NWF: Don’t Plant Just a Garden- Plant a Wildlife Garden
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April 14, 2009
Bismarck, ND – Someday soon, the North Dakota weather will be warm enough to plant that spring garden. And this year, gardeners might aim for more than just the routine roundup of their favorite vegetables and flowers.
Naturalist David Mizjewski of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) says your garden also can be your own backyard wildlife habitat. It's good for the wildlife, and also for garden plants that need wildlife to bloom and grow, he explains.
"A lot of our garden plants need to be pollinated by bees and butterflies and other insects - even hummingbirds, sometimes - to be productive, and set fruit and seed, and things like that. So, you really do need wildlife to have a beautiful garden."
You don't need a lot of room, or even a rural setting to create good wildlife habitat, Mizjewski says. A garden space will perform the same important functions in compact, urban settings.
"No matter where you are, there simple things you can do to provide food and water, cover, places to raise young - that will help local wildlife. Whether it's just a little garden in a container that attracts butterflies, and maybe even some birds, a bird bath or something like that, in a small space."
Mizjewski adds there are ways to keep out "undesirable" wildlife, too, depending on the predators of those critters you are trying to attract. NWF has a certification program and guidelines to help people set up their sustainable wildlife habitats. To learn more, visit www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife.