Leaving even a small portion of your yard in a natural state benefits wildlife as well as providing shade and adding natural beauty to your property. To support wildlife and a healthy ecosystem, trees and other plants are the base of that system beyond the soil. Native trees and shrubs are best because they support the insects (most insects are beneficial in the environment) that are an integral part of the food web. Oak trees may support over 500 types of insects while non-native trees such as ginkgos host very few, if any, insects. At the same time, we can appreciate the beauty and diversity of some non-native species in our landscapes. So, as long as a plant you are considering is not invasive, you can include some exotic species in your landscape palette.
Varying levels of plants are best including large overstory trees, midstory trees and shrubs, and understory plants and groundcovers. Birds really like places to hide to avoid predators, so those low, dense shrubs are great. Some birds, like warblers, prefer the heights in tall trees while others like to be close to the ground like thrashers and wrens so the more mix of trees and shrubs the better.
Sources of information for creating habitat include the Georgia Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the Georgia Tree Council, Doug Tallamy’s website at homegrownnationalpark.org, and your local county extension service.