Connecting to nature has so many benefits including increasing your mental health, level of happiness, and sense of compassion for animals and wildlife. To connect to nature, there are a few things that you can do at home to make your own bird, bee, and butterfly paradise in the comfort of your own backyard. Read our quick and budget-friendly tips below.
Plant pollinator-friendly plants such as butterfly milkweed, coneflowers, and beebalms
Pollinators such as bees and butterflies love plants and flowers that contain pollen. In one of our recent blog posts, we shared many different native flowers that we recommend planting to attract pollinators so check that out if you want a list of which ones to get. Bees are typically more attracted to flowers that are purple, violet, and blue. They are genetically designed to gravitate towards those colored flowers because they contain more nectar for the bees to drink. Butterflies are attracted to a wider range of colored flowers such as pink, red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple.
Plant native plants
Most common plants include:
- American beautyberry
- Crepe myrtle
- Saw palmetto
- Bigleaf hydrangea
Set up hanging bird feeders with fruit and nuts
Common birds that hang out in the Northwest FL area include:
- Mourning dove
- Downy woodpecker
- Blue jay
- Carolina chickadee
- European starling
- Cardinal
The most common bird seed that these birds like are sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, cracked corn, and berries. You can buy bags of bird seed at your local hardware store and make sure to set up your hanging feeder underneath cover like a tree so the birds feel protected while they eat.
Set out a bird bath
Place a bird bath near a tree or shrub so they have some cover and feel safe from the sight of predators. Also, to add more pizazz to your bird bath, you can place a fountain inside to get the water moving. Keep the water clean and make sure that the water is shallow so they can get in and out of it with ease.
Conclusion
Creating a backyard wildlife habitat not only enhances your outdoor space but also supports local wildlife and biodiversity and gives you the opportunity to get closer to nature. By providing food, water, and shelter, you can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature while contributing to environmental conservation.