Creating fall or winter habitat for migrating or hibernating wildlife.

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I wanna find out if there's still a little time left to help migrating monarch butterflies and birds this fall with my present plants including goldenrods, asters, evening primrose and few others. I'm looking for more native berry shrubs or trees that would aid birds and other creatures this fall and winter by feeding and sheltering them during migration or going into hibernation. I've had rock, leaf and wood piles previously, but had little results. I'm concentrating on just native species and not on non native ones such as rats and others. If anyone has anything to add, please let me know so all ideas can be brainstormed to make this topic edifying. Take care.

American Beautyberry is a perennial. They still have berries this time of year. Birds & probably other wildlife like them. Makes good jelly too. Maybe you can start some for next year?

I've had that one before in my yard, but it wasn't native to my area. Look, I'm focusing on stuff for the upper Midwest or Great Lakes for wildlife during migration or hibernation to make a safe transition into next year. Could hawthorn or wild plum do the trick in the place of beautyberry?

I cannot know what is native to your area without doing the research.  I will let you do that for my suggestion:

Turk's cap is a mallow with red flowers that is a late bloomer that butterflies and hummingbirds love.

Hi Ann. Turk's cap will do. You had any fall or winter wildlife in your area? If you have, then which types of plants help draw these kind of species?

Hi Blake,
Like Ann mentioned, it is hard to suggest specific things if we do not know where you are located.

In general, you seem to be on the right track with your desire to do it in the first place. You have late blooming flowers and piles of debris. That was all the things I would have suggested :) Leave those dead plants and trees until spring. They provide homes for many bugs and small animals. Adding water to your landscape can also help migratory animals. Making sure there is clean, fresh, and not frozen water is a huge help to animals. A plus if you put in some sort of pump or fountain to create water hitting water to attract the animals.

I'm currently from the Midwest Great Lakes in Chicago in zone five. My area has a mix of wet and dry tall grass prairie, northern swamplands with some hemi-marsh, duneland and swale and eastern woodland. My goal is to help monarchs, hummingbirds, sparrows, goldfinches, red wing blackbirds, voles, garter snakes and other local creatures find a place to rest while migrating and preparing for hibernation. Speaking of garter snakes, are there more ways to keep their territory safe and isolated so they can rest well into the winter?