A Wildlife Habitat site should provide some of the basic elements wildlife need to survive: food, water, cover or places for wildlife to raise their young. You will not always be able to do all three of these things at your site. Yet don't feel bad. It may not be necessary. You may not be able to provide enough feed for 5 deer but with careful plant selection a small area can provide cover for many times that number of deer. Selection - Grow native vegetation like locally native shrubs, trees and other plants that produce acorns, berries and other seeds to supply food for wildlife. For birds, feeders can suppliment natural food sources. Your choice of plants must first deal with what will grow on your site. Then you must decide what type of plants you want. The type of plant will determine the spacing and thus the number of plants needed. Some plants will take more work than others. I suggest you should select plants that grow fast. If it takes 15 years for an oak to start to produce a lot of acorns, do you want to wait that long? Some fast growing plants will produce shelter and feed at a fast rate. One such plant is the Viburnum. It is easy to grow. It will grow in most soil types and can take deer damage better than most plants.
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