Welcome

Submitted by Nicole Kluck, James River SCD District Operations Manager

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The winds came to a calm as the sun set over the barren fields of Dickey County the evening of Monday, March 23. But at Guelph, the historic school building was buzzing! A collective of fifty attendees gathered in the community with April Johnson, Pollinator Program Coordinator from NDSU Extension. She brought a dose of humor and vast knowledge with her about the importance of pollinators in hobby birding and conservation.

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While traditional birding with bird feeders, fruiting shrubs, bird houses and baths are great, they only support adult birds, and ninety six percent of birds feed insects, most of which are caterpillars, to their young in the spring. Caterpillars are an excellent food source for growing birds, being high in proteins and fats, while other insects contain hard exoskeletons and spines or do not hold enough nutritional value.

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Did you know a brood of chicks will need 350-570 caterpillars per day, or up to 9,000 caterpillars to raise a nest to fledgling age? Quite amazing! With this many insects at the buffet, they need to be supported by an abundance of habitat consisting of host plants and sites for caterpillar development and metamorphosis, as well as nectar sources to attract butterflies and moths and encourage them to lay eggs nearby.

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Backyards consisting of non-native plants have seventy five percent less caterpillar biomass, which is sixty percent less likely to host breeding birds, and those that do, have a twenty nine percent lower chick survival rate. Providing native plant species and keeping habitat areas for our wildlife is paramount for their survival. Over-wintering leaf litter or mulch as well as ground cover plants are essential for caterpillar winter survival, and in turn, spring bird arrivals.

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Not sure where to start on your native plant journey? Stop by the office and we would be happy to help you get started! For those in attendance, if you have any questions about Johnson’s presentation, we do have a copy available, as well as the resource publications she referenced. Please reach out if you would like any of that information.

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Upcoming Dates:

April 8, 2026 - SCD Board Meeting, 9 am, Ellendale Service Center

April 22, 2026 – Earth Day

April 24, 2026 – Arbor Day

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For more information contact the James River Soil Conservation District and Ellendale NRCS office at 349-3653, ext. 3. Our field office is in Ellendale at 51 N. 1st Street. Also, remember to visit the James River Soil Conservation District Facebook page and our websites for more information –http://www.jamesriverscd.org/ and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/nd/home/. The NRCS is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.