Growing vegetation purposely for backyard visitors

[kristina]

Does anyone here grow little things to support wildlife that come into the backyards or visit their apartment?
I planted two blueberry bushes last year for the birds and have a butterly and bee garden with plants that are there to support them. Also, I bought (very inexpensive) white clover seeds (Amazon) and planted it in my yard. My yard is very manicured but the bees are far more important to me. I am looking for honey bee hive that is small as I know their population is in great decline. Does anyone else do these little things for our 2nd density friends?
Each meal I give thanks to them even to the wheat in my bread or pasta. I celebrate their little lives.

[Jade]

My yard is full of wildflowers so I just let it grow as long as my husband can stand. We have lots of pollinator friendly plants. However, we got a super late snow last night, so I'm having anxiety this morning about all the budding plants and animals who got dumped with freezing wet slush.

[ada]

You might enjoy this thread if you haven't discovered it already, kristina.

https://www.bring4th.org/forums/showthre...?tid=14728

[Diana]

I love what you are doing.

I live in the desert so a water source is the most important thing here. I keep a bird bath and a dish in the front yard. It's important to put rocks in them because the little baby quail or lizards and some insects will drown otherwise. I have a tiny pond in the back yard that the javelinas started by dumping the water dish and rooting around in the ground, and I have continued to build that up as a water source. There are zillions of tadpoles in it at the moment, and I cook spinach for them. The bees love all the water sources and I can go out and "hang" with them. I love their gentle energy. There are flowering cactus and they especially love the palo verde trees' flowers in spring. 

Beyond water, I feed the bunnies, mule deer, and javies when they come around with carrots and apples and potatoes, and whatever appropriate veggie scraps I have. There are ground and rock squirrels too. The mule deer are special friends and I have known the matriarch for 10 years. I also feed the birds with seed.

I have the same plan to create more natural sources of food. Berry bushes like you have, and maybe millet for the birds, and plant some fruiting trees. I just haven't gotten to that yet.

I think you can make a home for the bees with tubing like bamboo. Here is a video on it:

[flofrog]

kristina I love what you are doing too.. I bet your flowers are already attracting your friends. I feed birds and give them a bird bath and bluejays will knock at the window when the feeder is empty. I mean you have to perform... we get eight species coming in and the last one is a small woodpecker pale grey with black wings and a small red dot on his head the acorn woodpecker. Would there be a bee society where you live kristina ?

[Glow]

I started doing similar the last few years. We had raspberries and red currants and found it pretty great the birds were coming into the yard and feeding their fledglings from the lower branches as they hopped around. I added more currents, blue berries, honey berries and a supposedly hardy fig, so far the fig isn’t hardy.

This winter was so aggressive with storms I realized I need to plant some evergreens so the birds have more natural sources of shelter. Not that I mind them on the deck but there was at some points 40+ taking shelter on our small covered porch and they really were not protected from the wind just the wet so I will have to include that. It’s nice to be in the city yet still have lots of birds and bunnies making themselves at home.

And like you said Dianne water is so important.

Nice to hear what all of you are doing too.

[David_1]

   Years ago my wife and I bought a house in the small town where we live.  It has a larger than average back yard.  There were no trees, and half the yard grew weeds then.  So now we have grass in the front and half the back to blend in with the neighbors.  The other half of the back where the weeds grew I planted with a variety of small trees that are now grown.  We live in a fairly dry climate, and I have never been successful with growing vegetables.  My wife smiles when I tell her I’m going to sit for a while in our tiny forest.  I find sitting among the trees to be very calming and delightful.  We have two bunny, and three squirrel friends this year and several kinds of birds.
   Yes, I agree that if any person can promote wildlife of any kind (I consider trees and bushes to be wildlife), even in a small patch, it is likely to be to their benefit, as well as to the other critters that choose to live there.

[David_1]

   My wife enjoys growing several kinds of small plants within our house.

[Tae]

Yes, I intentionally plant flowers and snacks for the birds, bees, and bunnies. Didn't get a single zucchini because the damn squirrels kept eating their flowers last year. D: I must admit that increased my rancor towards them. I love MOST of the little creatures, lol.

[kristina]

I love what you are doing.

I live in the desert so a water source is the most important thing here. I keep a bird bath and a dish in the front yard. It's important to put rocks in them because the little baby quail or lizards and some insects will drown otherwise. I have a tiny pond in the back yard that the javelinas started by dumping the water dish and rooting around in the ground, and I have continued to build that up as a water source. There are zillions of tadpoles in it at the moment, and I cook spinach for them. The bees love all the water sources and I can go out and "hang" with them. I love their gentle energy. There are flowering cactus and they especially love the palo verde trees' flowers in spring. 

Beyond water, I feed the bunnies, mule deer, and javies when they come around with carrots and apples and potatoes, and whatever appropriate veggie scraps I have. There are ground and rock squirrels too. The mule deer are special friends and I have known the matriarch for 10 years. I also feed the birds with seed.

I have the same plan to create more natural sources of food. Berry bushes like you have, and maybe millet for the birds, and plant some fruiting trees. I just haven't gotten to that yet.

I think you can make a home for the bees with tubing like bamboo. Here is a video on it:

Hi Diana....I forgot about this thread LOL!
I just made a little bee hotel...like a few days ago. How awesome! Guess what???? Honey bees took it.
I planted Sulfur Cosmos and they are coming up for my little butterfly buddies.

[kristina]

I started doing similar the last few years. We had raspberries and red currants and found it pretty great the birds were coming into the yard and feeding their fledglings from the lower branches as they hopped around. I added more currents, blue berries, honey berries and a supposedly hardy fig, so far the fig isn’t hardy.

This winter was so aggressive with storms I realized I need to plant some evergreens so the birds have more natural sources of shelter. Not that I mind them on the deck but there was at some points 40+ taking shelter on our small covered porch and they really were not protected from the wind just the wet so I will have to include that. It’s nice to be in the city yet still have lots of birds and bunnies making themselves at home.

And like you said Dianne water is so important.

Nice to hear what all of you are doing too.

Can you grow Juniper for the berries?

[kristina]

   Years ago my wife and I bought a house in the small town where we live.  It has a larger than average back yard.  There were no trees, and half the yard grew weeds then.  So now we have grass in the front and half the back to blend in with the neighbors.  The other half of the back where the weeds grew I planted with a variety of small trees that are now grown.  We live in a fairly dry climate, and I have never been successful with growing vegetables.  My wife smiles when I tell her I’m going to sit for a while in our tiny forest.  I find sitting among the trees to be very calming and delightful.  We have two bunny, and three squirrel friends this year and several kinds of birds.
   Yes, I agree that if any person can promote wildlife of any kind (I consider trees and bushes to be wildlife), even in a small patch, it is likely to be to their benefit, as well as to the other critters that choose to live there.

Awwwww

[kristina]

Yes, I intentionally plant flowers and snacks for the birds, bees, and bunnies. Didn't get a single zucchini because the damn squirrels kept eating their flowers last year. D: I must admit that increased my rancor towards them. I love MOST of the little creatures, lol.

LOL

[JJCarsonian]

Does anyone here grow little things to support wildlife that come into the backyards or visit their apartment?
I planted two blueberry bushes last year for the birds and have a butterly and bee garden with plants that are there to support them. Also, I bought (very inexpensive) white clover seeds (Amazon) and planted it in my yard. My yard is very manicured but the bees are far more important to me. I am looking for honey bee hive that is small as I know their population is in great decline. Does anyone else do these little things for our 2nd density friends?
Each meal I give thanks to them even to the wheat in my bread or pasta. I celebrate their little lives.

you seem like a really good person for doing the little things.