- What is a Certified Wildlife Habitat?<\/a><\/li>
- Certification Program Requirements<\/a><\/li>
- Why Have a Certified Wildlife Habitat?<\/a><\/li>
- Certification Costs and Processes<\/a><\/li>
- FAQ About Certified Wildlife Habitats<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
What is a Certified Wildlife Habitat?<\/h2>
A certified wildlife habitat provides food, resources, and shelter for the animals and insects that live in your area. By turning your yard into a safe haven, with food options, water, and nurseries for the local wildlife, you can help in conservation efforts that protect creatures and the planet.<\/p>
Certification Program Requirements<\/h2>
Most programs have five specific requirements.<\/p>
1. Build a Pollen, Nectar, Fruit, and Seed Buffet<\/h3>
![\"Hummingbird](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Hummingbird-Pexels.jpg\")
A hummingbird searches for backyard pollen.
Photo Credit: Frank Cone<\/a> \/ Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>Native plants, which are indigenous to a specific geographic area and have evolved to thrive in local conditions, provide the best sources of pollen<\/a>, fruit, and seeds for wildlife. Both Monarch Watch and the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) certify gardens that provide native nectar sources and host plants.<\/p>
The best plants for your garden depend on where you live:<\/p>
- Northwest:<\/strong> Serviceberry, Russian sage, Pacific <\/strong>rhododendrons
<\/li>- Southeast<\/strong>: Wild columbine, coral honeysuckle, and scarlet bee balm
<\/li>- Northeast: <\/strong>New England aster, fringetree
<\/li>- Midwest:<\/strong> Goldenrod, sunflower<\/li> <\/ul>
Providing appropriate sources of food is important. David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), notes that some birds won\u2019t eat berries from exotic plants, and butterflies and moths rely on native host plants<\/a> for both food and nesting sites.<\/p>
Bird feeders can be a component of a wildlife garden but Mizejewski warns, \u201cBird feeders are only a supplement to habitat; you should plant the plants that wildlife need to survive.\u201d Your garden needs three different kinds of food sources, such as seeds, berries, nectar plants, suet, or <\/strong>bird feeders<\/strong><\/a> to qualify as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.<\/strong><\/p>
2. Supply Shelter<\/h3>
![\"landscaped](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/colorful-shrubs.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Michelle_Maria<\/a> \/ Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure> Wildlife need safe spaces to hide from predators or seek shelter from the elements. The following are important components of a backyard wildlife habitat:<\/p>
- Mature trees<\/li>
- Shrubs<\/a><\/li>
- Thickets<\/li>
- Rock piles<\/li>
- Burrows<\/li>
- Ponds<\/li>
- Brush piles <\/li> <\/ul>
Man-made birdhouses and other nesting boxes can also add to the shelter. Adding at least two sources of shelter to the garden will help you earn habitat certification.<\/strong> The Audubon Society asks gardeners to keep domestic cats indoors to protect birds in the garden.<\/p>
\u201cPlants will provide most of the shelter needed in your garden,\u201d Mizejewski says. \u201cInstead of planting one tree or bush, mimic Mother Nature and plant an entire shrub row; dense plantings provide more cover and places for wildlife to hide.\u201d<\/p>
Consider adding roosting boxes, birdhouses, butterfly boxes, beneficial bug<\/a> hotels, and toad abodes, which provide shelter while adding decorative features to the garden.<\/p>
3. Offer a Drink<\/h3>
![\"birdfeeder\"](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/water-bird-wing-air-flower-animal-537887-pxhere.com-1.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Pxhere<\/a> \/ CC0 1.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> A clean source of drinking water is essential to support wildlife, but the H2O in a wildlife habitat is for more than sipping. Birds use shallow water for bathing while butterflies absorb nutrients from the soil\/water combination found in natural puddles. Don\u2019t have a pond or wetland in the backyard? Fountains and birdbaths<\/a> also qualify as acceptable water sources, notes Mizejewski.<\/p>
\u201cIf you place the bowl of the birdbath on the ground instead of on a pedestal, turtles and rabbits will be able to get a drink, too,\u201d he adds. You\u2019ll need at least one source of water to earn certification.<\/strong><\/p>
4. Provide Natural Nurseries<\/h3>
![\"nest\"](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/pexels-north-1287828-1.jpg\")
Photo Credit: 42 North<\/a> \/ Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure> If you want to help boost the wildlife population, you need to provide a place for creatures to raise their young. <\/p>
- Birds<\/strong> nest in trees
<\/li>- Snakes<\/strong> create burrows under rock piles
<\/li>- Frogs<\/strong> lay eggs on plants near water sources<\/li> <\/ul>
Giving wildlife at least two places to raise their young counts toward certification.<\/strong><\/p>
If dead trees don\u2019t pose a hazard, Mizejewski suggests leaving them in the landscape, explaining, \u201cWoodpeckers will excavate cavities that provide shelter for insects, and 96 percent of backyard birds feed insects to their young.\u201d<\/p>
5. Sustainable Gardening Practices<\/h3>
![\"Rain](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rain-garden-portland-wikimedia-commons-CC3.jpg\")
Photo Credit: EmilyBlueGreen<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> \u201cNone of these efforts will matter if you\u2019re dousing the yard with chemicals,\u201d Mizejewski says.<\/p>
To keep the landscape healthy for wildlife, you must use at least two sustainable practices to earn NWF certification<\/strong>, including:<\/p>
- Eliminating chemical pesticides and fertilizers that could harm or kill vulnerable creatures
<\/li> - Removing non-native plants and animals
<\/li> - Installing a rain garden<\/a> or using drip hoses or soaker irrigation to reduce water use<\/li> <\/ul>
- Snakes<\/strong> create burrows under rock piles
- Southeast<\/strong>: Wild columbine, coral honeysuckle, and scarlet bee balm
- Certification Program Requirements<\/a><\/li>