Your backyard should be your refuge; a place for you to get away from all of the distractions inside your house. You can either get to work in your backyard and tend to the growing plants, or you can simply take a seat and observe what it has to offer. During the moments when you take the role of the observer, nothing is quite as calming as watching wildlife enjoy the hard work and dedication you put into creating your oasis.
In most cases, the wildlife that occupies your yard is there because something in your yard “invited” them in. Certain plants, landscapes, and features attract various animals. While you’re already working in your yard, you can focus your efforts on making it so the features of your backyard invite them in.
In order to create a wildlife invitation, you need to think in terms of the most basic fundamentals. All living creatures have to same basic needs: food, water, and shelter. It is natural instinct to occupy areas that contain the resources to meet our needs. We as humans wouldn’t live somewhere that wouldn’t allow us access to food and water. The same goes for wildlife. If you take care to make sure that there are food, water, and shelter elements in your backyard, wildlife will inevitably begin to occupy it on a regular basis.
Provide Food
Food is probably the easiest of the three needs to incorporate into your backyard, mostly because there are so many options.Birds respond well to feeders as do squirrels. In order to prevent them from competing for the same food resource, use a squirrel proof bird feeder and then create another food source for the squirrels.
Trees with edible flowers or nuts are great sources of food for squirrels. Some animals will even munch on some of the insects that are attracted to your garden because of various plants. If you become impatient and don’t want to wait for wildlife to find the natural food resources, you can always sprinkle some corn around the base of the tree or even hang corn cobs from branches. Using corn or other food products from your kitchen should only be done sparingly so you don’t condition the animals to rely solely on handouts from your kitchen.
Create Water Sources
Incorporating water into your backyard can either be really tricky, or amazingly simple. Intricate water structures are perhaps the most time consuming but they offer the most when it comes to overall ambiance and possibilities of wildlife. Pond like water structures give you the option of bringing fish and other aquatic animals into your backyard while providing a water source for land dwelling creatures. If a pond or other intricate water structure is the way you want to go, realize that they can be on the expensive side not only put inn but to maintain. Aside from funds, they can also be fairly labor intensive.
If expense and intensive labor don’t sound like your cup of tea, then bird baths or other smaller water sources may be the way for you to go. Regardless of the water source you chose to use, make sure the water in it is always clean and fresh. You don’t want to create an area to harbor bacteria and mosquito larva.
Give Shelter Options
Food and water sources won’t do you much good in terms of inviting in wildlife if there is no form of shelter for them. Provided areas where animals will feel like they are protect against the elements and other forms of wildlife will make them feel more comfortable venturing into your backyard or even taking up residency there. Shrubs, grasses, and trees of varying heights provide lots of places for birds, squirrels, and other animals to hide and even nest. Evergreens are optimal because they provide protection from the elements year round. Evergreens make it possible to keep wildlife in your yard even during the cold winter months.
Bird houses are also an option, but keep in mind that many birds are extremely particular when it comes to where they nest, so don’t take offense when they don’t take up residency in your new piece of real estate or when squirrels decide to take it over. Regardless of whether or not it gets used, bird houses still enhance the appearance of your yard.
Leaving an area of your yard “untouched” with some wild grasses and fallen logs also provides great shelter for wildlife. That fact that the area isn’t constantly being disturbed makes it all the more appealing to animals because they feel less threatened and don’t have to constantly move their nesting places. The area doesn’t have to be a large chunk of your yard. It can be as big or as small as you would like. A strip along your fence or even a corner section of your yard would be just fine as long as you are not constantly moving through it to get to other areas of your yard.