PLEASE SUBMIT PHOTOS OF "WATER FEATURES" THAT YOU HAVE CREATED IN YOUR YARD
See the official certification page
Your habitat needs one of the following sources to provide clean water for wildlife to drink and bathe:
BIRD BATH and WATER DISH and FOUNTAINS
A bird bath seems like the simplest solution to providing water for birds, but there are a lot of considerations to be mindful of:
-Change the water almost every day. Some birds really do clean in these things, and get it dirty. But more often than not, birdbaths are just left to get dirty and gross, eventually poisoning the critters you intended to help.
-Birds like to have a ledge or something they can grab onto while they drink. Some birdbaths are too slippery.
-A birdbath quickly fills with dead insects (again because of those slippery surfaces). Add some rocks so they have an island to clink to and a way to rescue themselves.
-Changing the water frequently is also important to prevent the spread of Mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in stagnant waters.
-Birds will be nervous if there is too much cover around the birdbath for cats and other predators to attack them.
-Only some birds like to drink water slightly above the ground surface. Some birds would prefer a simple dish of water on the ground (as well as chipmunks and squirrels and such!). Change out the water every day, along with Fido's water dish. There are even hanging bird baths for birds that would like to drink water closer to the branches and leaves that they can escape to if a hawk comes by.
-A fountain is a good idea, it solves many of these dilemmas, and again, just need to keep the water clean. Songbirds are attracted to the sound of spilling and splashing water, and some birds clean themselves by flying through the splash and spray of a water feature.
MOSQUITO CONTROL
Mosquitoes are one of the most important things to take into consideration. We definitely don't need to create any more habitat for this particular species.
Backyard Mosquito Control:
-Don't leave water stagnant for too long. It takes about 5 to 7 days for a Mosquito egg to hatch and grow into a critter that can fly out of the water and suck your blood. Besides changing the water of birdbaths, the less obvious and worst culprits are usually gutters that are not cleaned regularly enough, or lawn furniture, covers, and kid's play equipment that collect water.
-Keep the water moving. If the water is moving around enough, whether from a pump, sprinkler, fountain, waterfall, or a bubbler, this just might be enough to prevent the eggs from hatching (and mosquitoes seek stagnant water to lay their eggs).
-If you create a deep enough pond (deeper than 4 feet?), you could keep fish. Fish will help eat the eggs and water larva.
-Chemicals are always a final recourse, and seldom helpful for wildlife. One method is a Mosquito Dunk, which is supposedly a natural bti chemical toxic only to Mosquitoes, which prevents mosquito larva from growing into adulthood. It lasts for 30 days, and can be very useful, though, for some ponds and water container gardens.
WATER CONTAINER GARDEN
Filling a container with water is one of the easiest things you can do, and opens up a vast array of water plants that you can grow. Arrowhead and Blue Irises and Pickerelweed are excellent native water plants with gorgeous foliage and flowers. Remember to provide ways for birds and mammals and insects to perch safely to take a drink, and not plunge in to their death. Water containers are usually not deep and big enough to keep fish, and the water can heat up quickly in the summer sun, so it is not recommended to keep fish in a plant container.
PONDS and WATERFALLS
Now the real fun begins! A large and deep enough pond in your yard can help nurture the fullest and widest variety of life, from frogs, turtles, and fish, to dragonflies, birds, bats, and hundreds of fascinating water bugs. The full circle of life will literally be happening right outside your door! Setting up and maintaining a wildlife pond is a pretty big undertaking, and may require professional help to dig and install it especially. But it's not rocket science, either. Do some internet research, take out some library books, maybe even buy one of the numerous books on ponds and waterfalls (the waterfalls are especially helpful at oxygenating the water, keeping the water cleaner, and also preventing those darn Mosquitoes from laying eggs and rearing a new brood of Mosquitoes). Try to talk to someone else that keeps a pond, and go on the summer tours that the Waterfall Association holds each year.
See the official certification page
Your habitat needs one of the following sources to provide clean water for wildlife to drink and bathe:
- Birdbath
- Lake
- Stream
- Seasonal Pool
- Ocean
- Water Garden/Pond
- River
- Butterfly Puddling Area
- Rain Garden
- Spring
Examples from your neighbors
Coming soon!More ideas
This is a vastly undervalued aspect of our yards. Our houses and streets are designed to let water runoff into storm drains and the river ASAP. This is a nightmare for water quality and the fish and birds that depend on the Minnehaha Creek and Mississippi river for sustenance. Along with farm runoff, this "nonpoint source" runoff is what pollutes the river and ultimately the hypoxic "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico where the Mississippi evacuates into.
RAINGARDEN and PLANT ROOTS
RAINGARDEN and PLANT ROOTS
A raingarden slows down this process, and keeps some rain in your yard. Raingardens are therefore a great place to plant native plants, and allows a whole range of smaller insects and natural soil organisms to thrive, hence contributing to the web of life.
The long roots of native plants (far longer than turf grass roots) also draw water deep into the soil. Similarly, a tree is just a really really big plant, and its leaves and roots draw in a great deal of water (which is eventually transpired back into the air to help create clouds and start the whole cycle over again).
BIRD BATH and WATER DISH and FOUNTAINS
A bird bath seems like the simplest solution to providing water for birds, but there are a lot of considerations to be mindful of:
-Change the water almost every day. Some birds really do clean in these things, and get it dirty. But more often than not, birdbaths are just left to get dirty and gross, eventually poisoning the critters you intended to help.
-Birds like to have a ledge or something they can grab onto while they drink. Some birdbaths are too slippery.
-A birdbath quickly fills with dead insects (again because of those slippery surfaces). Add some rocks so they have an island to clink to and a way to rescue themselves.
-Changing the water frequently is also important to prevent the spread of Mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in stagnant waters.
-Birds will be nervous if there is too much cover around the birdbath for cats and other predators to attack them.
-Only some birds like to drink water slightly above the ground surface. Some birds would prefer a simple dish of water on the ground (as well as chipmunks and squirrels and such!). Change out the water every day, along with Fido's water dish. There are even hanging bird baths for birds that would like to drink water closer to the branches and leaves that they can escape to if a hawk comes by.
-A fountain is a good idea, it solves many of these dilemmas, and again, just need to keep the water clean. Songbirds are attracted to the sound of spilling and splashing water, and some birds clean themselves by flying through the splash and spray of a water feature.
MOSQUITO CONTROL
Mosquitoes are one of the most important things to take into consideration. We definitely don't need to create any more habitat for this particular species.
Backyard Mosquito Control:
-Don't leave water stagnant for too long. It takes about 5 to 7 days for a Mosquito egg to hatch and grow into a critter that can fly out of the water and suck your blood. Besides changing the water of birdbaths, the less obvious and worst culprits are usually gutters that are not cleaned regularly enough, or lawn furniture, covers, and kid's play equipment that collect water.
-Keep the water moving. If the water is moving around enough, whether from a pump, sprinkler, fountain, waterfall, or a bubbler, this just might be enough to prevent the eggs from hatching (and mosquitoes seek stagnant water to lay their eggs).
-If you create a deep enough pond (deeper than 4 feet?), you could keep fish. Fish will help eat the eggs and water larva.
-Chemicals are always a final recourse, and seldom helpful for wildlife. One method is a Mosquito Dunk, which is supposedly a natural bti chemical toxic only to Mosquitoes, which prevents mosquito larva from growing into adulthood. It lasts for 30 days, and can be very useful, though, for some ponds and water container gardens.
WATER CONTAINER GARDEN
Filling a container with water is one of the easiest things you can do, and opens up a vast array of water plants that you can grow. Arrowhead and Blue Irises and Pickerelweed are excellent native water plants with gorgeous foliage and flowers. Remember to provide ways for birds and mammals and insects to perch safely to take a drink, and not plunge in to their death. Water containers are usually not deep and big enough to keep fish, and the water can heat up quickly in the summer sun, so it is not recommended to keep fish in a plant container.
PONDS and WATERFALLS
Now the real fun begins! A large and deep enough pond in your yard can help nurture the fullest and widest variety of life, from frogs, turtles, and fish, to dragonflies, birds, bats, and hundreds of fascinating water bugs. The full circle of life will literally be happening right outside your door! Setting up and maintaining a wildlife pond is a pretty big undertaking, and may require professional help to dig and install it especially. But it's not rocket science, either. Do some internet research, take out some library books, maybe even buy one of the numerous books on ponds and waterfalls (the waterfalls are especially helpful at oxygenating the water, keeping the water cleaner, and also preventing those darn Mosquitoes from laying eggs and rearing a new brood of Mosquitoes). Try to talk to someone else that keeps a pond, and go on the summer tours that the Waterfall Association holds each year.
