WBU Educational Resources
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The Great
Backyard
Bird Count
Major sponsorship provided by
Wild Birds Unlimited. |
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 Click
here for more topics about
backyard birdfeeding and the
wild birds visiting your yard!
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Create Your Wildlife Habitat
When creating a wildlife habitat, the combination of habitat elements
(food, water, cover and places to raise young) you provide should take
into consideration the needs of the wildlife you wish to attract.
Carefully selected plantings can provide food, cover and/or places to
raise young. We have books, videos, products and ideas that will help
you plan your wildlife habitat. Choose a Variety of Plantings
Landscaping for the ideal wildlife habitat should include plants
ranging in size and density from small evergreen shrubs to tall,
full-grown trees so that birds and other wildlife can choose the
appropriate cover they need for feeding, hiding, courting and nesting
activities. For example, dense plantings of shrubbery provide safe areas
for many species of wildlife to mate, build nests and raise their
families. |
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 Start your
Habitat With a Plan
Develop a plan for your backyard. Take an assessment of what you
already have and then map out a landscaping plan that includes all the
plants and natural features in your yard. Use the Landscaping Planning
Chart on the back of the brochures you may download from this page to
select plants native to your area. For the Best Results, Use Native
Plants
Plants native to the soils and climate of your area provide the best
overall food sources for wildlife. In addition, native plants generally
require less fertilizer, water and effort to control pests. Native
plants may support 10 to 50 times more species of native wildlife
(mostly insects, the basic wildlife food) as do exotics (plants that are
not native to your area). Too often, exotics brought to our continent
for their horticultural or wildlife value grow and spread rapidly,
taking over farm and woodland and decimating native plants and animals.
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