Habitats provide certain functions that make them attractive to wildlife. These functions meet basic life requirements: food, water, cover (or shelter), and space. If you wish to maximise the habitat value of your garden, try to keep these four basic wildlife needs in mind while designing your habitat garden.
1) food
All wildlife need food to survive. Each species has its own nutritional requirements, which often changes with each passing season as well as with each stage of its life cycle. Your garden can provide a variety of food sources including fruits and berries, grains and seeds, nuts and acorns, as well as browse plants (e.g. twigs, shrubs) and forage plants (e.g. grasses and legumes). Additionally, the insects and other invertebrates drawn to your garden by your flowers and trees, in turn, provide sustenance for other wildlife like birds...[MORE]
2) water
Water is essential to all forms of life. Although food sources provide some of the water necessary to wildlife, a good drink of clean water would help attract wildlife. If you do not have a watery habitat in your garden, consider how you might provide water. Whether it be through the creation of a pond or the use of birdbaths, any source of water in your garden would increase the habitat value of your property...[MORE]
3) cover (or shelter)
It is necessary to provide cover for the various wildlife passing through or living in your garden. Native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowering plants provide cover for wildlife. So do rock and brush piles, as well as cavities in trees and birdhouses. Wildlife use these forms of cover as places to rest or sleep. They also use cover to protect themselves from the elements and hide from predators. Depending on the season and their life-stage, wildlife may use the cover in your garden as places to nest and rear their young...[MORE]
4) space
By creating a habitat garden, you are creating space for wildlife to live or roam in. Many species of wildlife are territorial, and therefore defend an area that contains the food, water and cover they need. Organisms that are not territorial occupy an area range within which they perform daily functions and find food, water and cover. The amount of space needed for a territory or home range varies with the species, the quality of the habitat and the time of year. Keep in mind that territories and home ranges may include, but often extend beyond, your garden. Additionally, try to think of space in terms of vertical space and not just horizontal space. Some species may only require spaces in trees, while others require low-lying spaces such as grassy areas...[MORE]