The following species live in Northern Virginia at various times of year and can be found in developed areas. Some are year-round residents while others stay for a season or pass through the area on their way to other destinations.

Some of these species need our help now, like eastern box turtles, while others may soon need help in light of continued development. Whether you live on a 10 acre property or have an apartment balcony, you can help many of these species thrive amid our bustling metropolis.

In developing this list of sanctuary species, ASNV considered the following goals and species criteria:

1) Sanctuary species fact sheets should motivate Northern Virginia property owners to practice environmentally-responsible landscaping, including the five Audubon at Home principals:

• Protect and conserve water,
• Use native plants and remove invasive exotics,
• Create space for native wildlife,
• Reduce use of pesticides and fertilizers,
• Preserve public and private natural areas.

2) Fact sheets should give practical, hands-on tips.

3) All sanctuary species should:

• Breed in Northern Virginia (Rose-breasted Grosbeak is the only exception);
• Reasonable chance of being found on and/or attracted to a suburban property;
• Considered a beneficial and/or desirable species;
• Populations in decline OR at risk of being in decline (in the Northern VA area) due to typical suburban land use issues, e.g. pesticides, habitat destruction, etc.

To find out more about each species and what you can do to help, click on their names to open printable (PDF) fact sheets.

Amphibians

• Frog species
• Salamanders species

Birds

• American Goldfinch
• Baltimore Oriole
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Eastern Bluebird
• Eastern Towhee
• Green Heron
• Gray Catbird
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
• Tree Swallow
• Warbler species

Butterflies

• Fritillary Butterfly species
• Monarch Butterfly
• Swallowtail Butterfly species

Insects

• Dragonfly and Damselfly species
• Giant Silk Moth species
• Hummingbird Clearwing Moth
• Lady Beetle species
• Native Bee species
• Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

 Mammals

• Little Brown Bat
• Southern Flying Squirrel

Reptiles

• Eastern Box Turtle
• Five-lined Skink
• Snake species

For fact sheets on additional bird species, please see the National Audubon Society’s list of Birds to Help.

Based on 11 years of data collected by citizen scientists for the annual Northern Virginia Bird Survey, the Birds in Northern Virginia - Documenting the Nature of Change (PDF)  (ASNV, 2006) illustrates trends in a subset of bird species that breed in this region every year. Graphs for individual species show that some species, such as Brown-headed Cowbirds, appear to be increasing in numbers while others, like American Kestrels, are declining.  Download a PDF of the Birds in Northern Virginia - Documenting the Nature of Change (60-page book).