Save the Wildlife, One Yard at a Time: Backyard Wildlife Habitats
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March/April 2009
By Carol Crupper
When they lived in Texas, the couple fed their lawn with bags of chemicals. Today, they pull weeds, pick bad bugs by hand and even grow worms for compost in their basement. “This has been totally life-changing,” Cheryl says.
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Magic made easy
You don’t need to be certified to make a difference. It’s easy to create a wildlife sanctuary if you’re willing to see your yard from an animal’s perspective, says David Mizejewski, a naturalist and host of Animal Planet’s Backyard Habitat. Does your yard offer food, water, places to hide and to nest? Is it free of toxic chemicals? “A lot of the time, people don’t realize how much they’re already doing,” he says.
A water source, for example, can be as basic as a bird bath, drainage ditch, even a flower pot dish. Adding a few native plants here and a wood pile there can make your site even more attractive. Think in layers, from top to bottom: shade trees, smaller trees, bushes, perennials and groundcover.
Start with a bird bath; plant some berry bushes or native grass; stop using pesticides. As you watch butterflies flit from flower to flower and turtles trundle across your garden path, you might be inspired to do even more.
Your town, too
The National Wildlife Federation encourages entire communities to participate in wildlife gardening; cultivate habitat in both public and private spaces; and promote sustainable gardening. To date, 26 communities have hit their goals, with 36 others registered and working toward certification.
Writer and master gardener Carol Crupper has reworked her landscape, drastically reducing the amount of grass in her lawn.
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