PLEASE SUBMIT PHOTOS OF "PLACES TO RAISE YOUNG" THAT YOU HAVE CREATED IN YOUR YARD
See the official certification page
You need at least two places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and then bear and raise their young:
For butterflies, a "place to raise young" simply means a tree or milkweed or some other native plant where they can lay eggs, and the catterpillars will feed on those plants as they grow.
For birds, a dense or thorny shrub is ideal cover, and a great place to raise young. A tree works great for other birds. Since we remove many of the dead and dying trees in our urban landscape, there are few natural nest cavities for some birds to utilize. In this case, a specific type of next box can and should be erected.
Some of the smaller mammals dig a den, or hide out under our decks and porches to raise a family.
See the official certification page
You need at least two places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and then bear and raise their young:
- Mature Trees
- Meadow or Prairie
- Nesting Box
- Wetland
- Cave
- Host Plants for Caterpillars
- Dead Trees or Snags
- Dense Shrubs or a Thicket
- Water Garden or Pond
- Burrow
Examples from your neighbors
Coming soon!More ideas
You know you've done something right when a critter feels safe and provisioned enough to settle down and raise a family in your yard.For butterflies, a "place to raise young" simply means a tree or milkweed or some other native plant where they can lay eggs, and the catterpillars will feed on those plants as they grow.
For birds, a dense or thorny shrub is ideal cover, and a great place to raise young. A tree works great for other birds. Since we remove many of the dead and dying trees in our urban landscape, there are few natural nest cavities for some birds to utilize. In this case, a specific type of next box can and should be erected.
Some of the smaller mammals dig a den, or hide out under our decks and porches to raise a family.
- Provide native plants for specialist Moth and Butterfly species, etc.
- Dead Trees or Stumps or Logs
- Birdhouses: Get books at a library or online, and talk to the people at wild bird stores. Every bird has a unique set of requirements for their birdhouse. Some hints: Use wood or plastic, not metal. Or grow a "birdhouse gourd". Clean it out every year. Openings for ventilation and breeze. Somewhere cats and squirrels won't get into it. No perch for English House Sparrows. Opening hole diameter: 1-1/8 inch for Chicadees, 1-1/4 inch for Wrens.
- Roost box for Bats (not really a place to raise young, more of a place to sleep and hang out during the day)
- Don't poison your yard or rake up all of your leaves: a large number of next year's Moths, Bumblebees, and so much more are overwintering in the soil and leaves.
- Pond