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Certified Wildlife Habitat; photo credit NWF
Hello friends,
What a busy time again, I can't believe it has been a month since I wrote you all. I hope everyone is doing well and starting to feel the sun on your face and breathing the air of spring renewal.
A slight continuation of last month's discussion of protecting birds (and others) from pesticide I want to go to the next step of creating a healthy habitat for our garden friends. April has me thinking about protection, growth and renewal - I hope you will join me in growing something new or tending an old garden favorite with one of the tips or recommendations to follow. Additionally feel free to share this with a friend so we can grow our gardening community together, there is a link below for others to subscribe -- I give the best referral gifts :)
Protecting and inviting wildlife into your backyard and neighborhood!
There are several simple ways to bring appropriate wildlife into our urban and suburban areas to increase diversity and create a healthy ecosystem. It may seem like you are always working to keep animals and insects out of our gardens, but if we incorporate the right food sources and shelter you can bring in beneficial creatures!
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Grow native plants - having trees and shrubs with a variety of food sources such as pollen, nectar, seeds, cones, berries and leaves provide for a wide array of local animals.
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Provide water for wildlife - fresh, clean water is harder to come by than you might think. A small pond, birdbath can provide for birds, bunnies, chipmunks, etc. & bare wet ground or shallow dish supports bees, butterflies and moths to go 'mudding' in.
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Create protective cover where small creatures can hide from predators and the elements. A native meadow, thickets of shrubs or appropriately placed trees are great shelters. If you have the space for logs or rock piles you can encourage amphibians too.
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Provide a safe place to raise young by installing nesting boxes, host plants for caterpillars. This is similar to cover but timing and placement are more critical. Birds species have peculiar sized boxes and opening styles if you are able to put up houses.
For more resources visit the National Wildlife Federation link below or download this handy checklist to see what you might already have in your yard.
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Certify
Happy Garden Tending.
Stay healthy, happy and keep your hands in the dirt!!
~ Lisa
I do not receive compensation for any affiliate links in email or on website. Photo below from Birds & Blooms
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