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Outdoor Activities

Fellow Gardeners Share the Best Ways to Attract Backyard Wildlife

from Wildlife Promise

5 8/25/2012 // Anne Senft // , ,

Photo donated by Danny Brown

Sometimes the best tips and tricks for getting the wildlife-friendly garden you desire aren’t found in any book or how-to guide. They come from the friendly advice of fellow gardeners. That’s why we asked our gardening friends on Facebook to share their best advice for making a yard or garden welcoming to wildlife.

Check out what they had to say, and then use their inspiration to create your own backyard wildlife haven!

“Cover… lots of it. Not just a tree here and a shrub there, but many different ones blended like a natural setting.”

-Lynn J., Indiana

“Always have a water source, and always plant food sources. I’m just outside Chicago, but I have created a wonderful garden habitat in my small space. I try to find plants that shelter or can be a food source. As more wildlife comes to visit, my garden will morph!”

-Nancy L., Illinois

“Water in different types of containers. Some in bird baths (low and high), in glass bowls, in plastic/clay plant saucers with a rock in the middle, hanging in the trees, running across rocks… then sit back and enjoy!”

-Carol S., Georgia

Photo donated by Paul Lackey

“Providing the basic ‘four’ — food, water, shelter, places to raise young. My rule has become: If I plant it, a native critter must want to eat it or its nectar, or build a nest in it.”

-George M., Massachusetts

“Don’t be a neatnik; encourage a diverse habitat.”

-Dana B., Georgia

Turn your yard or garden into an official National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat® site and you’ll be joining over 150,000 other dedicated friends who have gone above and beyond for local wildlife.