Breeding and Nesting Space

photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Bill French

Clearing land for development has greatly reduced the number of nesting sites for cavity dwelling birds and other mammals and reptiles. If your yard lacks mature trees for nests and dens then plant some. As they mature, maples and oaks offer the necessary space for nests and dens. Evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs provide additional areas for nesting, as well as other materials that birds, mammals and reptiles can use.

Box Housing

photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Ken Hammond

If you don't have the space, create the space for wildlife. Provide functional nesting boxes and birdhouses for your feathered friends. Build a bat box and share your habitat with these beneficial creatures. They consume large amounts of mosquitoes and other flying insects. Learn how to build a bat box at www.batcon.org. You can also encourage beautiful butterflies and ladybugs to stay in your neck of the woods with hibernation boxes.

The Rustic Look

Sometimes it's as simple as leaving your yard a little rugged in order to attract wildlife. Therefore, you may want to think twice before cutting down that old decaying tree. Dead or decaying trees provide great nesting grounds and food for animals, such as woodpeckers. Hold off from mowing your lawn around bushy shrubs. This makes for an ideal nesting site for ground birds.

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