Beneficial Fauna
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Interaction with beneficial fauna can enliven the experience of humans and can decrease undesirable pests and the costs associated with managing them; such activity also contributes positively to the health of the eco-system. |
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One to three months for planning and sourcing and at least one growing cycle for establishment |
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Varies depending on the extent of area being addressed, but costs can be entirely mitigated through incorporation of best management practices |
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FAC, GRD, SGT |
Beneficial fauna include a wide range of creatures that can help support the site environment, by providing ecosystem services such as pollination and pest management, or by improving quality of life. Beneficial species include pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies, and moths; pollinating birds and mammals such as hummingbirds and bats; animals that play an important role in soil health and nutrient cycling, such as earthworms, snails, grubs, and beetles; animals which help suppress pest populations, such as amphibians, ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, and spiders; and animals whose presence enlivens the experience of being at Post, such as songbirds and butterflies.
All beneficial fauna require habitat, particular types of food, and water. Diversity of plant species and of habitats promotes a diversity of fauna. For example, most caterpillars have co-evolved to feed on the leaves of specific host plants, and mason bees will only nest in tubular cavities. Conversely, a landscape with invasive species (see Site: Invasive Plant Management) limits opportunities for beneficial fauna, and in some cases attracts fauna that are NOT beneficial (see Site: Integrated Pest Management).
Of the more than 250,000 flowering plant species in the world, most (over 75%) rely on animals for pollination.1
To encourage beneficial fauna, site should consider the following activities:
- Determine what types of fauna are desirable in the landscape. Identify target species based on desired outcomes (such as pest management), biodiversity goals, or what is locally threatened or endangered. Also understand any unwelcome outcomes that might result by attracting them (e.g., their predators, excessive droppings, or concerns about disease reservoirs).
- Identify sunny, under-utilized portions of the landscape which could serve as wildlife habitat, including even small areas like parking islands, where low-growing, flowering vegetation would attract pollinators; and also preserve wooded areas that provide bird habitat.
- Determine what types of beneficial fauna are already present, and which plant species support them.
- Identify local pollinators. Provide forage for pollinators by planting clusters of a variety of native flowering plants with overlapping blooming times, creating a succession of blooms supporting foraging throughout the local growing season.
- Use a diversity of plant species to create faunal diversity. Focus on native plants which provide forage for both larval herbivores as well as pollinating adult insects.
- Add micro-habitats to encourage a greater diversity of fauna. Stumps or dead wood may provide nests for cavity-nesting pollinators or birds; loose piles of bricks or small rocks next to water can provide shelter for frogs and salamanders; shrubs with pithy hollow stems in winter provide hibernation for many pollinators.
- Connect natural and planted areas together to facilitate species movement, migration, dispersal, succession, and establishment within and through a landscape.
- Protect habitats by minimizing deep-soil disturbance near nest sites, by leaving dried herbaceous plants in place during winter, by allowing dead limbs or trunks to remain in natural areas not immediately adjacent to buildings, by minimizing light pollution, and by eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides.
- Consider working with local botanical experts to identify, collect, and use seeds from local native forbs, grasses, and other species beneficial to local pollinators to use in natural areas.
- Nurture beneficial fauna, which are highly sensitive to chemicals, by avoiding use of pesticides and herbicides whenever possible. Investigate the pest problem and understand the underlying causes. Reduce the pest population using the least hazardous and, preferably, non-chemical pesticide treatment. When it is absolutely necessary to use chemicals, read and follow the labeling completely. Avoid applying to plants in active bloom or during windy conditions, and only apply early or late in the day when pollinators are less likely to be present.
- Install signage that succinctly explains the intent of a habitat project, and identifies the species of plants and animals that are supported by it.