Easy ways to attract wildlife into your garden

Lily Cichanowicz Lily Cichanowicz
AUTUMN LEAF, Verónica Martínez Design Verónica Martínez Design Daha fazla oda
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It can be easy to fall into the frame of mind that the wilderness exists as something separate from places inhabited by humans. You might feel like your suburban environment is not actually serving as the habitat for all sorts of wildlife at this very moment. We have the potential to nourish the natural ecological environments that exist right in our own backyards. There are great benefits to the species that live near you when you intentionally make your yard more habitable for them. More than this, you and your family can gain a lot from tuning into the natural world that exists around you. Spotting wildlife in proximity to your home can be a wonderful source of excitement, an excellent opportunity to educate your children, and a means of relaxation through gaining perspective from the natural world. To achieve all this and more, all you have to do is make a few easy changes to your garden.

Preserve old walls

You’ll notice that a lot of the tips on this list are more about doing less than about actually making big changes to your existing yard. This is because one of the main principles to attracting wildlife to your yard is that these plants and animals natural exist in the area where you live. Therefore, leaving things alone that you might otherwise be tempted to overhaul for something different or more updated can create a disturbance in the natural environment, which your local wildlife is trying to inhabit to begin with. One alternative to tearing things down and starting new, thus causing a disruption in the current ecosystem is to preserve old elements of your property. Old walls, barns, or sheds can actually add an aesthetically pleasing rustic character to your yard. Additionally, buildings that have been around for a while might develop small crevices and holes that your local wildlife would love to move into.

Build a log pile to encourage biodiversity

Another way to encourage more biodiversity is to build a log pile in the yard. Similar to the cracks and crevices in old walls, a log pile is full of small spaces for the animals to burrow into. Many forests are replete with dead wood and decay is a huge part of most ecosystems. This tip might come more naturally to those with wood stoves who store logs in the yard anyway, but anyone can adopt this task by collecting rocks and sticks of local species. In fact, leaving the log pile undisturbed for as long as possible will make help the wildlife to perceive it as a stable place to settle. Ideally, the log pile should go somewhere in the yard that gets a good deal of shade like beneath the awning of a shed like this one by Architects Scotland Ltd. that doesn’t get a ton of foot traffic. The pile still can be effective even if it is much smaller than the one featured here.

Build a pond

Pretty much all animals will be attracted by moisture. Like humans, they need a consistent water source to function at their best. Not only do animals use the pond for drinking. Toads and frogs can breed here, too. For these reason, building a pond will certainly entice the wildlife into your yard. Such is especially the case when the pond is surrounded with local plants. Standing water that has been around long enough to attract some local insect and algal species will be particularly attractive to the local wildlife because these things serve as good food sources for many creatures. Alternatively, you could create a bog garden. To do this, simply dig a hole that’s about 30 centimetres deep and fill it with dirt without packing it down. This will create a marshy environment where you can plant special types of flowers and shrubs as well as attract a distinct set of wildlife species.

Put up bird feeders

A sure fire way to attract local birds is by providing them with food! Stocking a bird feeder with stale bread, seeds, nuts and old fruits can also be a good way to cut back on food waste whilst also becoming more in tune with the natural ecology of your locale. Making bird feeders is a fun DIY project to do with kids. You might even want to try making the feeders out of halved coconut shells! Just make sure the materials you’re using to make the bird feeder are robust. Consider purchasing a field guide of birds in your region and start an on-going bird watching hobby with your own little ones. This is an excellent way to encourage them to foster connections with nature. Be careful about where you hand the feeders as well. You don’t want to cater to other more pesky animals like squirrels who can knock the feeder down.

Encourage the bees!

Honeybees and other species are critical to plant and flower growth. They carry plant pollen from one flower to another, which is the primary way many plants are pollinated. You can help encourage more bee activity in your yard by planting the nectar-rich flowers that they love. For instance hardy salvia, which is picture above is a major favourite of honeybees. Other species worth planting include redbeckia, lavender and nepeta. Another option is to let some of your yard grow wild. This will attract wildflowers and other plant life to grow naturally and will ultimately attract bees to your garden or yard. Prioritise a south facing area as this is where bees most prefer to lay their eggs. Who knows, maybe you'll even decide to start your own beehive to collect honey.

put up bird boxes

We’ve already covered the food portion of creating a hospitable environment for local birds, so now it’s time to discuss the best ways to house them. Setting up bird boxes is sure to invite the birds to stick around, but there are some specifics to keep in mind to ensure success. It’s important to note that different bird species have different preferences for the kinds of nests they like to make. Thus, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research about local species, and which ones you can attract with common birdhouses. Some birds want terrace boxes while others need the more conventional covered house like the one pictured here. Size also plays an important role in accommodating birds. Make sure that the hole in your bird house has a large enough circumference to fit the birds you want to attract, but don’t make it too big or those pesky squirrels might take over the bird box as well.

let it be

We’d like to conclude this guide on the note we started it for emphasis. It’s best if you can leave some part of your yard or garden undisturbed. Whether it’s a pond, log pile or an old wall, leaving things alone will make the area seem safer to the animals you’d like to attract. No one would want to prepare to post up for the winter to raise children in a spot that might be destroyed at any time! Animals are also more likely to find insects and other food sources in decaying materials and small cracks and crevices. There is one final way that you can draw animals to your yard by leaving a portion of it untouched. When you rake leaves in the autumn, keep a pile. Move it to a somewhat shady, moist corner of the garden where it can do its thing, aka decompose and attract small animals. Larger critters will be utterly enticed!

For more tips about improving your home's ecology, check out these six easy steps to an eco-friendly home. Happy decorating!   

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