October: A Perfect Time to Plant a Tree or Create a Bird Sanctuary

By Elaine Kolish

As green tree leaves change to crimson, orange, and yellow and our evenings become cooler, our thoughts turn to autumn and its glories. For some, pumpkin spice dominates the season, while for me, apples, in particular apple crisp and cider, fill my thoughts. Apples in turn make me think of the American legend, Johnny Appleseed. Although he was thought to plant apple seeds randomly, he actually created nurseries and built fences around them to protect the seedlings from livestock and wildlife. The nurseries were then left in care of neighbors who would sell the trees. Apparently, he was quite eccentric, but no matter, his example of planting and caring for trees is one we should follow today. 

It’s no secret that trees are one of our best tools for capturing carbon dioxide, preventing stormwater erosion, reducing heat islands, and so much more. These days the modern-day equivalent of Johnny Appleseed might be Doug Tallamy, the renowned professor of entomology at the University of Delaware. In book after book, and lecture after lecture, Tallamy tries to impress upon us the need to install native trees and plants as if our future depends on it, and it does! If you want insects (think native dragonflies, not brown marmorated stink bugs), if you want birds, and if you want food, we need natives.  

This October, as Plant NOVA Trees celebrates Native Trees Month, it’s the perfect time to follow Tallamy’s advice to give up a bit of unproductive turf grass lawn and plant a native tree. Indeed, because of regional climate change, local tree experts have shifted their advice for the first time in 30 years, and now recommend planting trees from October 1 through May 31. 

For bird lovers, if you go further and plant two native shrubs next to the tree, you have created a bird sanctuary! You could be part of the “Bird Sanctuary Planting Weekend,”  October 26-29, 2024, a Northern Virginia-wide initiative being led by Plant NOVA Natives. It has created a simple to follow, step-by-step guide on how to create your own bird sanctuary. It details everything, including how much turf you need to remove, what size plants to use, how to space and install the plants, how much mulch you will need, and when and how much to water. It offers great suggestions on where to place the sanctuary in your yard and its website also provides lists of native trees and shrubs to choose among, depending on your site.

If you are wondering why the recommendation is for a tree and two shrubs, it’s because planting a tree by itself helps songbirds only so much. Native understory shrubs are also important for providing habitat for birds and for the insects that are such an important part of their diet. Baby birds cannot crack seeds and depend on their parents to bring them fat, soft sacks of protein, fats and other nutrients—otherwise known as caterpillars. While many caterpillars are found in native trees and shrubs, these alone may not provide adequate or proper lifecycle sites for some caterpillars. So, keep leaf litter in your sanctuary for caterpillars to spin their cocoons as well as mulch and leaf litter for species that burrow into the soil to provide them with what they need.

Simply put: for the moderate amount of work to plant a tree, or even better, a tree and two shrubs, you will have a lifetime of satisfaction of knowing you contributed to expanding NOVA’s critically important urban forest, and enjoyment from seeing our feathered friends use your bird sanctuary.