We spend a lot of time planting for flowers and considering habitat value during the growing season. However, we do not always consider how our management activities and plant choices affect habitat availability during the “off season”. This poster outlines some considerations for the planting designer or home owner to support ecology through all 4 seasons.
The habitat value of plants in the winter garden
Presenters
Lauren Hoffman
Smithgroup
Smithgroup
Lauren Hoffman is a Landscape Architect and Certified Ecologist at SmithGroup, with a wealth of experience assessing and enhancing natural resources through design. She has worked on projects ranging from urban centers and state parks, to forests, Great Lakes shorelines and brownfield sites. Lauren has developed creative solutions for issues surrounding water quality, accessibility, recreation, parking, circulation, education and contamination. Her assessment activities have included a myriad of survey and monitoring work including plants, pollinators, macroinvertebrates, threatened and endangered species, invasive species, prairies, natural and mitigation wetlands, and habitat suitability. Lauren has designed habitats for corporate, municipal, parkland, and residential properties for target species ranging from fish and herps to songbirds and bats.