The UUCA NWF-Certified
Wildlife Habitat

Q-Mark asks: I see lots of birds, butterflies and I even see deer sometimes in my neighborhood. Does my new house/shopping center/road/office building/condo really matter?

A. “Ah yes!” says Long Branch Nature Center Naturalist Marion Lowe, “but do you notice that you see the same kind of birds and butterflies everywhere? The English Sparrows and European Starlings that you mostly see in Arlington are aliens who have adapted well to our built environment, while many native birds have not. And how many more white ‘Cabbage’ Butterflies do you see than the Question Mark, Monarch, and Tiger Swallowtail butterflies? The native species need more forest and open space to thrive, the loss of which is a direct consequence of development. We’re losing 43 acres of open space every day in the Metropolitan region – the animals that lived there have to go somewhere. Many are hit by cars or are cut off from a water source or the tree they lived in. That’s a lot of stress for our wildlife friends. And loss of open space impacts our drinking water and air quality too.”

Q. Really? How does open space make our tap water cleaner?

A. Yes, there’s a direct link, but that’s an answer we’ll tackle next month. For now, let’s focus on the fact that animals of every kind need food, water, shelter and a place to raise their young undisturbed. We can all help them by adding these elements to our yards, schools, business grounds and churches. Visit the National Wildlife Federation’s Web site for more information: www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/.

 

 

Undaunted by a dark, sloping site overrun by aggressive invasive species such as Ivy and Honeysuckle on the north side of the Church building, the UUCA Eco-Action team decided to take on the challenge of making it a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) certified wildlife habitat site.

  Throughout the spring and summer of 2001, the team stripped out many of the invasive plants on the plot and uncovered and added native species. A garden had started to take shape — a garden for wildlife and for people.

  In April 2002, NWF designated the UUCA Wildlife Garden as Habitat #31,589.

Coming back

  Among the native species the Eco Action team has to work with are the Common Catalpa, a tall tree with huge, heart-shaped leaves and beautiful white flowers that appear in May, while in the fall, they produce long, brown seed pods to complete its interesting cycle. There are Locust too, which also provide similar seed pods, which some people call “beans” or “cigars,” as well as flowers, although in a less showy manner. Joe-Pye Weed, a native aster, produces purple-pink flowers in mid-summer that attract butterflies and other pollinators. There are also Oaks, both red and white, Hickories, Beech, Black Gum, Red and Sugar Maples, Dogwood, Pines and Magnolia, which all provide food for wildlife.

  With these native trees and plants, a few bird feeders and houses, and a simple clay dish that when filled with water acts as a water source, the garden provides the five elements that define a certified habitat :

Unitarian Principles

  Reflecting the Unitarian Universalist Second Principle of “Justice, equality and compassion in human relations,” a Peace Pole with the inscription in eight languages “May Peace Prevail on Earth” was dedicated at the garden’s certification ceremony in 2002. UUCA member Ruth Van Cleve made a gift of 2 benches in honor of her late husband, Harry Van Cleve, in 2003, and another stone bench was moved from elsewhere on the property to the habitat garden.

  The UUCA garden itself is a reflection of the Unitarian Universalist Seventh Principle that recognizes the interdependent nature of all living things. By creating a sanctuary for both UUCA members and the wildlife that live here with us in densely developed Arlington, we enrich our lives and holdout against the astonishing rate of loss of green space throughout our area. (According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, we lose as much as 43 acres of open space every day in the Metro area.)

  The garden is also a reflection of the urban environment in which we live: Route 50 zooms by just beyond the stand of trees at its edge; a large concrete slab that covers a storm drain lies at its center. While the Eco-Action team achieved its initial goal — NWF certification, it is a work in progress.

  The Eco-Action team plans further garden development. Look for that big concrete slab to disappear soon. No, we can’t remove it, but we can disguise it, and in doing so, will improve the habitat for wildlife. And, as the first attempt to place a formal water source in the garden disappeared, the Eco-Action team is currently considering other, more permanent solutions. (Hint: native minnows may be in UUCA’s future.)

            Stay tuned – check this space often. We’ll continue to provide updates on our garden as well as tips on gardening and seasonal wildlife news.