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Creating a Backyard Habitat
My backyard habitat makes nature study in my own garden convenient and fascinating. Sitting camouflaged in my garage, I watch the activity down at the feeders. Right now, over twenty House Sparrows, mostly females, perch on the stems and branches of the thicket at the end of the garden. After eating expensive hulled sunflower seeds, a bird will fly down to the water dish for a sip or two. I love going in my garden at midday and watching a giant Monarch butterfly drinking nectar from the Butterfly Weed. The feeders have drawn birds to the garden that I didn't even know were in the neighborhood. Squirrels, Cabbage White butterflies, Monarchs, Eastern Garter Snakes, beetles, bees, etc. are all living and breeding in my little Philadelphia garden. My garden is only about 12 feet by 40 feet, so don't let size stop you. You can also create a mini- nature preserve where you live. Imagine simply walking outside to sit and observe, butterflies laying eggs, a male House Sparrow feeding a chick or a small snake slithering through the grass. If you already feed the birds (and squirrels), adding a few choice plants and features can turn your garden into a wonderful place for animals to live and grow. The following pages will help you along the way. To create a mini-nature preserve in your own garden all you need is: food water cover and a place for animalsto raise young. Each page will give guidance and examples on planning and managinga mini-nature preserve. Astime goes by you can develop your garden into a very well-planned, extensive and beautiful place to study and connect with nature . The National Wildlife Federation also has a Certification Program. This program aims to establish wildlife and native plant friendly places across North America. There was also a cable television show "Backyard Habitat" on the Animal Planet cable channel . As soon a the dvd from the show is available, Connecting-with-nature.net will let you know. The National Wildlife Federation's book Attracting Birds, Butterflies and other Backyard Wildlife by David Mizejewski, explains and gives many examples of how to begin to turn your garden into a mini-nature preserve. For Books on Creating Your Own Mini-Nature Preserve visit the Sunflower Naturalist Store More Pages on Creating Your Own Mini-Nature Preserve: food water cover places to raise young attracting butterflies attracting birds plants for birds Buy the dvd and watch the Animal Planet series, "Best of Backyard Habitat". From Backyard Habitat Return to Connecting-with-Nature.net Home
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