Principle #3: TRY TO PROVIDE ALL FOUR WILDLIFE HABITAT ELEMENTS
The four wildlife habitat elements are food, water, shelter and space. By offering all of the them you'll increase the chances critters will come visiting and more importantly, stick around. It's the diversity of wildlife that will help to bring balance to your naturescape. Just like too much chocolate is not a good thing (mmmmm, I should re-think that example.... too much chocolate is always a good thing), let's say..... just like too many french fries are not a good thing, too much of one type of wildlife isn't necessarily good either. Birds, butterflies, beneficial insects, small mammals of every description - the wider the variety the greater the likelihood you'll have a well balanced ecosystem in your naturescape.
Here's a quick run down on three of the four elements....
Food: By food we mean naturally occurring food, as much as possible. By growing plants that are appealing food sources for the native species of the PNW they will naturally want to visit and stick around. Look for assortment of plants that produce nuts, berries and seeds throughout the year.
Water: Ponds, streams and rivers are wonderful if/when you live by/near them, but for most of us, they're not a part of our landscape, so folks like us need to think of other ways to offer water. A bird bath is the most common idea, or a critter bath (basically the same as a bird bath, but it's down at ground level). Collection bowls under rain chains are another option, and small fountains/water features yet another. Keep in mind, mosquito season is upon us, so be sure to plop a portion of a mosquito dunk into the water. They're pet/wildlife safe, so no worries.
Space: When we talk about space we're referring to leaving part of your landscape au natural - undisturbed. If a tree blows down and it's not in the way of anything, leave it where it is and scape your garden around it. Or perhaps just chop up part of it and leave the stump. We've got a family of winter wrens living in this one.....
If you live next to a green belt or a neighbor with woodland, try to keep part of your garden connected so animals have a safe means to travel from place to place.
..... and for the final one, shelter I thought I'd go into a little more detail and show you some things I've done in my own garden.
First let's look at rock walls..... critters LOVE hidey holes - it offers them protection from the elements and enemies. A rock wall is like one big condo complex to little critters.......hidey holes galore here!
Got a broken pot? Here's a great way to recyle it. Take a suitable piece and create a little place for critters to seek shelter from the elements. Semi bury it into the ground so it's secure, and leave a few pieces of wood lying around for added effect.
I created this little set up right along where part of our garden meets the surrounding woodland, hoping that critters will come visiting from the woods and hang out.
Here's another idea. Take a handful of small logs and pile them up log-cabin style and place an old piece of slate on top. Ta dah! Another opportunity to invite neighbors into your garden.
Wood stacks make great temporary havens. My husband has a few assorted woodpiles in staging areas that will ultimately become firewood.... so while they're piled up the critters can move in and take cover.
Many of us have birdhouses -they're the most common form of wildlife shelter we humans place in our gardens. We have lots of them scattered around our property, but the one shown below, situated in the rafters of our carport, is extra special.
First, because it was made by my husband's grandfather, so it brings with it wonderful memories. Second, because it's become the annual residence for violet swallows who come back every spring to raise a family.... and swallows eat a LOT of bugs/mosquitos! So while they help us with pest control we get front row seats to a great show. We hear the peep, peep, peeping of the chicks and watch the parents tirelessly, time and again, return to the box with food.
Here's one poking his/her little head out of the hole marvelling at the world, and yes, I've even been lucky enough to see them fledge. Early one July morning a few years back I just happened to be out in the front garden at the right time ..... a number of adult swallows were flying around the roof of the house making a heck of a noise - must have been calling out encouragements - and one by one the young ones came out of the hole, paused, wobbled and finally took the leap. So cool!
Here's another type of shelter you can offer your flying friends......
How about a bat house? We have one mounted on the outside of my husband's workshop. Ideally, they should be placed high up on a structure (don't nail to a tree), in a location that gets a good amount of sun so the box can warm up. Many folks think bats are like rats..... something you don't want hanging around your house. But bats are beneficial..... just like swallows, they also love to eat insects - so get both of them to live in your garden and you'll have 24 hour bug patrol - swallows during the day, bats at night!
One final idea for your flying friends..... how about a mason bee house? Find ways to encourage pollinators to come and live around your home. A few months back I posted a blog about mason bees.... feel free to refer back to it for more details.
Finally, here's a truly unique shelter - I challenge anyone else in the PNW to claim they have one of these in their garden!
See that swiss-cheesey looking dome thing in the background? It's a miniature reef ball. My husband and I are avid SCUBA divers and learned about REEF BALLS when we were living in South Florida - and we were given a minature sample to take home. When we moved up here I decided to put ours into the garden for critters to use as a shelter. Here's what it looks like up close....
Lots of nooks and crannies.... a toad house perhaps?
So, these are just some examples of ways you can introduce shelter in your garden. Get creative, be whimsical! Rather than throw an item out in the trash, consider recyling and re-using it as a critter shelter. A double whammy benefit..... you keep things out of the landfill and you encourage critters to come and be a part of your naturescape.
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