Landscaping for Martins

Best landscape has lots of open space and available fresh water. Since western martins depend more on natural cavities in trees and cactus for housing it is important for homeowners to allow older, derelict trees to stand as long as they are not a potential hazard. They provide nesting cavities.

Eastern martins depend on man-made houses with the correct amenities. An open field or meadow on the property provides space for them to swoop and soar as they forage for food on the fly. Nearby lakes or ponds are essential for drinking bathing and breeding mosquitoes for food. While it is desirable to have trees and shrubs and the usual plant diversity that makes any yard healthy, they must not be close to the their house. A wide variety of flowering and fruiting plants in your yard and those of your neighbors attract insects that support the local martin colony.