COVINGTON - The backyard at the home of Jay and Nancy Frantz, located north of Covington on Hossmer Mill Road has been officially certified a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the Natural Wildlife Federation.

As organic gardeners, the Frantzes have been taking special care to keep safe the natural habitat of the birds and animals living on and above their 1.6 acres. "The only chemical used in the yard is Amdro for fire ants," Nancy Frantz said. "But only on the hills that are safely away from feeders and birdbaths."

The Frantzes have their own remedies for the pesky insects that seem to plump a mound of ground here and there among the towering pines that dot their property. "I have found that pouring vinegar or our leftover coffee on the mounds will move them safely away from the feeders," Nancy Frantz said. To eliminate snails, Nancy Frantz suggest spreading crumbled egg shells around tender plants snails find tasty.

Backyard wildlife habitats

For a yard to become eligible as a certified backyard habitat recognized by the National Wildlife Federation, the yard must offer four basic elements required to promote survival for the creatures who live in the area - Food, water, cover and places to raise young.

Food

Providing as much food as possible through native vegetation in order to meet the year-round needs of the area is a requirement. A dozen feeders for birds of all types are found in the Frantzes yard. "We spend just more than $20 every two weeks on black-oil sunflower seeds, thistle seed, hummingbird nectar and the Marsolan special mix for the birds," Jay Frantz said. Squirrels, voles, flying squirrels, gray squirrels and raccoons eat corn and peanuts. "We love the squirrels and all the other animals that find their way into our yard," said Nancy Frantz.

Once, Nancy said, a raccoon larger than one of the many bird feeders in the yard, found his way into a bird feeder. "We watched him as he tried maneuvering himself inside the feeder," Nancy Frantz said. "It was quite a site."

Jay watches the flying squirrels fly from the rooftop of their home to the corn feeders in the eveningtime. "They grab a kernel, then they're off, and back again. It's quite a routine," he said.

Water

Water is a requirement for the animals to drink and bathe. Four birdbaths are provided in the Frantzes' yard. The national federation stresses the importance of providing water daily throughout the year by monitoring the freezing weather as well as the rapid evaporation of water from a backyard habitat.

Cover

Another requirement required for a certified backyard habitat is that the yard provides wildlife cover for protection against the elements. Privet and low lying shrubbery surround the yard where the birds stir and light all day. Both evergreen and deciduous plantings offer food and a safe cover in the Frantz yard, sometime surprising Nancy and Jay with unexpected changes. "At Christmastime, we purchased two holly bushes full of red berries. In one day, the birds stripped both shrubs of every berry," Jay Frantz said.

Places to raise young

A place for reproduction and raising of the young is the final habitat element required of a backyard habitat. According to the National Wildlife Federation, safe places for reproduction and nurturing young animals are critical to make a habitat complete. Nesting boxes for birds, ponds for frogs and salamanders and hollow or felled trees afford the backyard animals a natural place to live and raise young.

The Frantzes discarded their used Christmas tree last year by placing it in a quiet area at the far end of the yard where natural falling debris partially covered the tree creating a dense haven for rabbits.

A grass lawn is purposely missing from the Frantz tree-shaded backyard habitat. "When we lived in a suburb in Houston, I would spend three hours cutting the grass," Jay Frantz said. Now, I mow around the yard three or four times a year to mulch the leaves and keep things down to a dull roar."

The Frantzes yard supports local native plants that thrive in the acidic soil and require no fertilizer or pest control. On the acreage grow dogwood, persimmon, holly, pine, oak, yaupon, magnolia, cowcumber, maple, sweetgum and cherry. To attract nectar loving animals, there are roses, lantana, salvias and daylillies.

Birds that flourish in the Frantzes yard are cardinals, blue jays, titmice, black-capped chickadees, doves, nuthatches, red-bellied, downey and peleated woodpeckers, crows, hummingbirds, thrashers, pine warblers, goldfinch, wrens, white-throated sparrow and indigo bunting.

Animals that live or visit the Frantz yard are squirrels, a vole (a small mole), flying squirrels, gray squirrels, raccoons, rabbits and opossums and occasionally deer wander through.

Maintaining a backyard habitat can be a lifelong hobby. To get started on creating a habitat an instructional packet can be ordered by calling 1-703-790-4100; or write to the National Wildlife Federation at : NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22184-0001.

Checklist for creating

a bird-friendly backyard

Re-create the multiple layers of plant growth found in natural areas

Select plants to provide nutritional foods during difficult seasons

Plant shrubs and small trees in same-species clumps for adequate pollination of fruits.

Provide at least one clump of conifers

Leave dead trees, standing or fallen, to provide nesting and foraging sites

Leave vines or native plants additions

Limit the size of the lawn for less mowing, less fertilizing and less pollution

Avoid invasive exotic plants like china berry trees

Supply a source of water

Provide and monitor nesting boxes

Leave some leaf litter on the ground

Stop using pesticides

Use only organic, slow release fertilizers if needed