If you enjoy trees and are looking to get the biggest ‘bang for the buck’ to help your local birds and wildlife, keep or plant more oak trees, which lead the list of top 20 tree species that support the most caterpillars (534 species of the wrigglers). Cherries and willows are also highly valuable for birds and wildlife. Selecting plants that host the insects birds eat is only one piece of a healthy bird habitat mosaic however. Plants that provide fruits and seeds give birds much needed energy during migration, making them equally essential. Plants that provide shelter during extreme weather, nesting structure, and safety from predators are also ideal.