Valentines for Wildlife: Five Ways to Give Nature Some Love

A belated happy Valentine’s Day to you all! I hope you had a good time showing some love to your human sweetheart, if you have one. Perhaps you gave each other chocolates or flowers, or maybe shared a romantic candlelight dinner. But did you think to show affection to the backyard wildlife that give you so much enjoyment? Never fear, it’s not too late! Here are five easy ways you can help the wild creatures large and small that live right in your own neighborhood.

1.     If you don't already have bird feeders, you can easily make your own! Tie some string to the top of a pine cone. Then smear the cone with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed. You can add some dried fruit too if you like, such as raisins. Use the string to tie the pine cone treat to a branch and enjoy watching the birds devour this tasty treat. In my area, February is often the coldest part of the winter, and much of the natural sources of food may be used up by now. This means the birds will be especially appreciative of your generosity. Make sure to identify and report all the birds you see this weekend for the Great Backyard Bird Count! See my next post LINK for more information on the GBBC as well.

Female House Finch and male Cardinal enjoying my sunflower seed feeder

2.     Build a brush shelter for wildlife to hide in and perch on. If you haven’t gotten around to discarding your Christmas tree or wreath yet, these are excellent starts for a brush pile. If you want to go big, see LINK for my description of building a brush pile. You  can also just start with a smaller one. Lean sticks up against your discarded Christmas tree or against a fallen log to create a little lean-to, add some pine branches or fallen leaves inside and on top, and there you go. If you put this near your bird feeder you may see birds perching on or in the shelter while they eat. Chipmunks, mice, and other small mammals may shelter there as well. 

I built a pile of logs, brush, and leaves to provide winter shelter in my yard.

3.     Since birds and other animals get thirsty too, try putting out pans of water for your wildlife. If you live in a cold area, a fresh pan of hot water each morning will provide much-needed drinks and bathing opportunities. If you already own a birdbath, you may think it’s useless in the wintertime since it freezes over. Not so! You can buy a specially-made birdbath heater to keep the water from freeing completely, thus preventing you having to go out into the cold every morning to refresh it. This is a great way to attract unusual birds to your yard, or birds who don’t normally come to seed or suet feeders.

Robin splashing happily in my concrete birdbath last summer.

4.     If you have room to garden, you have many choices for creating valentines for your favorite wildlife. Now would be a great time to consider adding some native plants to your yard in order to support local bees and butterflies. If the plants also have tasty berries or seeds for birds and small mammals later, so much the better. I’ll be posting some helpful tips next week for starting a wildlife garden, so stay tuned!

A Monarch butterfly used my New York asters to fuel up for last fall's migration.

5.     Finally, even if you don’t have a yard or garden of your own, you can do other kind things for wildlife. Take the family to a nearby park or stream and spend some time picking up litter. Not only the wildlife will appreciate it, but other people who enjoy the park will too! 

I really enjoy showing some love to the wildlife all around me, and I hope you do too. Let me know in the comments what birds and other animals you see in your yard!