​NIMBY: Nature in My Back Yard – Gardening for wildlife in all seasons

Happy New Year! The changing of the calendar is a traditional time to reflect on the year past and plan for the future. For gardeners, that may mean browsing seed catalogues, and the websites of plant nurseries or Lee Valley for new tools.

I hope everyone is enduring the wintry weather in safety and comfort. After a fresh snowfall, one of my favourite things is to look for evidence of wildlife via tracks in my yard. I live near the Blair’s Grove nature trails and some mornings, the deer tracks in my backyard remind me of parties I threw in my teens when my parents were out of town. It looks as if a good time was had by all. I also check for signs of the neighbourhood fox patrol, and often see many indications of rabbits, squirrels and birds.

We welcome wildlife on our property and make deliberate gardening decisions based on the goal of providing food and shelter not only for insects and birds, but for mammals and reptiles as well. Our gardens are much more than pollinator patches and are more correctly termed “habitat” gardens.

In this column, I will present an overview of key elements that should be present in a wildlife-friendly habitat garden.

The first and most obvious element is food. The goal should always be to plant a diverse variety of native plant species and types that provide flowers or fruit from early spring to late fall. Perennial flowers of different colours, shapes and sizes will attract and support a greater variety of insect species, and the seed heads will feed birds through the migratory season and into the winter. In my November column, I suggested resources to assist in choosing native plants to suit your eco-region and landscape.

Trees and shrubs are garden elements I’ve come to embrace as part of my native plant education. Our original garden designs included non-natives, such as forsythia, burning bush, lilac, Japanese maple and others. Many native woody plants provide flowers for pollinators in the spring and summer and then produce fruit, seeds or nuts that feed birds and other animals later. Non-native ornamental species don’t necessarily deliver similar benefits.

Water is an element that is relatively easy to provide in most seasons but can be challenging in winter. Vessels of water can be simple shallow dishes or fancy birdbaths and ponds. It’s important to replace the water frequently in warm weather and keep the container clean. This will control bacteria and mosquitoes. My birdbath bowls are an eclectic mix sourced from thrift stores and I place a large perching stone in each for insects and small birds.

My husband created a small pond in the fall, and before the water froze, we noticed many tracks leading to and from this valuable water source. Just as a stone in a bowl of water provides a safe perch, in a pond, it’s important that sides be sloped or elements, such as stones or wood, added to allow animals to safely climb out should they fall in.

The necessity of leaving leaves for insects was addressed in my October column. However, fallen leaves also provide shelter for amphibians, such as frogs, toads and salamanders. Small animals use leaves as insulation in burrows and birds forage for over-wintering insects in the leaf litter.

Native trees and shrubs are important sources of food but are also very beneficial for shelter in winter. Evergreen trees with their dense, year-round foliage, block the wind, trap the snow and provide sanctuary from both weather and predators. Additionally, these trees provide habitat in spring for birds that nest early before deciduous trees leaf out. We have a large cedar hedge that is always alive with small birds flying in, out and among the tangle of branches.

Helpful man-made shelters include log and brush piles. A dried out Christmas tree, if added to a pile of fallen and/or trimmed branches, can become part of a refuge for wildlife in extreme weather. As a bonus, the decaying wood attracts insects which lay eggs and become a food source for birds in the nesting season.

I mentioned earlier that we welcome all types of wildlife in our yard, including reptiles. Concerned that we were seeing fewer snakes, many years ago, my husband built a hibernaculum at the back of our property in the hopes of attracting over-wintering snakes. It was relatively easy to construct and made good use of leftover construction materials. The pit must be below the frost line and above the water table. Once dug, the hole is filled with rubble, such as bricks, rocks and branches, to create small chambers and multiple layers. Pieces of PVC pipe at entrances and throughout the construction, permit snakes to move easily from outside to the bottom of the pit. The Toronto Zoo provides instructions on its website: www.torontozoo.com/adoptapond/habitat/hibernacula.

If you elect to garden in ways that attract wildlife, there are many positive benefits but you must accept that deer and rabbits will browse your plants and shrubs. You may want to protect younger plants until they mature.

It’s been quite a winter already and it’s only January. If your garden areas don’t already include wildlife-friendly elements, perhaps now is the time to plan to make additions in the spring and summer. As the new year dawns, let’s resolve to go beyond simple bird feeders and consider how we can support other, smaller lives that contribute to a healthy eco-system and bring balance and joy to our lives.