Making Your Yard a Wildlife Park

Many people try to keep the local wildlife out of your yard, but having animals to watch while you're out on the patio can be kind of like being at a more comfortable, natural zoo. Also, certain animals can bring wonderful benefits to your garden; bees, for instance, can increase the produce of your vegetables by 30%. So just in case you want to have more animals roaming your yard, here are some ways you can attract them.

Bees - leave a patch of bare dirt in the sun so they can bury underground and lay eggs. Bees don't always build their hives on trees - they build them in soil, too! They can also hibernate there. To get bees in your yard in the first place, grow lavender and buddleia, which will provide a source of nectar for our buzzing buddies.
Birds - hanging up bird feeders and bird houses and installing bird baths are obvious and effective ways to attract and keep birds. Additional to these conventional ways you can plant ivy and bushes for birds to have places to build their nests as well as berry trees for birds to get food. Sunflowers also provide food for birds.
Hedgehogs - this one requires a bit of planning. First, make sure there's a way for the hedgehog to enter your yard. This can be either a place that is not fenced off or a small hole in the fence. Then, you want to create a habitat for it, a wild corner of the yard with a log and leaves. These will attract bugs that will in turn attract hedgehogs and give them a food source. You can also leave out fresh water and food to encourage them to return. Bushes are also important to provide a place for hedgehogs to hide.
Frogs and newts - two main habitats help attract these amphibians: a small pond and a compost pile. The compost pile gives them a place to hide, while the pond provides them a wet place to live. Grow some pond plants to attract bugs and feed your froggy friends.
Foxes and badgers - these elusive creatures won't stay past dinner, but if you grow a fruit tree, you just might get them in your yard for a bit. The trick is to not collect the fruit from the tree or throw away anything once they've fallen, as the fruit sitting on the ground will be an attractive food source for foxes and badgers.

These are just a few of the creatures you might want in your yard. They are, of course, particular to certain locals, so you may not have every one of these in your area. With luck, though, you'll have plenty of wildlife to watch roam your yard. For more information, follow the link here to interact with the different habitats.