5 Elements Needed for a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard

With the right planning your backyard retreat will attract wildlife that you will enjoy year round. In addition to enhancing your backyard life you may also qualify as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. The Five Elements required by National Wildlife Federation for Habitat Certification are:

Source of Water: Birds and butterflies require clean shallow water that should be no deeper than 2 inches and is moving and splashing. An outdoor garden fountain is a great choice for effectively attracting birds. Do not have thick undergrowth around your fountain that could hide predators such as cats and raccoons. Fountains provide a relaxing background sound as you relax and enjoy the new wildlife in your backyard habitat.

Source of Food: Birds and butterflies will find your backyard if you have an assortment of plant species that provide a seed, fruits, berries, nuts or other food throughout the year. Choose native garden plants & trees that produce food each season of the year, for example acorn and nuts in the winter, flowers and seeds in the summer. Deciduous plantings, plants whose leaves drop off in winter, generally bear the most fruit, nuts, and seeds for wildlife. Following are some resources that might be helpful:

Site to find native plants by state (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
Host Plants that attract butterflies
Garden plants that attract birds

When food is scarce you can supplement with birdfeeders which also add style to your backyard.

Protective Cover: Birds and butterflies need safe and protective places to rest. Tree and shrubs offer natural resting areas. Conifers and other evergreens, as well as dense deciduous plants, will shelter roosting birds from predators and weather. Needle and broad-leaved evergreen trees and shrubs, such as white pines, arborvitae, spruce, junipers, cedars and hollies provide important winter shelter as well as food.

Place for Birds to Nest: Many birds will build nests or nest in dense cover. But cavity dwellers such as Woodpecker, Chickadee, Plain Titmouse, House Wren, and Red Breasted Nuthatch sometimes have hard time finding natural tree cavities in your backyard. So hanging a decorative birdhouses gives those birds a great alternative in your backyard. Choose a birdhouse that reflects your personal style. Birdhouses should hung by February/March and, cleaned before and after the nesting season.

Environmentally Friendly Gardening: Organic Gardening is essential to attracting birds to your backyard. Organic gardens are filled with insects and other organisms that birds enjoy. Birds will help control garden pests, along with insects such as gnats and mosquitoes. The food, water and shelters in your backyard will need to be protected. It will be more important than ever to keep them safe and healthy by eliminating herbicides and pesticides that contain hazardous chemicals that could contaminate water fountains and food sources.

More tips on attracting birds to your backyard
Tips on caring for your birdhouse
Tips on keeping predators away
Tips on caring for your fountain

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