Indianapolis ranks in the Top 5 cities in US for wildlife-friendly gardens. Here's why

The National Wildlife Federation digs Indianapolis gardens. In fact, it planted the city in its Top 5 communities for wildlife-friendly gardens.

The federation is celebrating 50 years of it’s Garden for Wildlife program that certifies spaces providing pollinators and other animals with food, water and shelter.

Indianapolis has 1,433 Certified Wildlife Habitats, which include 138 Schoolyard Habitats. Green thumb Hoosiers beat out Seattle (1,254 gardens) and Atlanta (1,209), but fell behind Charlotte (1,561) and Austin (3,150).

“Indy really has a great concentration of people really committed to helping others realize that where you live can make a difference for wildlife,” NWF’s Mary Phillips said. ”That’s the big thing: Creating and enhancing habitat where you live.”

Phillips head’s the federations Garden for Wildlife program and said Indianapolis has been a leader for many years. Hunters, fishermen, garden clubs and other Hoosiers have taken on the challenges of advancing habitat.

What is a certified garden?

These gardens help boost wildlife numbers. A recent NWF study shows wood thrushes, gray catbirds and pileated woodpeckers visit these spaces more than areas with large lawns and ornamentals.

It’s easy to get started, and a certified garden can be as small as a couple of plant containers out on a balcony. One important addition is a water source such as a bird bath or puddling dish, Phillips said.

The NWF has put together a checklist for anyone interested in certification. The basic things to provide are food, water, cover, places to raise young and sustainable practices. The full list can be found at nwf.org/certify.

Native nectar-bearing plants, milkweeds and even grasses and sedges provide a great start.

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Dan Boritt, executive director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation, said you don’t even need to be good at growing plants to get involved.

“The nice thing about native plants is they have evolved into this ecosystem,” Boritt said. “When you get that annoying late April frost, these plants can deal with it. They don’t die like the ornamentals we start to use.”

Where to start with a certified garden

The NWF has worked with growers and nurseries from around the country and put together gardenforwildlife.com where native plants can be purchased. You can also check local nurseries that carry native plants.

Many native species depend on specific plants. Asters and goldenrod and even sunflowers are high-supporting host plants for many types of moths, butterflies and bees, Phillips said.

Indiana Wildlife Federation has a more localized plant finder at indianawildlife.org, and the listings provide the specific ecological needs for each plant, Boritt said.

“I would bet for any person’s home, anywhere in the state, if you go to our website there are easily a dozen plants you can grow in even a 10x10 plot, and that’s valuable,” Boritt said. “It is truly amazing that with a reasonable amount of effort, you can pretty easily create a viable, albeit small, wildlife refuge and habitat.”

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Benefits beyond the garden bed

While these gardens may attract new species to your backyard, the benefits grow beyond property lines.

Indiana has a problem with water quality, and one of the best things to do is have native plants in the built ecosystem to help control extreme rain events, Boritt said. Native plants have thick, deep roots that have a much higher capacity to absorb and hold rainwater rather than let it rush into the rainwater systems.

“Natural infrastructure has such incredible potential to help the manmade infrastructure,” Boritt said. “If everyone is doing something like this, there is a whole lot less rainwater to deal with.”

The water quality benefits extend beyond rainwater, traditional turf lawns and ornamental landscape might require the use of chemicals and fertilizers. Native plants don’t need that, and help relieve the need of desire to constantly treat lawns, Boritt said.

“If seven out of ten houses dedicated a small portion of turf grass into something like this, all of a sudden this habitat is popping up everywhere,” Boritt said. “That patchwork can fit together like a properly functioning habitat.”

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: National Wildlife Federation names Indy Top 5 wildlife garden cities