As you consider your garden or green space, I encourage you to create a space for wildlife. Such designated spaces are often called habitat gardens, wildlife gardens, and backyard restoration spaces. These spaces can be created easily, without much effort, and with little out-of-pocket expense. Like us, wildlife needs food, water, a place to care for their young, and protection from predators and the elements.
Here are five quick and easy things to consider for your habitat garden:
Designate a space to be untended, meaning let it evolve naturally each season of the year with minimal intervention. The size of your yard, lot, or pasture will dictate the space. Large spaces are not mandatory for success. Small spaces can make a big difference in supporting local wildlife and visitors passing through seasonally.
Provide water and food. This is pretty easy. You only need to provide clean water for your wildlife and have food in the space or nearby. During cooler months, I leave water in shallow vessels like the drip tray of a clay pot or shallow bird bath for easy access. During the hotter days of summer, I fill a small wading pool with water and stack bricks and rocks so that toads or small animals can get in and out safely and easily. This also allows a way for flying creatures to rest as needed when sipping water. Birds perch on the side of the pool and/or on the rocks as they enjoy a sip and dip in the pool, and bees do the same. Big box stores and farm stores have a variety of galvanized containers that can be used for the same purpose. In the hot months, I move the water to the shade so it is somewhat cool for my guests. During the winter, I do the opposite and move the water vessels out of the shade and into full sunshine. *Change the water as needed to keep it clean. I often add a little cider vinegar (a tablespoon or so depending on the size of the container) to help keep algae or any kind of "muck" from growing.
Add native plants to your space. If you don't already have native plants for your designated space, add some for your visitors. Native plants will do well without intervention and provide food naturally for your wildlife. For instance, my Rudbeckia plants are native to my area. The blooms provide nectar in the summer and the spent blooms provide food in the way of seeds in the fall and winter. Any seeds the wildlife misses fall on the ground, germinate, and provide a new plant for the following year. Although the leaves will get burned by a frost, the decaying leaves provide food and shelter for little critters all winter. Leaving grasses, clovers, and annual flowers untended supports and invites wildlife into your space. If you aren't sure which plants are native to your area here are two sites that offer a database to search options.
The Native Plant Society of Texas at www.npsot.org has a plant database suited for Texas.
Another resource is found on the Audubon Society webpage here: https://www.audubon.org/native-plants/search. This site has a lot of great information on supporting our bird friends and it also provides a national native plant database. If you enter your zip code, the database populates a list of native plants in your area. *If the native plants support birds, they will benefit a host of other local wildlife as well.
Provide places for wildlife to raise their babies. Wildlife will find adequate places to raise their young. Easy things you can add to your space that welcome critters include a pile of wood (logs, small branches, sticks, etc.) a stack of rocks, leaves, or any organic matter like trimmings from plants in your garden. Insects will move into this space quickly. They will make homes in the cracks and crevices of decomposing wood or they may burrow under the rocks, etc. Bigger critters seeking insects to eat as food will become frequent visitors and ensure the population does not get out of control. Some wildlife may set up their home nearby so they have easy access to food (insects, worms, etc.) for their young.
Provide protection from predators and elements. Nature balances itself if left alone. Death is part of the life cycle. However, providing shelter helps promote a healthy ecosystem. The wood and rock pile will provide ample shelter for insects. Adding birdhouses is a simple and inexpensive addition that helps protect feathered friends thrive. Birds are so helpful to me in my garden. They eat thousands of insects each day. Get several families of wrens and bluebirds and you have an efficient and natural pest control system in place.
By doing some or all of the things listed above, you will be well on your way to creating a space that sustains a diverse ecosystem. If possible, limit or eliminate the use of any herbicides or pesticides. Rest assured your habitat garden will provide an abundance of wildlife activity for you to enjoy observing. The wildlife will help improve the health of your green spaces and will likely add to your overall happiness. You will be providing a sanctuary for local wildlife and those passing through when migrating. Your vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees will be pollinated without fail. You will still have pests in your garden, but you may find that when one pest rears its head in mass a predator will show up to take care of the abundance and thus balance is achieved naturally.
I thoroughly enjoy observing the variety of birds, bees, insects, toads, turtles, and more in my garden. I especially enjoy knowing that wildlife can thrive on my property without being disturbed by me!
Happy Gardening!
Mary
XOXO