To make your garden more attractive to birds, give them a nice place to live. When placing birdhouses, choose a site that is protected from the wind. Do not use pesticides or herbicides near birdhouses. These bright birdhouses come from Jackson & Perkins (www.jacksonandperkins.com). Jackson & Perkins
You don't have to go completely wild to turn your garden into a great habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. There's room in the ecosystem for humans, too.
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Make your yard wildlife friendly
Almost 60,000 public and private gardens – home gardens, community gardens and school and workplace landscapes – have been certified by the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat program, which encourages gardening for wildlife.
To become a certified habitat, a garden must provide water, food and shelter for wildlife, and a place where they can raise their young. Wildlife habitat owners also must conserve natural resources by practicing sustainable gardening – reducing lawn areas, conserving water, composting and eliminating chemical pesticides, for example.
For more information about the program and tips on wildlife gardening, or to get your garden certified, see the federation's Web site, www.nwf.org, and click on “Your Yard.”
– MARTY ROSS
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“People want beautiful yards – you don't have to have 100 percent habitat restoration,” says David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org) who has worked closely with the organization's Backyard Habitat program.
“While you're focusing on wildlife, incorporate human elements – a wilderness is kind of scary,” says Mizejewski, author of NWF's “Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife” (Creative Homeowner, $12.95).
Good garden design gracefully and easily accommodates people, plants and wildlife. A birdbath not only makes birds feel comfortable and at home, it also brings them out into a light, open spot so you can admire them as they splash around. It reflects the sky and looks good even when the birds are elsewhere.
The plants you choose also make a big difference. If you plant hollies, both you and the birds will look forward to their bright red berries every winter.
A beautiful garden is even prettier when hummingbirds come to sip nectar from the day lilies, butterflies dance over the zinnias, and frogs sing every evening around the pond.
“These are the living, moving parts of the garden,” Mizejewski says. “What a deprivation of experience it would be to have a garden without bird song.”
A complete backyard habitat should provide wildlife with food, water, shelter and a place to raise their young. Food and water are the most important, Mizejewski says, but the more you can do, the more interesting your garden will become.
He recommends planting native plants, carefully chosen for your climate and conditions. They will thrive in your garden and support the birds and bugs you're trying to attract. A flower garden full of coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, asters, goldenrod and other colorful blooms will be a magnet for butterflies, Mizejewski says.
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Bird feeders attract birds by the dozens, including migratory species, which Mizejewski calls “passer-by wildlife.” Don't worry if you can't feed the birds year-round, or if you take a vacation and leave your feeders empty. Feeding the birds will not make them dependent on you. They use feeders to supplement their wild-food diets, Mizejewski says.
Birdhouses give you an exceptionally intimate view of nature. Watching birds build their nests and feed and raise their young is a wonderful experience. As you take an interest in the health and well-being of the new family, you'll also develop an appreciation for a healthy environment, which is the goal of the Backyard Habitat program.
“Your own back yard is a miniature representation of the bigger ecosystem,” Mizejewski says, “and in the interrelations between plants and animals, you can see that.”
The National Wildlife Federation, which has certified thousands of backyard habitats across the country, knows that backyard gardeners aren't interested in making their flower beds and borders attractive to every form of wildlife. Mizejewski loves frogs and turtles, which make their home around a pond in his back yard, but he knows some people don't want to see or hear about snakes, lizards and bats.
Mammals – skunks, possums, raccoons, foxes, deer and even bears – can also be a problem in suburban back yards.
“With them, it's less about what to do to attract them than it is a question of how to live in harmony with them,” he says. “Rule No. 1 with mammals is, never feed them artificially. Store your trash properly.”
Wildlife gardens are great places for adults to escape, Mizejewski says. Design them for your comfort, too. A pretty pathway may lead you to a quiet bench under a tree where you can sit and listen to the birds. A trickling fountain distracts you from the sounds of the city.
Lawns are less vital for wildlife, although robins seem to like them. Consider the views from the windows and various vantage points outdoors as you plan your garden, and place water features, hummingbird feeders and birdhouses where you can see them but where the birds will feel safe.
Great garden habitats are also wonderful places for kids to play. Children like an open space to run around in, but they also enjoy pathways, shrubbery, foliage overhead and looking for tadpoles in a pond. They love to climb trees and smell the roses. Just like all living things, they like nooks and cozy corners.
“Kids need to have their own personal nature experience,” Mizejewski says.
Adding a few features to attract wildlife will make any garden a more beautiful place, Mizejewski promises, but there are even greater benefits.
“You're also making the world a better place,” he says. “You'll have dragonflies, you'll see migratory birds and butterflies, and you'll have a healthy ecosystem – your yard will be in balance with nature. That's pretty cool.”
Marty Ross is a freelance garden writer for Primary Color, a Universal Press Syndicate Service based in Kansas City.
©Primary Color / Universal Press Syndicate
