By Kathy Van Mullekom 247-4781

October 1, 2009
Dandelions are OK because rabbits like them.

Moss is a must because robins steal bits and pieces for nests.

Goldenrod in late fall is good because it's bee food.

And so the list goes on. These are the reasons why Mathilde Menke nurtures a certified wildlife habitat garden she began more than 15 years ago at her home in Newport News.

There is little lawn around her house, mostly trees, shrubs and perennials that attract and benefit wildlife.

"My grandfather taught me to love nature," she says. "He knew every bird by sight and sound, and often took me on bike rides in the forest around town where I learned something new each and every time.

"He instilled in me the conviction that we have an important stewardship toward this earth."

Mathilde sticks by that conviction and passes the message on to anyone who visits her garden. Every square foot of land around her house is dedicated to all things small and wonderful, butterflies such as painted ladies, fritillary and swallowtails, birds such as woodpeckers, flickers and goldfinches and insects such as praying mantis, dragonflies and ladybugs.

"Look at that lavender; it's alive," she says, excitedly, pointing at dozens of bees around the plant's flowers.

The Menkes have lived in their house since it was built in 1973 on former farmland in Denbigh. Their house came with the typical contractor landscape of shrubs marching along the front of the house and maple trees in the front and back yards. Mathilde and husband Hans-Werner envisioned something more. First, they built a 7-by-14-foot concrete pond and then gradually transformed more and more lawn into beds. A sunny yard became a shade garden filled with wildflowers like trilliums, bloodroot, ginger and goat's beard.

In 2003, Hurricane Isabel uprooted several trees, so the sun garden was back. Mathilde adjusted, planting trees that don't grow taller than 20 feet and still provide shelter, nesting sites, food and water for anything that flies, hops or crawls.

Recently, she certified her yard as a Monarch Waystation that provides milkweed and nectar plants for the butterflies that migrate to and from their winter home in Mexico.

"In the 36 years that we have lived here, the natural habitat in Denbigh has shrunk at an alarming rate," she says. "Where there used to be woods, you now see homes, shopping centers and other development. The critters are losing their homes to us and we have to do what we can to compensate for their losses."

During the years she's maintained the habitat, she's learned what works best:

Best books: "Backyard Birding Tips" and "Projects for Bird Gardens" by Rodale Press, Bird-by-Bird Gardening: The Ultimate Guide to Bringing in Your Favorite Birds-Year after Year" by Sally Roth and "The Life Cycles of Butterflies" by Storey Publishing.

Best plants: I am very partial to spring ephemerals — bloodroot, trilliums, shooting stars and Virginia bluebells are among my favorites because they are so delicate and special, returning to cheer me after a gray, bleak winter. I also love fragrant flowers like lilac, flowering tobacco and four o'clocks. I also planted some old garden roses, all fragrant and from the late 1800s. Her yard also includes sourwood, dogwood, eastern red cedar, vitex, gardenia, ferns, herbs, coneflowers, ironweed, comfrey, garlic, dahlias, ginger, patridgeberry, lamb's ear, mallows, summer sweet, grapes, raspberries, elderberry, sweet peas and much more.

What else is best in a habitat garden? Birdbaths at ground level and on pedestals. Natural fertilizers, like compost, and beneficial insects; no toxic pesticides or herbicides. As many native plants as possible. Minimum lawn. Different styles of birdhouses and feeders filled with assorted seed for different species. Fruit, berry, nut and seed-bearing plants for birds and nectar-producing plants for bees and butterflies.

"Reduce your lawn area," she says. "A limited amount of lawn does have redeeming features — just ask a robin — but at my home, less is more."

Mathilde Menke

Age: 66

Residence: Newport News

Family: Husband Hans-Werner; son and family in Gloucester; daughter and family in Tennessee; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Pastimes: gardening, reading, needlework

If I could be any plant, I would be … a forget-me-not because it's a pretty blue, cheerful and never demanding.

If I could do my garden over, I would … make a bigger pond with a waterfall and stream bed surrounded by a bog garden; put in more native plants; eliminate all ivy; and use lower-growing forms of plants.