Garden parties are always well-attended if not downright wild and crazy events. But there is a secret known to all successful party-planners: the best "do's" revolve around a theme while also ensuring the guests' comfort, ease and safety. So if you decide to do the wild thing and set up a little bash for the wild neighbors -- or wildlife -- in your neighborhood, plan ahead for the best results. With that plus a modicum of luck, you might get them to move right in!
Wild creatures, from birds to animals to butterflies*, have specific habitat needs. Three of the basics are shelter, food and water. The fourth is space. But no matter how large or small your acreage or balcony, you can probably satisfy at least two of those needs for several species. That is the only invitation these guests will ever need!
This informative piece from the Windstar Institute, How to Attract Wildlife to Your Property, gives a good overview of the how's and why's of habitat.
Here are some tips to get you started on creating or improving your own home wildlife habitat in an organized way. First it helps to know what you already do and don't have in terms of providing those basics. Take a look at this chart for a Do It Yourself Home Landscape Audit (A BayScapes Action Guide). This is an excellent way to inventory and evaluate your space in terms of opportunities for shelter, food, and water.
Next comes deciding how to begin to integrate any needed additions or enhancements with the existing landscape around you. This Guide to Backyard Wildlife Planting for Habitat (from the excellent NebGuide series) will help you with that.
Bear in mind that even the most mundane creature needs can be satisfied in creative and innovative ways, and those solutions can be tailored to fit either the most formal or informal of design criteria. For some fun examples, check out my earlier articles on water features:Add A Water Feature or Add Another Water Feature or Add ANOTHER Water Feature.
So who/what can you expect to show up once you set out the welcome mat? Wherever you live, birds are likely to be among your first visitors. For a little help with planning specifically for them and enjoying them more when they appear, be sure to explore the dynamite bird links in next week's article. (If you like to cut to the chase, here's the place to hear a Kookaburra!)
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