I have a challenge for you. It is something I know you can do, wherever your roots are planted, no matter what hemisphere, continent, country, nor whether you dwell on acreage or urban plot, apartment or condominium.
I want you to contemplate establishing a wildlife habitat.
I know, I know; it sounds daunting. Believe me, it isn’t. All you need is to provide some basic elements for wildlife to exist, which isn’t all that much different from what you do in your home.
You need water, building material, a place to shop for food, and shelter.
I’ve seen some of your gardens and your balconies. You already have these elements. Don’t look at me that way. I see you rolling your eyes, ready to hit the delete button. Just hear me out.
A pond or waterfall is certainly a water source, but, so is a bird bath, or, even a bowl of fresh water. Show me a puddle on pavement, and I’ll show you a robin blissfully taking a bath.
Is there a tree hanging over your balcony? Consider hanging a bird house. We had a family of wrens nesting in a gourd, made to look like a penguin, earlier this summer. They flitted to and fro, as wrens are bound to do, nipping little insects from everywhere. One morning, we saw Mama Wren chasing our neighborhood cat, Midnight, clear around the house until her babies were safe from harm.
All those twigs you gather after a storm provide sturdy nesting material. The bigger the pile, the better the hiding place for small animals. The compost pile not only works overtime replenishing soil, it also nurtures nature in other ways. For example, one day I threw some lemon peels atop of the heap. A little while later, walking about, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a Baltimore oriole, feasting on the peel.
Here in the States, we have the National Wildlife Federation. Their website is chock full of information, as well as an application to become a certified Wildlife Habitat. I’m sure that wherever you rest your head come nightfall, there is some sort of effort to make your area friendly to nature. If not, you can still follow the guidelines of the NWF. Go on. Make a bird, a squirrel, or a fox feel at home.
We became certified a year or so after we moved here, received a nice little certificate in the mail, and purchased a weatherproof sign to display. It wasn’t until this spring, however, that we finally displayed the sign in an area of our property we are slowly developing into a grassland/semi-prairie/wildflower/let’s hide the compost and woodpile locale.
Would you like a look-see?
This part of our garden ended where the yuccas, on the left, sit when we first moved here. Over the years, mostly through the generous nature of friends, we have added a few things; the daisies are from Marilyn, some grasses from Phyllis, the Pampas grass from Jan, and bear’s britches, brand new, were a gift from Donna. We’ve added bee balm (no bees, sorry to say) and I have a splendid source for natives; a charming couple who live a few miles away and sell plants right out of their garden. I’ve managed to transplant Joe Pye weed, an Illinois native, as well as hyssop, among other varieties of plants.
I talk too much, don’t I? Here’s the grassy knoll, as I’ve come to call it, in May,
starting to fill in come June,
and on the Fourth of July, with the yuccas in full dress!
Joe Pye weed, in bloom.
Bee Balm.
How about it? Up to the challenge? I know you are; just do one little thing to encourage nature, or tell us what you already do.
Wow. This is one fine post. I have a natural habitat where I live: the woods, the fields, and river, but this is a splendid idea that anyone can follow through on and the beautiful energy it will create is the best part of all. What a fabulous idea. I hope everyone creates something and passes the idea along to everyone they know.
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Penny, May I post a link to this post and use one of your photos to illustrate?
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Absolutely; link up to this post and use any of the photos for your post. I love the thought of spreading the idea around, like seeds. You and I are both fortunate to live where nature abounds, but, the fact that anyone, everyone, can do a little something “hospitable” to nature wherever they live is grand. Here’s hoping that energy flows.
Thank you, Teresa.
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Penny, I just LOVED this post. I very much enjoyed seeing parts of your garden and no, you do not talk too much. LOL! I could listen to you talk about your garden all day long. It’s because of your encouragement some time ago that we finally sent in our application. We haven’t received our sign yet, because I dilly-dallied over that part, but it should be here soon and I’m going to proudly display it. We don’t have nearly the acreage you do. Our application put us in the category of 1/4 of an acre, but even in Los Angeles suburbia we had more than enough points of attraction to qualify.
One of the best things that has come from taking this challenge seriously is that I now see a tall stretch of grass that could have previously been seen as “disorderly” as a spot where the wrens like to congregate. We now just feed them there. The back fence with it’s very thick, and sometimes overgrown foliage, is precisely where the birds scatter when the hawk sweeps through. I wouldn’t dare “clean it up.” Looking at the application provided fresh eyes to appreciate what we have to offer, and then to be deliberate about adding more to enhance even further.
Thank you, Penny! You are really a great ambassador for backyard habitats! Your garden is wonderful!
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I’m thrilled you got that going, Debra. It was the “conversation” we had that prompted me to pull out our own sign, which Tom mounted one day and surprised me upon my return home, to my delight, I might add. Once you get your sign situated, I hope you will post a photo. One doesn’t need acreage to foster a native habitat, which I hope you and I and Teresa (above) can illustrate and encourage. Nesting materials, sources of water and hiding places are needed even more so in urban areas, where concrete is king.
Aren’t grasses wonderful? I’ve seen birds pulling the deadened leaves here in early spring, before new growth appears, using the old leaves as nesting material, and I love hearing about your fence; a perfect place to hide. One of our garden club members has a way of using the lint from her dryer to make nesting material.
Thank you, Debra. I’m touched by your kind words,though I think we should all be ambassadors.
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I will have to look into this, Penny, and see whether MTM’s communist garden in our common area would qualify. We live in a LEED certified building, and I see all kinds of little critters out there and on the green roof.
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Andra, I’m betting that your common area already qualifies, especially if you are LEED certified. Chicago has a few skyscraping green roofs, putting them in different gardening zones. Then, there is Alcatraz . . .
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I love your grassy knoll and support your efforts. Um, but you know how we live (I am your trailer-trash friend — and as such I might be the only person you know who really can’t accept your challenge!). We do hang bird feeders for in front of the RV when we’re here in Oregon (mostly for the goldfinch). Deer walk through our little space here at the Lake and we have hummingbirds. But we’re only here in the summertime. And we can’t do any of that stuff when we travel or when we’re in Florida.
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You already took this challenge long ago, Sallie, not only for the bird feeders that follow you to Oregon, but, for all the magnificent photos you post of wildlife all around this country, which fosters awareness of what else lives and shares our environment. I’m so pleased to know you through this blogging community. You just keep doing what you are doing – you are the best.
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Penny, what a wonderful, inspiring post. Here in NZ we have no native mammals (apart from a small bat), and so the birds are the wildlife we focus on. My friend has made some delightful feeder for our special birds, the tuis, to dispense sugar water, but I can’t really use one here in an apartment building. I’m going to think though about a seed feeder for smaller birds. Thank you for the challenge, and it’s wonderful to see what you are doing. At the bach I’ve planted many native trees and the bird life is flourishing there, more visiting every year.
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How I enjoy seeing all the varieties of birds you have there in New Zealand, Juliet, especially when I see the tuis appear in your trees through your photos. The native trees you have planted are precisely the type of thing we should all be doing; they provide shade and other enjoyment for you, and shelter, food, safety, nesting material for all those birds. Thank you.
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We already have a couple of wildlife areas in our garden, they’re kind of wooded and we leave them alone, so the garden as a whole is teeming with birds and insects. We also try to plant wildlife friendly plants in the rest of the garden. Marjoram seems the most popular thing with bees, I sit with my grandson and watch them working sometimes, it’s fascinating. I did enjoy seeing your garden, Penny.
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I had a feeling you were already doing nature friendly things, Cath. Isn’t it fun to see these activities (bees) through the eyes of a grandchild? Thanks for mentioning marjoram. I will plant some next year. We do have feverfew and meadow rue planted, but, I’d like to try marjoram and think some would do well in this new gardening area. I’m so pleased to hear that you enjoyed seeing our garden, Cath.
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Love your photos. What a wonderful idea. Since much of our ground is neither tilled nor planted, but just goes wild and we do have ponds, I guess that we are a natural habitat even though much of it is unintentional.
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Oh yes, Janet, what you have there is already a natural habitat. Your respect for the land you live on is always apparent in your words and is commendable. I’m sure Mama and Papa Goose (Fred & Ethel?) thank you as well as all the little critters and the hummingbirds that flit around do. Sometimes, I think it is what we don’t do to land and property that becomes the important thing; just leaving it be.
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Done! We basically have a wildlife garden just at the moment, but we all understand the necessity of keeping part of it that way as we try and make it a bit more family friendly. My husband’s first job was to make and install a bird box on one of the trees and we feel really lucky to have two swallows nests in our barn. (He also snook out one night and demolished the bird trap that our unscrupulous neighbours had put on a tree nearby…)
Our ‘decorative’ (inedible!) artichokes have been a delight for lots of insects and bees in particular.
All in all, it’s an excellent suggestion, Penny, and we’ll continue to support it here in Spain!
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I hear tell that it is good luck to have swallows nesting in a barn, Annie.
Good for your husband and his covert actions demolishing that trap. He’s a hero in my book. There is that fine line between leaving nature be and having a family friendly and useable outdoors: one you are already doing.
Those artichokes sound interesting. I don’t recall seeing them hereabouts, but, we may be in the wrong zone for them to grow. You are semi-arid, aren’t you?
Oh, how I love to hear this news coming from Spain. Yea!
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I came over from Teresa’s post, and I love your blog. Most of my garden is designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies, and we have several bird feeders, but this is a timely reminder that as I redo the garden behind our garage I should do it with native plants.
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I’m so pleased you stopped by and took the time to comment, Nancy. Thank you. Teresa is wonderful and it was so good of her to link to this post and to share the common goal of nature. Your garden sounds lovely – and just the place for birds, bees, butterflies, and others to feel right at home. Some of the best garden adventures are to be found behind the garage. One of the gardens on our recent garden walk was just such a garden. Good luck with planting natives; they should do well.
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Your habitat is just gorgeous and will continue to become more abundant in time. You are going to inspire a number of nature lovers to take your challenge.
Here at Lakeview Point we have let the two acres that surround our house have there way with us and continue to grow au natural for the most part. I’ve written about some of the animals that pass through such as the deer, possums, coyotes, and foxes. There is a crane family at the end of the slough who fish from our pier. In Spring we have all manner of birds but now the little hummingbirds are enjoying the 4 o’clocks in the planters. There are lots of pine trees and the hickories plus maples and oaks. The squirrels have nests in many of the trees and one is visible from my upstairs window where I write. There are also some fairies as well as angels, one that is about 4 feet tall of concrete. Our animal cemetery is not visible to the untrained eye but there is a wooden swing nearby and a picnic table further to the right close to the pier. Of all the animals, the mama feral cat who gave shared her family with us, will forever be the most beloved. We will never win any prizes but have strived to leave things as they have always been. To that end we purchased 2 more acres that are not cleared. In Nevada we did have 2 beautiful xeroscaped homes complete with a dry creek bed and butterfly plants…I do miss that last home! I know that we could do more than have birdbaths but the creatures have plenty of wild things to eat all year. I rambled too much again. Have a cool weekend. My husband is getting the bass boat ready to go fishing. It’s catch and release here so we don’t eat them.
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Thank you, Marilyn – and I hope you are right about others taking the challenge.
How I’ve enjoyed hearing about your two acres “au natural” and commend you for letting it have its own way, and I’m just a bit jealous of your slough, which you’ve mentioned from time-to-time, especially with your crane family who fish from your pier. How I would love to see that. It all sounds so idyllic, Marilyn – a bit like Walden Pond – and to have your beloved animals, especially your favorite cat, resting so close must be comforting.
You most certainly did not ramble. I enjoyed reading it all, learning more about you and your environs, though I am not at all surprised that you are a lover of nature. I hope others are inspired by what you have there at Lakeview Point.
It is quite cool here right now. It feels like September. We’ve been sleeping with the windows open, a real treat for July and appreciated after all that heat we had. It will warm up again, soon, but, for now, we are enjoying it. Enjoy your weekend.
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Penny, you are a mind reader. Habitat creation is very much on our minds right now; in particular, Maddie is extramely inerested in making a frog pond. Have you seen the amazing advert on our British television?
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I had not seen this advertisement, Kate, and appreciated you sharing it with us here. I took a few moments to go to the RSPB website and am properly impressed, especially in how welcoming it is for kids. I would love to see Maddie’s frog pond, which I am sure she will accomplish in time. I worry a lot about the frogs. The peepers barely peeped this spring, and we haven’t noticed many toads in our garden this year. They are always about in the gardens, giving me a surprise when I’m working in the soil. They seem to have disappeared, so, Maddie’s curiosity at making a frog pond certainly appeals to me.
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Absolutely splendid idea.
I can’t help but have a wildlife garden, with thick hedges, wood piles, bird boxes, tall grass, etc. etc. With very little effort you get to attract wildlife and as payback you get to watch it.
Splendid.
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You have it all there, Friko, supporting nature and having the pleasure of seeing wildlife all around you. Payback, indeed. I enjoy seeing photos of your garden and of hearing about your walks. Your a model of someone who cares for the good earth. Thank you.
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Fantastic post and excellent point that no matter how small a space one has, there’s always the ability to create a wildlife habitat. Have just shared the link on facebook. Thank you!
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Thank you for linking – and for taking the time to comment here. You are right, exactly so; there is “always the ability to create a wildlife habitat” no matter. I just took a few moments to visit your blog, enjoying what I saw and hope to be back soon.
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This is a wonderful post. I am impressed both by your writing and encouragement and by the responses and your observance of each persons unique situation. You truly care for each persons unique home. Your readers know of your home and wildlife sanctuary on the cutoff, but might not know of the wonderful garden and focus on wildlife you exhibited on a much smaller suburban plot of land that you raised us on. I knew of the respect for nature and the wonderful native flowers and natural beauty there as much as on the cutoff, though in a different way. I always remember bird baths and places for them to gather and nest and for other animals to feel safe. And I loved the garden and native plants and trees. I am sure that.met the qualifications as well. I am proud of you. I will look into this more too. Does a kiddie pool left unattended for weeks count as a water element ? 🙂
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I am so touched by your words, Katy. Thank you. (mom gets kleenex)
I miss that garden. As I potter around the cutoff, I remind myself of how much we have already done here and then of how long it took to establish our first garden, which was so much more intimate. I always enjoyed sitting in the garden or on the front porch at night, watching and listening as the garden grew. Ah, I wax poetic. I’m thrilled to hear all that you remember about that little garden and that you “get it” that we can garden for all creatures in small ways.
Do you remember watching the caterpillar decimate a potted dill plant – and the swallowtail that eventually emerged?
You already meet most of the qualifications, Katy; a brush pile, bird feeders, trees, nesting material. Have a certain young miss water the plants from the kiddie pool – and let’s see about getting a bird bath.
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We have a bird bath, a pond and a bird feeder. We don’t like to encourage foxes though because we have chickens 🙂
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Ha! I hear you. We’ve actually thought about having chickens, but, the fox and coyote population here makes it a challenge we aren’t prepared to meet. I’m sure you have plenty of places for birds and others to find nesting material and hide. I’m betting you already have the makings of a wildlife habitat. Now, I’ll be thinking about fresh eggs all day.
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[…] you remember our Wildlife Habitat, and how we are endeavoring to introduce grasses and native plants into this area of our garden? I […]
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[…] which I’ve written about many times throughout the past year, especially in a July post HERE, if you should want more information, or, just need to see the Cutoff when the sun was out and the […]
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