Garden for Wildlife Month kicks off on May 1st so I themed my most recent appearance on the Today Show around “backyard wildlife,” native plants, and simple tips on how to make your garden a place for the local critters to call home.

Not all the wildlife that can benefit from a wildlife-friendly garden are songbirds, butterflies and cute, furry mammals. Some of them are slimy, slithery and nocturnal too, and they are no less important or cool to see (although hosts Jenna Wolf and Lester Holt still might not be convinced based on their funny facial expressions).

Watch the segment below and meet some of these non-traditional species, and then submit your garden to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

Special thanks to partner American Beauties Native Plants for providing the gorgeous plants for the segment.