Well-drained	6.5-7.0	Broadcast: 10 lbs/acre Drill: 4-5 lbs in 36 $\prime\prime$ rows	After soil temperature reaches 75°F (Ca. July 1)	85-100 days	S. GA do not plant on same site 2 years in a row due to wilt. Annual.
Sorghum, grain	D, DU, Q, T	All	5.8-6.2	36-44 $\prime\prime$ rows, 2-8 $\prime\prime$ between plants Broadcast: 30 lbs/acre	March 15-July 1	95-130 days	Plant as late as possible and still have grain before frost. Bird-resistant strains have durable grain that may last all winter.
Stoddard Winter Mixture	Do, Q	All	6.0-6.5	Broadcast: 25 lbs/acre	Sept. 1-Oct. 15	Late spring for seed	Vetch, 60 lbs; Caley peas, 30 lbs; Rye, 7 lbs; Oats, 7 lbs; Wheat, 7 lbs. Annual.
Sunflower	Do, Q, S, T	All, but best on fertile loams		Broadcast: 5 lbs/acre Rows: 36 $\prime\prime$ , 12 $\prime\prime$ apart in row	June 1-June 30		Annual.
Vetch	D, R
Wheat	D, Do, R, T	Well-drained heavy	6.0	Drill: 2 bushels/acre	N. GA Oct 15-Nov 1, S. GA Nov 1	180 days	Available as food beginning about May. Annual.

Since wildlife is mostly a product of ``edge,'' management should provide maximum ``edge.'' Plots should be relatively small, long and narrow. Avoid extremely large plantings because the central part may never receive use. Table 3 shows how plot shape affects the number of feet of edge.

	Circle	Square	Rectangles
	117.8 $\prime$ radius	208.7 $\prime$	147 $\times$ 295	100 $\times$ 436	50 $\times$ 871
Feet of Perimeter (edge)	740 $\prime$	835 $\prime$	889 $\prime$	1072 $\prime$	1842 $\prime$