While choosing the right plants and flowers for your backyard garden is important for making it look beautiful, the best gardens also incorporate local wildlife for that special touch.  Here are a few tips to help make your backyard garden more attractive to your animal neighbors.

Most living creatures need a steady supply of water to survive.  While animals may stop by your backyard, they’re going to keep on moving if they don’t find fresh water available.  You can supply this water by installing a pond, adding a bird bath, or even putting out a bucket to collect rain water.

When I go into my mother’s backyard garden, I feel like Snow White.  There are squirrels, birds, rabbits, and chipmunks everywhere you look.  She doesn’t have a bird bath.  She doesn’t provide animals with shelter.  She doesn’t even have a garden.  All she does is feed them.  Especially in the winter, animals will go where the food is.  If you put food out regularly, you should eventually have a host of wildlife.  Having readily available food will also help deter your yard animals from eating items in your garden.  Just be careful, eventually you will get predators in your yard, including cats and even birds of prey.

Along with food and water, animals also require shelter to live.  You can attract birds to your garden by putting in houses and supplying them with nesting material.  You should also consider shelter for other animals, such as insects and small rodents.   Leaving small areas of your garden unmanicured, or putting leaves around will provide these smaller (but not less important ) animals a place to stay.

While food, water and shelter are the most important factors for attracting wildlife, there are a few other steps you can take.  To attract specific insects, you should put certain plants in your garden.  If you’re unsure, remember that species natural to your area will probably attract most local wildlife.  You should also remember to keep your soil healthy and looses so insects can feel welcome.

By taking a few small steps, you can help your garden attract lots of local wildlife.  Just remember that animals are usually creatures of habit and it will take a while for them to change.