There are many parts of the world where wildlife still lives in close proximity to human dwellings. Depending on where you live, you may even find your garden in a heavily-populated suburban area visited by anything from birds and badgers to red wolves and raccoons. While not everyone will appreciate waking up to a deer in their garden or a squirrel peeping through the window, there are countless nature-loving families who are only too happy to open up their gardens to nearby wildlife. If you want to attract more wildlife to your garden there are a multitude of things, like the following, that you can do.
Provide easy access to food
One of the easiest ways to attract various types of wildlife to your garden is to provide easy access to suitable food. Making a bird feeder to fill with nuts and seeds can be a fun project, even for younger children. With such a feeder you will be able to attract a variety of birds including robins, blackbirds, blue tits, and finches. If you want to attract a bigger range of wildlife, you would have to offer a larger variety of food. Mealworms are known to attract badgers while foxes love fruit and hedgehogs are fond of wet cat food or special kibble. Any fruit-bearing trees, vegetables, and grains growing in your garden can also make it increasingly for any wildlife in the area.
Let your lawn grow wild
Another effective method to turn your garden into a wildlife oasis is to swap your manicured lawn for something a bit more ‘wild’. Lawns serve as both a safe haven and a source of food for many types of wildlife including insects, birds, and mammals of various sizes. Leaving your grass to grow for at least a month or a season is ideal as it will not only allow existing plants to grow in size but also allow seeds that have been blown onto the lawn by the wind or dropped by birds, to germinate. If leaving your lawn to grow indefinitely is not a viable option, at least leave a small patch of grass uncut to attract an array of wildlife to your garden.
Water is very attractive to wildlife
Apart from food and possible shelter, wildlife is also very attracted to a freshwater source. Although wildlife requires water all through the year, chances are better that they will wander into your garden in search of water during summer. Depending on the size of your garden you may be able to build a full-sized pond that will provide mammals with drinking water and breeding space for amphibians and reptiles. If space is tight, a small dish or two that are regularly filled with clean water will also suffice. You can also build or buy a ready-made birdbath that will provide water and a place to wash up to a variety of birds and even smaller mammals.
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Attracting wildlife to your garden can be very fulfilling. Not only can it help provide shelter, food, and water but it can also enable the whole family to become better acquainted with the wildlife of the area.
