Tip 1: Limit the Amount of Lawn. Lawn is like concrete to most animals. It offers them very little food or cover. Try to reduce the amount of mowed lawn around your house especially in low traffic areas like the corners. By simply not mowing, you will increase food and shelter areas for many species. Over time unmowed areas contain more plant species than mowed areas and this diversity attracts more wildlife species. If leaving your grass unmowed is unacceptable in your neighborhood, try planting ground cover plants instead. They usually require less water and fertilizer and mean less mowing for you!
Tip 2: Increase Vertical Layering. Looking across your yard, do you see grass and trees and nothing in between? Increasing plant structure between the ground and the tree canopy is called "vertical layering". Planting bushes or ground cover below some of your trees would benefit wildlife. Planting a variety of vegetation in different sizes and heights provides more cover and feeding opportunities for wildlife species. Clumps (or islands) of vegetation with plants of different heights are best. Use native plants whenever possible. See Tip #5.
Tip 3: Provide Snags and Brushpiles. As trees become diseased or die, consider leaving them standing as "snags". Many wildlife species use snags for feeding and nesting. While nest boxes supply homes for many species, some woodpeckers will only use cavities they excavated themselves. Many of the insects that occur in snags are food for woodpeckers and other bird species. A brush pile or two, especially if near other vegetation, will provide excellent cover and feeding opportunities for wildlife (small mammals, birds, and butterflies). I have a pile at the back of my yard where I pile small branches downed by the wind. It's out of the way and only noticed by the animals.
Tip 4: Provide Water. Water is an essential part of productive wildlife habitats. Animals will benefit from any water source you provide, such as a birdbath and/or a small pond. Ponds are not only beautiful, but also attract a variety of species and enhance amphibian breeding. If you provide a birdbath it is important that you keep it cleaned out to keep harmful molds from growing. Dripping water is even more attractive to wildlife and can be accomplished by poking a hole in a plastic milk jug and hanging it over the birdbath. Try to supply water at several different levels to attract the greatest variety of species. To learn more try this link http://www.inthegardenonline.com/features_landscapingforwildwaterB29.htm.
Tip 5: Plant Native Vegitation. Landscaping with plants that are native to North Carolina not only provides better food and cover for native wildlife than do non-native plants, but on average, requires less care and resources to maintain. Because they are adapted to our soils and climate, they rarely require fertilizing and should do quite well with the water that our climate provides. This all means less work for you. For more information regarding native plants, go to http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/ag/ag636_03.
Tip 6: Provide Bird/Bat Houses and Bird Feeders. Adding nest boxes and bat houses in your yard will provide nesting and roosting shelter for wildlife. These resources will be used primarily by birds and bats, but other species will use these shelters if not occupied. For example: Flying squirrels and gray squirrels will roost in empty birdhouses (if the entry hole is large enough). By providing bird feeders with different designs and seed types you will maximize the number of species that will visit your yard. Bats are great at eating insects that come out at night, namely mosquitos. They should be encouraged and rest assured we do not have any vampire bats here in North Carolina. To find out how to attract and build houses for them visit http://www.batcon.org/home/default.asp.
Tip 7: Remove Invasive Exotic Plants. Some species of exotic (non-native) plants are highly invasive and should not be planted. Kudzu is a good example here in the south. Invasive exotic plants aggressivlely take over natural habitat, altering the natural ecology of an area and sometimes replacing all native vegetation. When it comes to exotic non-native plants, what we do in our individual yards can affect areas far beyond our own property. The seeds of non-native invasive plants are disigned to be easily carried far away by wind, water, birds and other animals. Once established, these plants then overpower and replace native plants, thus destroying wildlife habitat and altering the natural ecology of a site. This results in areas with fewer plant species and fewer feeding and cover opportunities for wildlife. For a list of non native exotic plants to avoid or remove visit http://www.se-eppc.org.
Tip 8: Manage Pets. Both dogs and cats can drastically impact wildlife populations. Cats are especially adept at hunting wildlife, birds in particular, even if the felines are are well fed. If you can't keep your cats indoors or you have neighborhood cats visiting your yard, try keeping areas around feeders and bird baths clear of vegitation to decrease areas for cats to hide. You can also try attatching a bell to the cat's collar but I have had little success with this as cats are pretty good at keeping silent. An especailly sensitive time to watch your cats is when the baby birds are leaving the nest as they are vulnerable and don't fly well.
Tip 9: Reduce Pesticide Use. This one is huge for me as a beekeeper. Almost every pesticide that can be applied to a yard will kill bees so anything you can do to reduce pesticide use will benefit wildlife. Most pesticides do not target one species of insect but will kill any type that they come in contact with. Thus when you sparay your yard to kill one insect you are more than likely killing off many beneficial insects in the process. Beneficial insects are those that prey on the bugs that do the most damage to our beloved plants. In addition this "scorched earth" policy kills off many of the pollinators (honey bees for example) which are crucial to fruit and flower formation. No bees, no peaches. Try taking a wait and see approach to see how much damage is actually occuring. If you let nature work on the problem it usually resoves on it's own.
Tip 10: Expand the Scale of Habitat. The required habitat for many species is much larger than what you could provide within your yard. Consider talking with your neighbors about creating larger wildlife habitat patches. The combination of several different yards with wildlife habitat will draw more speies into the nighborhood and thus more to your yard. Most people really enjoy viewing wildlife in their yards and if given the option to help attract them they are usually quite enthusiastic. Try designing wild areas at the property lines or on adjacent corners of your properties and utilize land where people traffic is low.
These tips were adapted from the article Landcaping Backyards for Wildlife: Top Ten Tips for Success, University of Florida IFAS Extension.