Success isn't always measured by bold beautiful blooms, but instead by the wildlife that those blooms attract into the garden. One of the hottest trends now is creating a backyard habitat for wildlife. A perfect example is located in Wisconsin's Door County. It's no wonder the wildlife feel at home there. The beautiful peninsula is surrounded by the waters of Lake Michigan and Green Bay. Because it's known for its natural beauty, it's the perfect environment for attracting all kinds of animals.
Don Smith is truly an animal's best friend. He started this wildlife garden behind the Settlement Inn in Fish Creek just for them. As a former biology teacher, his goal is to teach more people how to create their own wildlife garden.
In his garden, Don gets rabbits, gophers, chipmunks, butterflies and lots of bird life. Getting wildlife into the garden is one thing, but keeping them there is another. Don says you need to provide four major elements: food, water, shelter and places to bear young.
For food sources, Don recommends a variety of berry bushes, like honeysuckle, viburnum, even raspberries and blueberries. Sunflowers, wild asparagus and ornamental grasses are also food sources for the birds. And you can always add a bird feeder.
There are special feeders for attracting hummingbirds. Fill them with sugar water and the birds will be flitting around in no time. Or plant colorful flowers that provide nectar. The hummingbirds seem to love Don's Russian sage. And remember, you also need a water source in your wildlife garden. Just like us, animals need it for drinking and bathing. You can either make your own pond or if you don't have room, add a bird bath or even a shallow dish.
Dirt piles and rock piles make great cover and a place to bear young. Some other natural shelters where small animals can reproduce include dense shrubs or brush piles, hollow logs. Or, you can even make your own nesting box for the birds.
Don doesn't use pesticides in his garden and, by doing do, he allows a little ecosystem to build up in the garden. For example, even though some plants have aphids, there are also lots of aphid-loving ladybugs as well. And birds will eat many of the insects as well, so a garden like Don's comes full circle.
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