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Wildlife and Gardens - Part 2

© Marge Talt

All wildlife, in fact all life, has three primary requirements, not necessarily in this order:

• Food
• Water
• Shelter

If you can provide the specific variety of food and shelter that a creature, native to your area, needs, that creature will come. Providing what wildlife needs starts with the same fundamental that is the foundation of all gardens - good, organic soil. If your soil is healthy and teeming with tiny critters, from the microscopic on up, you are already playing host to some important wildlife. I mentioned the soil microorganisms, earthworms, etc. last week. These guys are essential.

Many are invisible to the naked eye and many are not. Take a good look at your soil. If you've got some that's nice and full of organic matter, dig up a shovel full and pick through it and see what you find.

In addition to earthworms, who are my indicator that soil is in good shape, you are likely to find various beetles, grubs, ants and strange wiggly things. You may also come upon, centipedes, millipedes, earwigs, pillbugs or sowbugs, slugs and snails; maybe some fungi like toadstools or mushrooms. You might even disturb a salamander or a toad. You have to accept the "good" guys and the "bad" guys, you know. They're only "good" or "bad" to us; in nature they all have their place and function.

In order to keep your soil healthy and teeming with life, you have to go easy on the use of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. While you may be aiming at only one kind of problem, you may be annihilating the innocent. If some of the toxic chemicals aimed at the "bad" guys don't kill the "good" guys immediately, they can build up in their bodies and become dangerous to critters higher up in the food chain. Remember DDT and Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring"!

I'm not saying you can never use a chemical to solve an immediate problem. But I am saying that you should stop and think before you grab that spray. First of all, correctly identify your problem. Know who's causing it. Decide if it's totally unacceptable or whether you can live with it. Do some research and learn about Integrated Pest Management. Most garden insect problems can be solved by hand picking the culprit; a nice sharp cold spray from the hose or a bit of insecticidal soap or superfine horticultural oil.

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