Caterpillar Garden
If you have yard space, consider growing a caterpillar garden. This can reduce nibbling on your food or flower gardens, support beneficial insects such as butterflies, and support birds that raise their young on caterpillars. If you find chewed leaves unsightly, just put the garden somewhere it's less noticeable.
Of course, if you like watching birdfeeders, put it within range of your windows -- a caterpillar garden is just a birdfeeder that blooms. :D For best results, place a birdhouse facing the caterpillar garden. Sadly I was unable to find calculations for how many square feet of garden would support one family of songbirds. However, it looks like one oak tree can support at least one family of songbirds.
It takes a LOT of caterpillars to raise baby birds:
So the Chickadee parents need to find 350 to 570 caterpillars every day, depending on the number of chicks. Multiply that by the 16 to 18 days it takes to fledge, and that’s a total of 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to bring a clutch of chickadees to maturity.
Resources to help ...
Want to Boost Butterflies? Aim for a “Caterpillar Garden”
Inviting Caterpillars Into Your Garden
How to Create a Caterpillar Garden (United Kingdom)
Butterfly Host Plants
North American Butterfly Association Garden Guides (regional lists)
Butterfly Gardening Plants of North America (multiple search tools)
Growing Host Plants and Nectar Plants to Attract Butterflies (by butterfly species)
Butterfly Host Plants
BUTTERFLIES AND THEIR LARVAL FOODPLANTS
Larval Host Plants for Butterflies & Moths (by plant type)
Audubon Native Plants Database (searchable by zip code)
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plants Database (numerous search fields)
Botanical Interests Regional Butterfly Garden Seed Mixes
Pollinator Conservation Seed Mixes
Regional Pollinator Wildflower Seed Mixes
Prairie Moon Nursery Pollinator Favorites (native plants & seeds)
Oikos Tree Crops (native trees, shrubs, and edible plants)
Top Trees for Attracting Butterflies
Flowers that attract pollinators: It’s not about the grown-ups
Perennials for Caterpillars in the Butterfly Garden
Plant a Caterpillar Cafe in Your Butterfly Garden
Garden Caterpillar Identification and Guide
Gardening for Birds Means Gardening for Caterpillars
These plants bring all the birds to your yard
New Research Further Proves Native Plants Offer More Bugs for Birds
An Ode to Nature’s Hotdogs: Moth Caterpillars
If you're not using part of your yard, consider replacing it with native plants that do more good and need less care. You could put in an oak guild, like this Pacific White Oak/Hazelnut or this temperate Oak/Fruit guild. Here are some other guilds you might like.
Of course, if you like watching birdfeeders, put it within range of your windows -- a caterpillar garden is just a birdfeeder that blooms. :D For best results, place a birdhouse facing the caterpillar garden. Sadly I was unable to find calculations for how many square feet of garden would support one family of songbirds. However, it looks like one oak tree can support at least one family of songbirds.
It takes a LOT of caterpillars to raise baby birds:
So the Chickadee parents need to find 350 to 570 caterpillars every day, depending on the number of chicks. Multiply that by the 16 to 18 days it takes to fledge, and that’s a total of 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to bring a clutch of chickadees to maturity.
Resources to help ...
Want to Boost Butterflies? Aim for a “Caterpillar Garden”
Inviting Caterpillars Into Your Garden
How to Create a Caterpillar Garden (United Kingdom)
Butterfly Host Plants
North American Butterfly Association Garden Guides (regional lists)
Butterfly Gardening Plants of North America (multiple search tools)
Growing Host Plants and Nectar Plants to Attract Butterflies (by butterfly species)
Butterfly Host Plants
BUTTERFLIES AND THEIR LARVAL FOODPLANTS
Larval Host Plants for Butterflies & Moths (by plant type)
Audubon Native Plants Database (searchable by zip code)
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plants Database (numerous search fields)
Botanical Interests Regional Butterfly Garden Seed Mixes
Pollinator Conservation Seed Mixes
Regional Pollinator Wildflower Seed Mixes
Prairie Moon Nursery Pollinator Favorites (native plants & seeds)
Oikos Tree Crops (native trees, shrubs, and edible plants)
Top Trees for Attracting Butterflies
Flowers that attract pollinators: It’s not about the grown-ups
Perennials for Caterpillars in the Butterfly Garden
Plant a Caterpillar Cafe in Your Butterfly Garden
Garden Caterpillar Identification and Guide
Gardening for Birds Means Gardening for Caterpillars
These plants bring all the birds to your yard
New Research Further Proves Native Plants Offer More Bugs for Birds
An Ode to Nature’s Hotdogs: Moth Caterpillars
If you're not using part of your yard, consider replacing it with native plants that do more good and need less care. You could put in an oak guild, like this Pacific White Oak/Hazelnut or this temperate Oak/Fruit guild. Here are some other guilds you might like.