David Mizejewski - National Wildlife Federation(R): Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, Expanded Second Edition, 17 Projects & Step-by-Step Instructions to Give Back to Nature

National Wildlife Federation

ATTRACTING BIRDS,
BUTTERFLIES, AND OTHER BACKYARD WILDLIFE

Expanded Second Edition

National Wildlife Federation

Expanded Second Edition

David Mizejewski

Copyright 2004, 2019 National Wildlife Federation

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturers instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

Vice President-Content: Christopher Reggio

Editor: Jeremy Hauck

Copy Editor: Amy Deputato

Designer: Wendy Reynolds

Indexer: Elizabeth Walker

ISBN 978-1-58011-818-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Mizejewski, David, author. | National Wildlife Federation, issuing body.

Title: National Wildlife Federation : attracting birds, butterflies & other wildlife to your backyard / David Mizejewski.

Other titles: Attracting birds, butterflies & other wildlife to your backyard

Description: Expanded second edition. | Mount Joy, PA : Creative Homeowner, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019000507 | ISBN 9781580118187 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Gardening to attract wildlife. | Wildlife habitat improvement. | Wildlife attracting.

Classification: LCC QL59 .M59 2019 | DDC 333.95/4--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000507

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to .

Printed in China

Current Printing (last digit)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Creative Homeowner, www.creativehomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, and in the United Kingdom by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

To Mom and Dad:

All those years of muddy clothes, poison ivy, and the zoo in my bedroom paid off.
Thanks for allowing me to pursue my passion for nature.

To Justin:

Thank you for building our own wild garden every step of the way with me.

Natural places and the wildlife species that inhabit them face ever-increasing pressure from human activity. Today, there are few places on Earth that have not been affected in some way by the way weve altered the planet. As a result, natural habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate and wildlife is declining.

Wildlife species and the natural areas they need to survive are important and should be protected and restored. Imagine life without the song of birds and the chirring of crickets, the beauty of a windswept prairie, or the cool serenity of a green woodland. Imagine a child growing up without having the opportunity to watch a tadpole changing into a frog, to smell a wildflower, or to wade in a clear stream. Without wild areas, humanity, as well as wildlife, suffers.

It is easy to feel as if there is no hope for wildlife in our modern world of asphalt, smog, and traffic. But there is hope. You can choose to create a garden or landscape that helps restore habitat for local wildlife and the ecological balance. You can surround yourself with beautiful native plants that will attract an amazing array of birds, butterflies, and other backyard wildlife for you to enjoy, right outside your window, every day.

This book will teach you how to create a wildlife habitat garden, and how to have it recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as an official Certified Wildlife Habitat through the Garden for Wildlife program. In doing so, you will be doing your part to restore the ecology of the land on which you live and make sure wildlife thrives in a rapidly changing world.

We need to reconnect our cities, towns, and neighborhoods back into the ecosystem they were once a part of.

Wildlife is declining at an unprecedented rate all around the planet. Unfortunately human activity is the most significant cause of this decline. Our land development and agricultural practices, pollution, alteration of rivers and wetlands, and climate change are increasingly changing Americas landscape in ways that render it barren for wildlife or kill wildlife outright. As a result, today more than one-third of Americas wildlife is at risk of extinction in the coming decades. While the situation sounds grim, you might be surprised to learn that you can help reverse this alarming decline for some species by creating your own wildlife habitat garden.