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Landscaping for Wildlife / The Needs of Wildlife
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Wild animals have four habitat ingredients required for its survival: food, water, breeding and nesting space, and shelter. Meeting these needs will surely attract wildlife to your backyard. But it is important to arrange or spread out these items suitably on an area of land large enough to support a breeding population. Otherwise, your backyard friends will not persist. Each species has its own requirements in terms of the four ingredients, but the following forms the basis for landscaping with wildlife in mind.
Four Habitat Ingredients
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Food
Food needs vary from species to species. Some of your first additions to your backyard wildlife refuge should be bird feeders, along with shrubs, trees and flowering plants that produce seeds, fruits, nuts, pollen and nectar for a variety of animals throughout the year.
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Bird Feeders
More and more people are incorporating bird feeders of all shapes and sizes into their backyard landscapes. Any bird feeder enthusiast will tell you that feeders are one of the most rewarding elements in your backyard. Birds flock to these feeding sites throughout the year, especially when it's 10 degrees out. Place feeders in your yard where birds are protected from predators and weather. Feeding birds should have perching spots close by, but away from the house and near vegetation, for protection. To prevent the spread of disease, it's important to keep bird feeders clean. Use a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water to disinfect feeders, especially areas birds may touch when they feed. Let the cleaning solution soak for 10 minutes then rinse thoroughly. Allow feeders to dry completely before refilling them. Clean feeders at least once a month.
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Bird Delicacies
One single food is usually not adequate for all species of birds. Incorporating an experimental feeder with several trays of different food is a great way of letting the birds select their own menu options. Luring birds with bakery products is usually effective, but being a conscientious food supplier means offering a range of nutritionally rich food choices once the birds have found their perch. A variety of mixtures that include different nuts, seeds, berries and fruits are available for purchase or you can make them from your own backyard. You may also want to supply birds with grit or crushed eggshells which help them digest their food. The eggshells also provide birds with calcium that they need particularly in the spring when they are getting ready to lay their eggs. Wild bird feed specialty stores are a good source of information about which seed mixes attract which species of birds in your area.
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Dinner Is Served
Begin feeding when the first snow or extreme cold temperatures are expected. Food should be available continuously until at least April as your feeding station will attract more birds than it can naturally support. Keep a close eye on the amount of food that you supply. If there is excessive spillage on the ground, even more then ground eating birds and other animals can keep up with, you will want to cut back. This will prevent the food from spoiling or freezing. Likewise, store feed in containers that are both weather and rodent proof. To discourage squirrels and other animals from confiscating bird feed install a squirrel guard or metal circle below the feeder.
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Other Critters Need to Eat Too!
Planting a variety of trees, shrubs and flowering plants will attract an array of animals to your backyard and keep them coming back for more. You can also feed squirrels and other critters with feeders and treats of their own, but make sure to place them in different areas of your yard, away from bird feeders. Take care not to place food in areas where it might encourage problem wildlife to take up residence in your home. In the section Landscaping With Native Plants you will find a network of information on the different items you can plant in your backyard that will attract butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds, insects and much more.
Very Important: Please thoroughly rinse chlorine bleach/water cleaning solution from feeders and let dry completely before filling with feed.
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Water
Water is a key element to your backyard habitat. Several sources of water can be added to your yard that are sure to please your critters. Use a pedestal birdbath, a shallow water dish located at ground level, or even a small pond. Any of these will provide the necessary water source for drinking and bathing and can also become an aquatic habitat for dragonflies, frogs and other aquatic life.
Keep the Water Flowing
The water source that you provide to birds and other animals should be reliable. To establish a habitat in your backyard, animals will depend on a clean, fresh and constant water source. Flush out old, stagnant water from your source with a hose and fill it up with new, fresh water. Clean the birdbath regularly, especially in warmer months, using a brush and a solution of one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the birdbath before refilling it with fresh water. Keeping clean, fresh water available also prevents mosquitoes from breeding. It is critical to have water during the winter months when most of the natural water sources have frozen over and are inaccessible to wildlife. Electric immersion heaters constructed for bird feeders are helpful.
The Noisier the Better
Most wild birds will come from great distances when they detect the sound of moving water. Their acute senses draw them to the source like a magnet. Adding a mister, dripper or circulation pump to a birdbath or other source of fresh water will provide just the right sound to attract wild birds.
Very Important: Please thoroughly rinse chlorine bleach/water cleaning solution from water sources and let dry completely before filling with fresh, clean water.
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Breeding & Nesting Space
Clearing land for development has greatly reduced the number of nesting sites for cavity dwelling birds and other mammals and reptiles. If your yard lacks mature trees for nests and dens then plant some. As they mature, maples and oaks offer the necessary space for nests and dens. Evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs provide additional areas for nesting, as well as other materials that birds, mammals and reptiles can use.
Box Housing
If you don't have the space, create the space for wildlife. Provide functional nesting boxes and birdhouses for your feathered friends. Build a bat box and share your habitat with these beneficial creatures. They consume large amounts of mosquitoes and other flying insects. Learn how to build a bat box at www.batcon.org. You can also encourage beautiful butterflies and ladybugs to stay in your neck of the woods with hibernation boxes.
The Rustic Look
Sometimes it's as simple as leaving your yard a little rugged in order to attract wildlife. Therefore, you may want to think twice before cutting down that old decaying tree. Dead or decaying trees provide great nesting grounds and food for animals, such as woodpeckers. Hold off from mowing your lawn around bushy shrubs. This makes for an ideal nesting site for ground birds.
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Shelter
Shelter is the last, but certainly not the least important ingredient for your backyard habitat. It transforms your yard into a haven where wildlife no longer just visits; they move in. Shelter is an important element for any habitat because it protects wildlife from the elements and from predators.
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Effective Techniques
In order to attract as many different kinds of animals as possible be sure to plant a variety of trees, shrubs, grasses and flowering plants around open spaces. This will maximize the benefits of your backyard habitat throughout the year. Planting around open spaces, also known as the "edge effect" according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, is very effective. Edges attract many different kinds of wildlife to the smallest piece of land and that is why this technique is so rewarding for homeowners. Another technique is called the "high-rise effect". Locate an open area known as the first story, then plant clumps of different sized shrubs known as the second story, add small to medium sized trees considered the third story and lastly, include tall trees referred to as the fourth story. Animals that are adapted to various habitats can live in close proximity with this technique.
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Take Cover
Squirrels and most birds need trees and shrubs for shelter. Planting evergreen trees will provide year round coverage from weather and predators. Wild rabbits and some birds require thick areas of vegetation near the ground for hiding. Channel wildlife to areas where they will not cause conflict in or near your house. Avoid planting shrubs close to your house as wild animals stick close to shelter areas. Instead, create corridors of shelter around the perimeter of the yard. Don't forget the small critters like chipmunks, reptiles and insects. Rocks, logs and mulch piles make perfect shelters for these guys.
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