Welcome Little Critters!

Our contractor warned us but it has still been difficult to swallow. The work on the house has eliminated most of the grass in both the front and back of our lawn. It also means my beloved hydrangea bush looks like a pile of flattened sticks. It's all replaced with the red clayish mud characteristic of this area. They will be flattening the ground so that what used to include dips and holes will be level, just without any life.

The flip side is that we have an unprecedented opportunity to recreate our lawn, which really needed the help. As winter drags on I can't help but start thinking of spring. Who knows what we will accomplish with two little ones this spring but we did find this. The National Wildlife Federation will certify your lawn (no matter how small) as a Wildlife Habitat. As they put it:

All you need to do is provide elements from each of the following areas:
Food Sources - For example: Native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, nectar
Water Sources - For example: Birdbath, pond, water garden, stream
Places for Cover - For example: Thicket, rockpile, birdhouse
Places to Raise Young - For example: Dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting box, pond
Sustainable Gardening - For example: Mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizer

You pay the NWF $15 and they send you a little certification sign for your lawn as well as their magazine.

Considering we already compost and have a bat house I figure that we can easily incorporate these other ideas into our plans for the yard. Unfortunately, I've had a hard time finding much information on plants native to New Jersey. The only sticking point. Any ideas for where to search?