Backyard wildlife habitat.

Backyard wildlife habitat - Starting a backyard wildlife habitat is not difficult and is very rewarding. It is a pleasure to see the beautiful birds, butterflies and other wild animals in your backyard. As more land is consumed by industry, highways and other "development", our friends need to find new homes, and you can help by creating a home for them in your own backyard.

The essential ingredients for a backyard wildlife habitat are: food, water, shelter and places to raise young.

Food: Shrubs and trees provide fruits and seeds throughout the year. Some good choices are sweetgum, blueberry, sumac, bayberry, holly, viburnum, cotoneaster, and crabapple. Perennials and annuals are planted to provide nectar for both butterflies and hummingbirds. Hummingbirds visit bee balm, pineapple sage, wild columbine, cardinal flower, and trumpet honeysuckle. Butterflies enjoy butterfly weed, butterfly bush, lantana, purpleconeflower, garden phlox, zinnias, and Mexican sunflower.

Supplemental feeders provide nectar for hummingbirds in the summer months and provide a variety of seed (sunflower, niger, safflower, and millet) for birds throughout the year.

Water: A pedestal-mounted bird bath provides water and cools the birds in the hot summer months. A small shallow water dish provides water for drinking and bathing. Placed on the ground, this simple bird bath also provides water for mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Small ponds, easily constructed in most home landscapes, provide an aquatic home for dragonflies, fish, newts, frogs, and other aquatic life. A thermostatically controlled bird bath heater provides water during subfreezing weather when the need for water is critical for a backyard habitat for birds.

backyard wildlife habitat Shelter: A number of evergreen trees and shrubs provide year-round protective cover from weather and predators. Good choices are: juniper; yew; grapeholly; Austrian Pine, and hollies. Deciduous shrubs offer effective summer cover for nesting and escaping predators. Red-twig dogwood, bayberry, viburnums, and cotoneasters are good shrubs for massing for your backyard habitat. Rock, log, and mulch piles offer effective cover. Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and a great variety of insects and other small animals find homes in these structures.

Places to Raise Young: Nest boxes for bluebirds, chickadees, wrens, and purple martins can be placed in your backyard habitat. Evergreens, deciduous trees, and shrubs provide additional nesting areas for birds. Rabbits, shrews, mice, snakes, and salamanders lay their eggs or raise young under boughs of plants as well as in the rock, log, or mulch piles. Aquatic animals, such as frogs, toads, and newts deposit their eggs in the ponds. Butterfly eggs and caterpillars find safety among the herbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees.

Start by examining what your yard already provides in these 4 essential areas. Then begin introducing new elements (plantings, shelters, feeders, water, etc.) to supplement and enhance your home for wild life. Here are more resources for backyard wildlife habitats:

The Complete Backyard Wildlife Habitat Nature Activity Book by Robin Michal Koontz. From an apartment - rail hummingbird feeder to a backyard wildlife habitat bat house, from a butterfly-friendly window box to a nest full of baby swallows, here are simple instructions for creating inviting, easy-to-make feeders and backyard wildlife habitats that will attract insects, birds, squirrels, bats, frogs, and other small creatures.

Many of the projects use recycled materials. These enjoyable science-based backyard wildlife habitat activities are accompanied by attractive illustrations and amazing anecdotes, facts, and insights into the lifestyle of creatures that you will be able to observe in your own backyard wildlife habitat.

Wild CatsGuide to Lions, Tigers, Cougars, Panthers, Leopards and Pumas

Animal Fair is a stylish new quarterly publication for animal lovers. This entertaining, vibrant magazine incorporates special features on celebrities and their pets along with information on animal health, nutrition, grooming, and training.

Endangered Species: Wild and Rare (Ranger Rick's Nature scope) by the National Wildlife Federation. While making a panda pal and playing Wheel of Trouble, kids learn all about endangered species. Nineteen indoor and outdoor activities teach them which species are in danger; why all animals, plants and insects must be protected; the causes and consequences of habit destruction and loss; and what can be done to make a difference.

Take It Personally: How to Make Conscious Choices to Change the World by Anita Roddick. Consumers have been outraged to learn of the Gap's sweat shops and the young children who assemble Nike running shoes. Take It Personally is a call to action to change business practices that hurt workers, children, animals, and environment.

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