Wildlife Gardening: Shelter for Staying Warm, Dry and Safe

If you want to keep the squirrels out of your attic and the mice out of your crawlspace, give them a place of their own!

If your yard is barren and your house is the only structure in sight, you can't blame wildlife for seeking shelter in your home. However, if you have a lush property of hardwoods, evergreens, shrubs, grasses and flowers surrounding your home, wildlife is much more likely to use these familiar, natural sources as shelter and nesting sites.

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Animals need shelter from cold winds in winter, for nesting sites in summer, and for refuge from predators year-round. Tall trees and dense shrubs provide the best shelter for most species. Keep as many trees as possible around your property; only remove trees that are a hazard to your home. Don't think that all pines are going to topple onto your roof in a storm; pines are actually quite hardy when the ground around them is undisturbed and their roots are allowed to form a network with each other and with other trees. A single pine in a barren yard is likely to topple in a hurricane or snap in an ice storm, but there is safety in numbers.

Similarly, consider leaving dead and dying trees in your woods, as long as they are not close enough to fall on your house. Dead trees (called snags) are a rich source of insect life for birds, lizards, and other critters to eat, as well as prime real estate for nesting sites when the tree trunk is naturally hollow or can be hollowed out by drilling or gnawing.

Some people prefer a park-like look for their woods, so they remove all young trees, low branches, and shrubby growth from among the mature trees. This deprives foliage-eating mammals, such as deer, from their primary food source, as well as severely limiting cover from predators and nesting sites for many creatures. A mature forest without undergrowth has little value for wildlife. Whenever possible, leave your forested land undisturbed.