The Zoo encourages people to landscape with native plants not just to help pollinators like butterflies and bees, but also to help provide food for birds in our city that live here year round and migrate here for the winter.   One excellent choice is saltbush, a drought tolerant shrub available at some nurseries in the area that specialize in native plants like Sierra Vista Growers. 

The salt bush that grows in our area is called four-wing saltbush and is the widest distributed saltbush in the US.  The seeds are flat with four large wings.  The shrub gets its name for the hair-bladders on the surfaces of the leaves that can excrete salts.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put together a guide on how to grow saltbush because it is a highly palatable browse for most livestock and big game with protein, fat and carbohydrate levels comparable to alfalfa. 

Not only is saltbush a good food for birds, but many small mammals like rabbits and squirrels will also eat the seeds.  It is so attractive to wildlife that the USDA recommends that you do not plant it along roadways where animals might get hit by vehicles when they come to feed on it.  If you want to create a little haven for native wildlife in your backyard, saltbush is the way to go plus you can save on your water bills.

Photo credits

Top – Andrey Zharkikh, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Middle – Patrick Alexander, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Bottom – J. Maughn, Wikimedia Creative Commons