WILDLIFE
Attracting Wildlife
The Iowa Arboretum & Gardens takes great pride in attracting and protecting wildlife across our 160 acres. Whether insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, or even mammals, we want our grounds to be enjoyed by human guests and our native neighbors together. The arboretum is surrounded by natural lands, so our grounds are often crossed and visited by all kinds of wildlife!
We ask that you please respect wildlife that you may encounter on our grounds and keep a respectful distance. Harassment, harm, or endangerment of animals is not tolerated on Iowa Arboretum & Gardens property. All dogs must be kept on a leash at all times. If you encounter an animal that is behaving strange or aggressively, do not approach. Please notify the nearest staff member and we will work to get that animal what it may need.
Insects
As part of our commitment to attracting and protecting insects, the arboretum has made great strides in building habitat, diversifying our gardens, and choosing to use management practices that keep pollinators safe. Across our native woodlands and prairie restorations, we’ve adopted management strategies that encourage plant diversity. This includes creating spaces with richness of flowering forbs, tree management based on levels of ecological function or importance, and burning on schedules that leaves habitat adjacent to burned areas. We also burn on a management rotation and times or year that encourage the greatest floral abundance in subsequent years.
In our gardens and plant production areas, we only manage insect pests as a last resort. Most pest species cause an aesthetic problem rather than a plant health one, and natural regulation like predators and parasites make it so we rarely have to intervene. When we do have to intervene we opt for manual removal of the pest or utilizing biological controls. There are thousands of insect species that host on a great majority of our plants, so insecticide isn’t an option.
In an effort to increase the diversity of insects our gardens support, we’ve been working to propagate and plant as many native plants as possible. Native plants are incredibly important for specialist insects who only utilize a small group of specific species to complete their lifecycle. An example of this is the monarch butterfly, that can only use the milkweed family to reproduce. It is now more important than ever to build good habitat for insects as habitat loss and stress from the climate cause a serious decline in their numbers.
Finally, we have been converting gardens into a more naturalistic style, building gardens that create functional habitat while still being beautiful. These gardens are inspired by natural places like prairies, meadows, wetlands, woodland edges, and savannas while being managed in a similar fashion to provide habitat for our little neighbors!
Did you know that the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens has been a part of arthropod research? Take a look at the journal articles below!
Birds
With colorful plumage and melodic song, it’s no wonder birds are beloved by so many people. They also serve as pest eaters, seed spreaders, and contribute to a vast ecological food web. Here at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens we have incredibly passionate staff who work hard to keep both our year-round resident birds and migratory birds thriving.
One of the best spots for birding is the Hughes Education Center north patio! For decades we have been filling feeders and bird watching with dozens of species being observed every day. From warblers during migration, to blue jays year-round, to beautiful cardinals in the winter, there is always something visiting.Â
In our prairie and woodland spaces we do our best to provide shelter, forage, and quiet spaces for our feathered friends. Stumps and snags are kept from fallen trees to provide resources for cavity nesters and to feed insects that birds depend on for food. We manage hedgerows and shrubby woodland edges for nesting habitat as well as manage prairie for ground nesters. Our staff actively manages dozens of bluebird houses, with many successful clutches every year. It isn’t uncommon to spot even birds of prey nesting in the ravines of our woods. If you listen carefully while hiking, you might hear a range of chirps, calls, and songs.
In our gardens we leave most of the spent flowers through the winter, providing seed well into the winter. Plant selection in many gardens caters towards birds either for nectar, seeds, or likely attracting insect food. Shrubs are very important for providing berries, while trees provide acorns, nuts, or samaras that are relished by birds. Open water sources are provided around the grounds especially during drought so that birds can always have a drink or take a bath. We greatly encourage birding on our grounds, with benches provided across the property for quiet observation.
Bird photos courtesy of Steve Fischer of Ames. A special thank you to the Lantz family for taking such good care of our birds!
Additional footage of animals at the arboretum here
Mammals
In the world of gardening, most mammals are seen as a nuisance. Deer, rabbits, mice and moles are often the top of the list, labelled as plant eaters or soil disturbers that are unwelcome. Here at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens, we do our best to embrace the ecological function these creatures play while using non-lethal strategies to manage their impact. The best method to controlling mammal-caused damage is exclusion. 40 acres of the arboretum is surrounded by deer fence, and all newly planted trees are caged against rabbits. Across our natural spaces, young trees we’ve deemed important for succession are also caged. Areas surrounding the Adele & Dean Bowden Treehouse Village contain slash walls to build small mammal habitat while also excluding deer to prevent browsing of establishing forbs and help prevent ticks.
In general, we encourage mammals to live in and use our gardens. Small mammals are a vital part of the food web, managing insect pests and weed seeds while feeding birds of prey and larger mammals. Strategies to keep them out of certain areas include planting species with repellent qualities (like alliums or mints), using species with extensive root systems, or even cutting specific gardens back in the fall to remove winter shelter. Planting plants grown in large containers can make them more resilient to rabbit damage, and some plants become unappetizing at a certain size. Even learning and cataloguing plants herbivorous mammals don’t like can help! Locating bird feeders away from garden spaces can lessen the impact that scavenging mice or chipmunks can have, and relocating dried seed heads to someplace where birds can reach but rodents can’t can make your garden beds less attractive. Moles dislike digging through plants with strong root systems, so surrounding your lawn with plant-packed gardens can help exclude them.
We also often attract larger mammals to our grounds, including opossums, raccoons, skunks, and more. These creatures help regulate rodent populations while also feeding on grasshoppers, grubs, and other insect pests. Most of these species are unlikely to be encountered during the daytime as they tend to be nocturnal. We have also spotted bobcats, foxes, and coyotes scouting our gardens for rabbits!
Did you know that the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens participates in mammal studies? Check out this study that compared our mammal diversity to that of Ledges State Park and urban spaces:Â
Additional footage of animals at the arboretum here
Amphibians and Reptiles
Amphibians are in peril globally, and Iowa’s native amphibians are no exception. Across our grounds various wetlands, ponds, and seasonal pools are havens and nurseries for our frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, and turtles. Frogs can be found at the Waterside Garden, Palustrine Wetland, Dry Creek Bed, and the Adele & Dean Bowden Treehouse Village. Tadpoles abound in our standing water, and a chorus of frogs can be heard through the summer. Turtles occasionally cross our grounds to find new ponds, and have been spotted digging nests near the Orchard and Herb Garden. We are always careful to watch for all these little neighbors and garden decisions always keep these friends in mind. For instance, we only use slow release fertilizers in display beds to prevent fertilizer runoff from polluting water ways. Wet areas are left undisturbed during cold months to allow hibernating creatures to emerge successfully in spring. Finally, we build habitat and promote biodiversity in our natural spaces and gardens.
Wildlife Service Projects
We appreciate all of the passionate community service dedicated towards wildlife across the arboretum over the years. Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Projects have focused on habitat enhancement in our gardens including nesting boxes for wood ducks and hotels for mason bees. The Iowa State University Horticulture Club has completed several service projects in our woodlands creating slash walls for small mammal and bird habitat. We’ve been the recipient of generous donations of bird seed, bluebird boxes, and kestrel boxes and we greatly appreciate the support! Reach out to info@iowaarboretum.org if you are interested in working with us to support wildlife.
