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How Do Backyard Habitats Help the Environment?

  • Trees grow deep roots that prevent soil from eroding and also conserve water.

  • Habitats encourage beautiful birds, butterflies, insects and other wildlife to your yard.

  • Many animals are crowded out of their natural habitats by buildings and roads, making your backyard an important sanctuary for them to thrive in.

  • When you plant native foliage, you have already begun to provide food and shelter which enable wildlife to survive.

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How to Create a Backyard Habitat

1. Provide Food For Wildlife
Everyone needs to eat! Planting native plants or hanging feeders in safe places are two easy ways to make your habitat the latest and greatest five-star restaurant for wildlife of all shapes and sizes.

  • Plant Native Plants
     Native forbs, shrubs and trees provide the foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds and nuts that many species of wildlife require to survive and thrive.

    Since they are indigenous to a specific region, native plants usually require little maintenance and are welcomed by wildlife, serving an important role in the local ecosystem.

  • Hang Feeders
     When natural food sources are not as available, provide feeders for birds, squirrels and butterfly to add to the native food sources for resident and migrating wildlife.

2. Water Sources
Wildlife need sources of clean water for many purposes, including drinking, bathing, and reproduction.

  • Natural Water Features
     Ponds, lakes, rivers, springs, oceans, and wetlands

  • Human-Made Water Features
     Bird baths*, puddling areas for butterflies, installed ponds, or rain gardens

    *If you install a bird bath, please be sure to change the water 2-3 times per week during warm weather when mosquitoes are breeding, so that any eggs laid in the water don't have time to hatch.

3. Places For Cover and to Raise Young
Wildlife require places to hide in order to feel safe from people, predators, and inclement weather. They also need a sheltered place to raise their offspring.

  • Cover For Terrestrial Wildlife
     Using native vegetation, both dead and alive. Many shrubs, thickets, and brush piles provide great hiding places within their bushy leaves and thorns. Dead trees are home to lots of different animals, including some that provide food to woodpeckers and other species, and other wildlife that use tree cavities and branches for nesting and perching.

  • Cover For Aquatic Wildlife
     If you have a pond, you are already providing cover and places to raise young for animals including fish and amphibians.

  • Create Hiding Places
     Using logs, brush or rocks, or construct a birdhouse made for the types of birds you would like to attract to your habitat.