This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
There is a lot written about attracting pollinators to our gardens, but a habitat garden considers beneficial insects, as well as birds, animals, and amphibians. Picture your garden as an oasis for wildlife. The three main elements to support the fauna that enter our gardens are: food, shelter, and water. Sustainable gardening practices, from plant choices to landscaping features can work together to welcome that wildlife. This article is going to share some advice on making your garden habitat-friendly.
It’s easy to think that our little piece of land isn’t going to make a difference, but imagine if all your neighbors integrated some of the same practices into their gardening. All these little ecosystems can connect to create safe, nourishing havens for the wildlife in our little corner of the world. I feel a sense of pride when I spot rabbits and toads, and an assortment of birds and beneficial insects come through my outdoor spaces. And like it or not, my one tree is home to a new litter of raccoons every spring.
It is likely that you are already doing and providing many of these elements in your day-to-day gardening. You may also be on your way to a habitat-certified garden, which I’ll explain further below.
Deciding what to add to a habitat garden
The most important thing to remember when focusing on the elements of a habitat garden is using sustainable gardening practices. We want to encourage biodiversity. That means no pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers should be used. You want your property to welcome wildlife.
Obviously there will be some exceptions—wildlife that you may not feel as warm and fuzzy about. But rather than use harmful deterrents, think about natural ways to keep certain pests away, like mosquitoes (which I mention below) and deer.
As mentioned, many of the components of a habitat garden likely already exist in some form in your yard. Providing food, shelter, and water doesn’t have to be labor intensive. Perhaps you’ve been adding more and more native plants, or you have built a pond that’s attracting frogs and other aquatic life. Even tasks that seem less complicated, like not cleaning up your garden in the fall, can provide shelter. I’ve been working to get rid of my front lawn so that eventually it will all be garden. And I’ve had fun discovering new-to-me native plants, like prairie smoke and Pennsylvania sedge. There are lots of options, even if you have a small space. Let’s delve into the specific requirements—food, shelter, and water.
Adding food sources to a garden
The food in your garden will come from plants. Native grasses, flowers, and shrubs support biodiversity, while providing food and forage in the form of pollen, nectar, berries, and seeds for insects, birds, and animals.
In ornamental gardens, it’s always recommended to have something in bloom from early spring through late fall, as well as winter interest. Not only is this a visual strategy, think about how these plants can provide a continuous buffet of sustenance for the creatures that come through your yard.
My liatris, for example, has been selected as a safe place by praying mantises to create their egg cases that hatch in spring. The flowers are covered in bees when they bloom in the summer. And I’ve spotted small birds nibbling at the seed heads in the fall. Think about the nourishment and shelter your plants provide.
Another example of wise plant selection is considering not only butterflies and moths, but their caterpillars. Butterflies and moths choose very specific host plants to lay their eggs. These plants then feed the young. I’ve written about some of the native plants you can select for specific species.
Planting extra and protecting plants
When you’re figuring out food plants, it’s hard not to attract hungry, inquisitive animals. I’ve often come out to find a lovely tomato lying on the ground with one bite out of it. Squirrels and chipmunks seem to love this game.
When I plant herbs like parsley and dill, my hope is that they’ll attract swallowtail caterpillars because they’ll turn into beautiful butterflies. The solution to these minor annoyances? Either plant more, which I do with herbs, or protect vulnerable veggie garden favorites, like tomatoes and strawberries.
It’s hard to be selective about which wildlife you welcome into your garden. When a mama deer hid her baby in our backyard three years in a row, I felt flattered that she felt safe. Was it a little frustrating that my cedars were ravaged and my tomato plants were topped? Absolutely. But my home is on a ravine and the animals were here long before my house was. I just needed to protect my vegetables and deal with my “lollipopped” cedars.
Ways to add shelter to a habitat garden
Shelter isn’t necessarily a physical structure, like a bat box, a roosting or nesting box for birds, or bee house. Though all those things do count. It can also be anything from leaving your yard detritus, like leaf litter and hollow plant stems in the fall for insects, like fireflies and bees. Or providing host plants, like milkweed, for moth and butterfly caterpillars. Even a simple brush pile can support a multitude of species.
Meadow and prairie plantings, as well as native trees and shrubs, and dense plantings of perennials can all go a long way to providing camouflage and safety from predators.
How to add water sources to a habitat garden
There are a few ways that we can provide water on our property for wildlife. Bird baths, as well as butterfly puddler dishes, and bee baths are common options for our winged friends—both insect and bird. Ponds and water gardens can also provide crucial hydration.
Now that rain gardens are increasing in popularity, they are great additions to a garden plan. Rain gardens use plants and depressions in the soil to funnel and filter stormwater from extreme weather events. This helps to prevent flooding, but also it keeps much of the overflow out of our storm drains, lakes, and rivers. Deliberate plantings, as well as the rain, both hydrate and nourish wildlife.
If you’re concerned about mosquitoes and the threat of illnesses, like West Nile virus, for example, make sure you empty standing water once a week. Simply tipping over a birdbath, bee bath, or other containers of water will kill the mosquito larvae. If the vessel is too heavy, flush them out with fresh water. Many rain barrels come with a screen that covers the hole where the downspout empties to keep mosquitoes away.
Certifying a habitat garden
Both the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) have habitat certifications—The Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Garden Habitat Certification and National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. Both advocacy organizations provide checklists for homeowners to have their garden officially certified and added to a map. There are also lots of resources to explain how to make your property habitat friendly.
You may find your municipality or other organizations also have these types of programs that encourage homeowners to garden in a more mindful, eco-friendly way, and be a good steward of their land, however big or small. The Xerces Society, for example, features regional-specific habitat kits for pollinators.
Certifying your garden is a way to show your neighbors what you are doing. Inspiring others can make a big difference in the community.
Leave a Reply