Backyard Conservation || Winterize your Yard for Wildlife

When the harsh UP Winter arrives and we are couped up inside more than usual it can be a refreshing sight to see and hear wildlife active in your yard. There are a few things you can do to encourage wintertime visitors to your yard as not all yards will seem so "welcoming" to little critters. Things like keeping available food and water as well as providing some type of shelter type structure will be good places to start. 

Food

It's not uncommon to feed birds- especially in the Winter. It is good to pick a food that has a high fat content for the birds during this time of year so suet feeders are a great choice. You can also use pine cones and roll it in peanut butter and bird seed so the seeds stick and the birds have a interactive feeder. This is a great choice if you're on a budget and are looking for a zero waste option. 

If you want to see more squirrels you can make a squirrel feeder which can be as simple as a corn cob placed in a tree or an all you can eat squirrel buffet. I highly recommend a google search to see all the creative designs. 

Water

We all know what happens to water in the winter so it can be a good idea to keep some fresh *liquid* water around for the critters. Bird baths are a great option for this and you can get water heaters so you don't have to constantly make trips outside to fill it up. Make sure you clean your water containers whatever kind you use periodically to reduce the potential for wildlife diseases as deer and other animals may drink from a bird bath as well. If you don't have a bird bath that's no problem, just a shallow dish that you can get the ice out of will work as well. Wildlife doesn't care how you do it, they just appreciate that you do. 

Shelter/Habitat 

Yeah, it does seem like we are going through the basics of what wildlife needs but when it gets as cold as it does in the UP shelter is important to consider. Shelter for this sort of project is really things like bird boxes, brush piles and even not disturbing leaves can be enough. Bird boxes are pretty obvious, but what's with a brush pile and keeping leaves? Brush piles are great for small mammals like rabbits, mice, ground squirrels etc. and allows them room to move, burrow and keep warm where the snow hasn't touched the ground under the brush. Speaking of that- remember our blog on hemlocks- those are awesome to have for deer wintering complexes where it keeps it a bit warmer and the snow less deep under the hemlocks. If you have some hemlocks on your property, deer may be a guest you will see this winter. Okay, so the leaves. You may not think about these critters so much, especially when trying to rake leaves to make your yard look nice- but having...keeping, leaves in your yard is super beneficial for insects *cough cough pollinators* and critters like toads and lizards. The leaves provide soft insulation from the snow, ground cover and tunnels for the insects to wait out the winter in. It also is a great natural mulch for your plants.