Family Gardening: Attracting Wildlife to the Garden

Attracting wildlife to the home garden is an enjoyable and creative way to teach children about nature, evoke their respect for the environment and provide meaningful family together time.

THE BASICS

All wildlife requires three things for survival: food, water and cover.

FOOD

Native trees, shrubs, vines and wildflowers provide the foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds and nuts that wildlife requires to survive and thrive. As an added advantage, natives are well adapted to their particular geographic area and therefore generally require little maintenance once established.

There will be times when natural food sources are not readily available. This is when it is most important to provide supplemental sources of food using bird, squirrel and butterfly feeders to add to the native food sources for resident and migrating wildlife.

WATER

All wildlife requires a source of clean water for drinking and bathing. Many of us do not have a natural water source on our properties, but this situation is easily remedied by adding a garden birdbath or water dish. With larger landscapes, adding a pond is an ambitious and rewarding project that will greatly enhance your efforts to increase the wildlife population.

COVER

Wildlife requires a place to hide from predators, shelter in inclement weather and a secluded place to birth their young. Trees, both dead and alive, are perfect for hiding, nesting and perching. Leafy and thorny shrubs also provide wildlife protection and a suitable hiding place. Even if you have plenty of vegetation, the addition of bird and bat houses will increase areas of wildlife safety in your landscape.

NATIVE PLANTS BENEFITING WILDLIFE