Looking to learn more about the wildlife in your backyard? Or maybe you want to learn how you can attract more wildlife? Well, these resources and tips will help you make your backyard more wildlife friendly!DIYs/Activities
These DIYs and activities are great for attracting wildlife to your backyard:- Build a bat house or a birdhouse
- Set up a bird bath
- Build a bee tunnel nest
- Create a toad house
- Build a mini-wildlife pond
- Provide bird nesting materials
Gardening
Consider replacing some of your grass with native plants. This is a great way you can help Minnesota’s wildlife, and tempt them to spend some time in your backyard.- If you want to start making your yard more pollinator friendly, check out the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources’ Pollinator Toolbox. It’s a great resource that has tips for residential pollinator habitats and habitat guides for planting for pollinators.
- You can also swap out some of your turf for a bee lawn or a pollinator meadow.
- If you’re worried about going big right away, you can start small with pocket plantings, container gardening or adding in native plants and other food sources.
- You don’t have to go it all alone. Programs like Lawns to Legumes offer workshops and guides for making your yard more wildlife friendly.
Tips
- Start identifying what’s in your backyard with helpful apps like Seek, eBird, and Merlin.
- Avoid bird strikes on your windows by placing feeders close to windows, having external screens or netting, or putting up window decals. You can even make your own bird-friendly wall decals.
- Leave your leaves in the fall! Let the fallen leaves break down to improve your soil and offer safe places for pollinators to nest.