An amazing number of God’s creatures can be found in one’s own backyard with just a little informed observation. This spring I have been amazed to see these migratory birds at our home just blocks from the church: Indigo Bunting, American Redstart, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Palm Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Swainson's Thrush. A combination of a few trees of multiple heights, some dense shrubs, assorted flowers, a bird bath with a dripper and a couple of feeders with differing foods equal an extraordinary welcome mat for these neo-tropical migrants.
Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians all depend on pathways through urban environments; wide-open lawns pose numerous risks. With the decline of hedgerows, fencelines and woodlots in cities comes the loss of natural corridors for animal travel and refuge.
Sara Stein, in her book Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, suggests that if homeowners would cooperatively landscape property edges that the aggregate result would be a substantial increase in overall corridor area (see diagram; Stein). This concept could be incorporated into subdivision design from the beginning to benefit both humans and animals. You may be the very catalyst that starts a wildlife corridor landscape initiative in your neighborhood.
Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians all depend on pathways through urban environments; wide-open lawns pose numerous risks. With the decline of hedgerows, fencelines and woodlots in cities comes the loss of natural corridors for animal travel and refuge.Sara Stein, in her book Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, suggests that if homeowners would cooperatively landscape property edges that the aggregate result would be a substantial increase in overall corridor area (see diagram; Stein). This concept could be incorporated into subdivision design from the beginning to benefit both humans and animals. You may be the very catalyst that starts a wildlife corridor landscape initiative in your neighborhood.
[Diagram: Sara Stein, in her book Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards. Purchase at Half.com]
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