Maryland’s Best Native Plant Program

Small Animals

Food

• Nuts, seeds, berries, and roots from native plants are vital food sources.

• Native grasses and forbs support seed-eaters like voles and mice.

• Flowering plants attract insects, supporting insectivores like shrews.

Cover and Nesting

• Dense shrubs, groundcovers, and thickets provide shelter and protection from predators.

• Many mammals create burrows or nests under native grasses, brush piles, or in dead tree cavities.

Winter Survival

• Native plants offer fall mast (acorns, seeds) and persistent fruits for winter foraging.

• Grassy meadows and wooded understories help regulate temperature and moisture around burrows.

Native Plant Small Mammal Benefit

Oaks (Quercus spp.) Acorns for squirrels, chipmunks, deer mice

Hickory, Beech, and Walnut Nuts stored and eaten by squirrels and voles

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Berries for fall/winter food

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) Early-season fruit for mice, squirrels, chipmunks

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) Berries for squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Seeds and insect prey source for shrews and voles

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) Seed source, nesting cover

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Winter shelter and berries for rodents

Shrubby St. John’s Wort (Hypericum prolificum) Cover and insect attraction

Hazelnut (Corylus americana) Nut producer; thicket shelter

Small Mammal Plant Interaction Highlights

Eastern Chipmunk Feeds on nuts, seeds, berries; burrows near shrubs

Eastern Gray Squirrel Stores acorns, hickory nuts; nests in tree cavities

Southern Flying Squirrel Uses mature trees; feeds on nuts, berries, fungi

White-footed Mouse Seed and fruit consumer; builds nests in dense native grasses

Eastern Cottontail Browses on forbs and grasses; nests under shrubs and in thickets

Short-tailed Shrew Insectivore relying on insect-rich native plantings

Meadow Vole Prefers grassy meadows and eats seeds and roots

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) – Mammals
Maryland Biodiversity Project – Mammals
Smithsonian’s North American Mammals Portal (Search “Maryland mammals”)
Field Guide: The Wild Mammals of Maryland, Richard P. Taber, Maryland DNR or University of Maryland Extension
University of Maryland Extension – Wildlife in the Garden

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