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Wildlife can transform your garden into a lively sanctuary filled with activity. Butterflies, bugs, birds, toads, hedgehogs, bees, and squirrels will move to your garden if they can find the right conditions. Seeing wildlife thriving in your garden can be an empowering feeling. But how do you make your place more appealing to curious animals?
Here are three major tips to help you welcome wild creatures in your sanctuary.
Add a Water Feature
Installing a pond or an outdoor fountain is an excellent way to attract wildlife because most small species actively seek safe and clean water sources. A large pond can support a lot of animal activity in your garden. You can install one just for wildlife, but you can also get fish or even a couple of ducks to create a dynamic environment. Educate yourself on Sustainable Animal Feed to make sure you provide them with healthy, nutritious food.
If you don’t have a lot of space available, you can start with plastic bowls or containers filled with rainwater. You can also find outdoor fountains in various sizes, so you can buy one according to your available space and budget. Frogs, toads, insects, dragonflies, and birds will slowly gather around the water feature, no matter how small.
Provide Natural Food Sources
All animals are attracted to places where they can easily find food. To bring wildlife into your garden, you have to create an abundant habitat, where local species can find the type of nourishment they’re used to. A good starting point is adding native plants, which are the ideal sources of natural food for the local wildlife.
Sow specific plants that can offer wild creatures what they like to eat. The diet of most small wildlife is comprised of nuts, greens, fruits, berries, or pollen, so you cannot go wrong with these. For example, berries and nuts will attract squirrels and chipmunks, greens like lettuce or clover will attract rabbits, and colorful flowers and foliage will attract butterflies and bees.
To feed wildlife throughout the year, grow plants that bloom during different seasons. Don’t leave kitchen scraps in your garden to attract wildlife, because you’ll also attract rats, raccoons, or skunks.
Provide Safe Shelters
Having a safe shelter is essential for small creatures, so if you want wild animals to feel safe in your garden, provide them with hide-outs. Nice birdhouses will encourage birds to breed in your garden, but planting trees is much more efficient at attracting birds because they prefer nesting on branches.
Many wild creatures prefer natural shelters, so plant a lot of shrubs to create secure habitats that look appealing to animals. If they find your shelter safe and secure, they may stick around. To create shelters that can be used year-round, plant evergreen vegetation.
Depending on how much space you have available, there are many ways to control what wildlife species come to your garden and how long they stay. However, to see your garden buzzing with activity, all you have to do is provide three essential elements that all creatures seek: water, food, and shelter. As long as these needs are covered, wildlife populations will find your garden a safe place to be.
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