Article by J. Olsen and N. Allen (2002). “Among the many birds attracted to gardens, hummingbirds can be the most appealing. Not only are these “garden jewels” fun to watch, hummingbirds play an important role in our environment by pollinating flowers and feeding on insects.”
Archives: Recommended Websites
Attracting wildlife to your backyard
By Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. This website provides information on how to create a backyard habitat.
Beneficial Insects, Spiders, and Other Mini-Creatures in Your Garden
Published by Washington State University Extension. This manual provides strategies to encourage beneficial insects, spiders, and mites to visit and stay in your garden landscape, and set up defense lines against the troublesome herbivores.
Creating a Hummingbird Garden (pdf)
Pamphlet by Jodi K. Hoctor, Washington State University Extension. Includes a description of hummingbird species, hummingbird feeders, and recommended plantings. PDF
Garden for Wildlife – Making Wildlife Habitat at Home
By National Wildlife Federation. How to attract birds, insects, and amphibians. How to build houses/nests for bats, bees, and birds. How to create a neighbor and wildlife friendly backyard.
Attracting Hummingbirds
The city of Bellingham has created a list of ways to attract hummingbirds to your garden. PDF
There’s Life in Hazard Trees
A pamphlet from the Forest Service that emphasizes the value of wildlife in evaluating tree hazards. With just a little extra planning, hazard tree management programs can be highly beneficial to wildlife while maintaining the goals of the program. PDF
Creating Your Own Healthy Habitat
Chapter 3, Audubon At Home in Seattle : Gardening for Life by National Audubon Society and the Seattle Audubon Society (2003). This chapter focuses on how to design a garden that will attract birds. It also includes a plant list.
Wildlife in the Garden
By Idaho Landscapes & Gardens, University of Idaho Extension. Gardens can be alive with songbirds and beneficial insects and many are visited by deer, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, voles, and even the occasional snake. On this page, you’ll find information to help you decide just how “wild” you’d like your garden to be and how to make it more-or less-so.
Designing for Wildlife
A compilation of suggested guidelines for making your landscape more wildlife friendly by PlantNative. These guidelines promote the essential habitat elements of food, cover, water, and places to raise young.