Our mission is to promote and protect wildlife in its natural habitat by providing opportunities for observation and conservation
Our Native Plant Gardens
- Butterfly Garden at Overpeck Preserve, Overpeck Park
- Butterfly Garden at Teaneck Creek Conservancy
- Dr. Ben Burton Native Plants Garden at Teaneck Creek Conservancy
Native Plants
- Restore the balance of the habitat
- Benefit birds and other wildlife
- Create the foundation of a backyard habitat
The Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Backyard for Wildlife
With open space continuing to be lost in Bergen County and New Jersey,
backyard habitats are even more important as places for birds and other wildlife to find food and shelter.
They are also vital for our migratory bird species on their Spring and Fall journeys along the Atlantic Flyway.
Development causes habitat loss and degradation.
It fragments our forests and wetlands into isolated islands of Native Habitat.
Backyard Habitats become “stepping stones” that also connect these fragments of Native Habitat.
National Audubon’s “how to” for a Healthy Backyard www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/healthy_yard16.html
Go Native!!
Our native birds, butterflies and wildlife co-evolved with native plants.
Download Bergen County Audubon Society Native Plant list
Gardening for the Birds
There are many excellent books to assist you in creating your backyard habitat.
Download our Gardening for the Birds list
Eight Ways to protect birds where YOU live
1. Reduce or eliminate pesticide and herbicide use. By using fewer chemicals around your home you will keep birds, pets, and your home healthy.
2. Plant native plants. Native flora provides birds with food in the form of fruit and seeds, and is home to tasty invertebrates like bugs and spiders.
3. Identify the non-native invasive plants in your region and work to remove them from your yard. Do not bring any new invasives into your backyard habitat! Invasives do not provide as much good food or habitat as natives do and can threaten healthy ecosystems.
4. Attract humming birds with sugar water. Made by combining four parts hot water to one part white sugar, boiled for one to two minutes. Never use honey, artificial sweeteners, or food coloring. Clean hummingbird feeders with a solution of one part white vinegar to four parts water once a week.
5. Make your windows visable to birds to prevent collisions. Put up screens, close drapes and blinds when you leave the house, or stick multiple decals on the glass (decals need to be no more than two to four inches apart to be effective).
6. Let your yard get a little messy! Leave snags for nesting places and stack downed limbs to create a brush pile, which is a great source of cover for birds during bad weather.
7. Close your blinds at night and turn off lights you are not using. Some birds use constellations to guide them on their annual migrations and bright lights from windows and sky lights can disrupt their steering senses.
8. Create or protect water sources in your yard. Birds need water to drink and bathe in, just like we do. Be sure to keep birdbaths clean and change the water three times a week when mosquitoes are breeding.
Useful Links:
- The Wildflower Center: www.wildflower.org
- National Wildlife Federation – Garden for Wildlife: www.nwf.org
- Native Plant Society of New Jersey: www.npsnj.org
- North American Butterfly Association – Butterfly Garden & Habitat Program: www.nababutterfly.com
- Monarch Waystation Program: www.monarchwatch.org
- Bat Conservation International: www.batcon.org
