If
you plant thoughtfully and plan for basic needs, the birds and wildlife will
come. If you plan to delight the eye, design
for serenity, and aim for (relatively) low maintenance, you create something more – a
sanctuary.
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| Baltimore oriole invasion! |
This
nature journal entry is from last August, done when I visited my parents in
northeastern Iowa. This is part of their
backyard! Here’s what I saw:
- Eight plus bird species (in an hour or so)
- A bunny
- Chipmunks
- Squirrels
- Butterflies, honeybees, bumblebees and other insects
Sort
of a plein air (from inside!), but from direct observation – hence the start-and-stop
lines and redraws. Everything in nature moves! Made in ink and watercolor on a Saturday
afternoon, finished on Sunday afternoon.
One
of the things that makes this a special place is the layout – it is a long and
narrow lot with a wonderful viewing spot from inside the house. This viewing spot is a picture window in the
dining room that overlooks nearly the entire back of the property. Someone can enjoy watching the never-ending
show while lingering over a cup of coffee.
It’s also a convenient place to sketch and not frighten away the birds!
Another
special thing is that this space is a collaboration between my parents – one
gardens for shelter, beauty and food sources and one creates and maintains
feeders for the birds (and small and large mammals). Both create their own forms of functional art.
 |
| We all get thirsty. |
Interwoven
into the garden spaces are water sources: shallow birdbaths at various
heights. Short grasses and flat
limestone rocks delineate paths that wind through flowers, ferns, and small
shrubs. A few strategic benches invite
visitors to sit, to meditate, to just rest.
That
weekend was a time of Baltimore orioles, a bird I seldom see in SW
Florida. Bright orange and black for the
males, and a more subtle brownish-orange for the females and juveniles. They came for the grape jelly (yes, my Dad
has a soft heart for treats), the hummingbird nectar, and for a drink during
their thirsty migration travels. Small
woodpeckers came too, for the seed and suet, flicking in and out of the picture
nervously, but sometimes staying for a while.
All sorts of sparrows visited constantly, ever-adapting little bundles of
cheeping and hopping feathers.
 |
| Just passing through... |
What
else makes this space so special?
Design-wise, it’s full of varying but harmonious colors, different
heights and textures, and the privacy of screening shrubs and trees -- all with
a mindful eye for human needs. Wildlife-wise,
it fills the needs of living creatures, offering water, food, and shelter. Expanding on that, the offerings are appropriate. In other words:
- The water sources are clean, at various heights (one is a flat saucer on the ground) and scattered throughout the space.
- The
food is selected to attract certain species that live locally or migrate
through the area. Some is purchased
(seed mixtures, nuts, suet, grape jelly) while some is planted. Berry and fruit-and-nut bearing species here
are highbush cranberry and dogwood shrubs, crabapple, maple and oak trees.
Pollinators need food too! Butterflies, bees, and other insects are important to your garden’s health. Some flowers are only pollinated by bees, while others are less picky. We sometimes forget that pollination is a required step in order to make those berries or nuts.
- The shelter has what certain species need. There are high and low perches, as well as concealment cover for birds and small climbing chipmunks and squirrels. Chipmunks need closer-spaced branches while squirrels can jump quite far! Thick, low-growing shrubs, foliage or grasses provide shelter and cover for rabbits, chipmunks, and ground birds. The green spaces in their garden are all connected for safer travel. Is your overall environment a safe place? Are you using herbicides and/or pesticides? These do not create a healthy place to live. Choose more natural methods of controlling pests or not at all. Ask yourself two questions as a guide: “Would I want to live in the outdoor space I’ve created?” and “Would I want my children or small pets to eat, drink and sleep here?”
Needs
are also appropriate to the place and for the species attracted. This is an urban area, so it’s designed for
species that adapt well to town or city spaces. If this was a rural setting, the design might
shift into something very different.
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| Sanctuary. Another view of the garden shows a place for humans, too. |
Remember that you have needs too!
Do you thrive with colorful blooms or relax better with serene
greens? Do you crave order or prefer a
wildness in your habitat? Will you
observe, walk a path, or sit and read, or will you want to enjoy from afar? Do you like tending to feeders or prefer that Mother Nature provides sustainable food sources?
I
hope that all of the above inspires – if not to start your own backyard
wildlife garden, but to appreciate the natural spaces you live, work and move
through. There is an amazing world of life out there - if you start with even a single birdbath, they will come.
More
resources:
The
National Wildlife Federation (based in the US but for anyone): https://www.nwf.org/garden-for-wildlife (many resources,
including how to certify your yard as a wildlife habitat)
The
Wildlife Trust (based in the UK but for anyone): https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening (lots of how-to ideas
and free downloadable info packs)
Sketchbook Media:
“Baltimore Oriole Invasion”
“Baltimore Oriole Invasion”
Aquabee sketchbook, 6x9”
Sakura Micron Pigma
artist pen, black 01
Daniel Smith watercolors
Round brushes, size 4
and 8
“Sanctuary”
Fabriano Artistico CP
140 lb., about 6x9”
Mechanical pencil
Daniel Smith watercolors
Round brushes, size 4 and
8
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