When people think about wildlife, most people think of deer, bears, or other large animals. The term, “wildlife” refers to all animals that are not tamed or domesticated. Wildlife includes invertebrates (animals without backbones, such as earthworms, insects and spiders and vertebrates, animals with backbones: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Why would someone like these in their yard? Wildlife provides:
- A living classroom for children and adults
- Important to the balance of the ecosystem
- They were here first
- Downright entertaining
An animal’s HABITAT is its home. It must provide everything the animal needs to survive. Good wildlife habitat includes Food, Water, Shelter, and A Place to Raise Young.
You can turn your yard into a wonderful habitat for wild creatures. Provide Food, Water, Shelter, and A Place to Raise Young. And soon you will have wild neighbors.
Plants, especially native plants provide food, shelter, and places to raise young. Butterflies and hummingbirds drink nectar from certain plants, primarily brightly colored plants.
Bird feeders are fairly easy to use. A variety of bird feeders provides hummingbirds with sugar water, black sunflowers seeds, safflower seeds and thistle seeds for seed eaters, suet for woodpeckers, nuthatches, etc.
Water sources can be streams ponds, bird baths, or shallow bowl-shaped containers. Birds can be attracted by the sound of dripping or spraying water.
Trees provide shelter. A single Oak tree can shelter 147 species of birds, 120 species of mammals, and 60 species of reptiles and amphibians. A mature Oak tree supports more than 280 species of insects. If you have a snag or dead tree and it does not endanger your house or people, leave it for the woodpeckers and cavity nesters.
Other types of shelter may include: brush piles, leaf piles, a diversity of vegetation, and birdhouses.
Some do’s and don’ts of attracting wildlife:
- Plant native plants as food sources is the best practice! (fruits, seeds, forage, nectar, pollen)
- Let insects live – base of the food chain
- No bread (ducks – wild or domestic)
- Don’t feed any wildlife other than birds
- Never hand feed
- Clean feeders and bird baths regularly (Clean Hummingbird Feeders with a White Vinegar and Water Solution)
- Hummingbird feeders should be changed and sanitized every 3 days in North Georgia to prevent hummingbird kills
- Do not use sticky traps, netting, poisons, and mothballs.
A couple of free phone apps that can help you identify birds are The Merlin Bird ID app and the Audubon Bird Guide. The Merlin Bird ID app is free and is available for iOS and Android devices. The app has the ability to identify birds by sound or by using a photo.; The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to over 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket. Built for all experience levels, it will help you identify the birds around you; eBird transforms your bird sightings into science and conservation. Plan trips, find birds, track your lists, explore range maps, and bird migration—all free.
While some animals, like frogs, may teach us to slow down and enjoy the scenery. Some of the wildlife that you may see: Birds, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Butterflies, a variety of pollinators, and possibly others. Your understanding of the natural world will grow – enjoy!
Join Master Gardeners on October 25 at 10:00 a.m. at the Paulding County Extension office for part of the series of Georgia Green Landscape Stewards classes. This month, we’ll learn about Welcoming Wildlife to your garden, why wildlife is important, and how to incorporate plants that support wildlife in your landscape. You’ll also learn how you can certify your home landscape as a Georgia Green Landscape Stewards-certified yard. this program is free, but space is limited, and registration is requested. Sign up online: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA5A622A7F4C07-welcoming#/.
The author of this article, Phillip Prichard, is a Paulding UGA Extension Master Gardener, trained to provide education for homeowners on horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia. For more information, contact Paulding County UGA Extension at 770-443-7616 or view our online resources at www.ugaextension.org/paulding.
