Enrichment Collection Guidelines

Many animals eat large amounts of wild greens. Common edible greens include dandelion, plantain, and clover, which are relatively easy to identify and can be found in most people’s backyards. Refer to the photo below for identification of these plants. Be careful to research the collection locations when picking these plants; you should not be downwind, downhill, or within an area where pesticides are actively used. 

Greens should be freshly collected in a gallon-sized Ziploc or regular plastic shopping bag. If you are unable to bring them to the Wildlife Center immediately, adding a small amount of water in the bag and refrigerating them will keep them fresh longer. Delivering them to the Wildlife Center within 24 hours will ensure they are adequate for patient food.

Duckweed is an important food source for waterfowl and other wild creatures. As it grows, duckweed absorbs nutrients from the surrounding water and provides more nutrition by weight compared to other vascular plants (protein = 15-25% when grown in natural conditions). Duckweed can be collected using a net or a pond skim during the spring and summer months from local ponds or lakes, following the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) aquatic removal guidelines. 

Depending on the location, permits for collection may be required. Pond skims are floating tools, about 5 feet wide, that collect surface debris when dragged across the water. Wisconsin waterways are a shared public resource, and WI DNR guidelines state that individuals may only manually remove aquatic vegetation in an area no wider than 30 feet from the manual removal zone (Figure 4. dock or swimming access). Duckweed can be stored and donated in 5-gallon buckets filled with pond water.

Follow the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers guidance to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species:

• INSPECT your equipment, which includes boots, waders, nets, fishing gear, boat live wells, boat hulls, and trailers
• REMOVE any attached mud, aquatic plants or animals from equipment (e.g. using a boot brush)
• DRAIN all water from boats and equipment; and
• NEVER MOVE live fish away from a waterbody

Branches and leaf litter are used to enrich indoor and outdoor enclosures at the wildlife center. The best time to collect branches or leaf litter is during your regular spring or fall yard clean up. Branches should contain fresh or dried leaves and be between 3-4 feet in length. Choose native tree or shrub species that are without thorns, spines, or heavy sap, and avoid invasive or toxic plants such as buckthorn, honeysuckle or yew. Leaf litter should be dry and contained in a large trash bag. Minimize the amount of pine needles included in any collection of leaf litter.

Nuts requires curing and preparation. Nut quality quickly deteriorates, molds and rots if collected and left in buckets/bags where they get wet or hot.

Acorns

1. Collect acorns and separate from twigs, leaves, and other debris.

2. Cover them in a container of water for five minutes. Throw away the ones that float.

3. Remove acorns from water and dry with a towel, or allow to air dry.

4. When fully dry, place acorns in a one-gallon Ziploc-type baggie and freeze.

5. Keep frozen until you can deliver them to the Wildlife Center.

Black Walnuts

1. Collect black walnuts.

2. Soak nuts in container of water for up to one week until the green or brown husk loosens and can be removed by hand.

3. An alternative method is to fill a wheelbarrow full of walnuts with water. Let soak, and every few days, jiggle the wheelbarrow back and forth to agitate the husks off. Use multiple changes of water.

4. Spread the husked nuts on a flat surface and allow them to fully dry in sun for a few days. Then deliver nuts to the Wildlife Center. Black Walnuts do not need to be frozen prior to delivery.

Hickory Nuts

1. Collect hickory nuts and separate nuts from twigs, leaves, and other debris.

2. Deliver nuts to the Wildlife Center. Hickory nuts do not need to be frozen prior to delivery.

Collecting wild berries requires plant identification skills.

Wild berries can be very beneficial to our patients, especially songbirds. The collector must know the plant species, however, since many berries can be poisonous. Naturally growing, edible berries for donation include mulberries, elderberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries.

We use earthworms as a food source for many of our avian and reptile patients in rehabilitation. Earthworms are best found at night and can be found under rocks, boards, or in your garden, or can be collected from the sidewalks after a rain. They can be dug from the ground with a trowel or picked up by hand. Place worms in a lightly ventilated container with some fresh soil. Keep them cool (about 50° F), with the soil slightly moist, until donating them to the wildlife center.

Other natural enrichment items used for wildlife can include logs for woodpeckers or blooming flowers for hummingbirds. Many private landowners establish wildflowers or native prairie plantings in their own backyards that can be shared with wildlife. Coneflowers, sunflowers, and asters are favorite flowers of Wisconsin bird species that can be collected from private property with permission and donated at the wildlife center.