Which Wildlife Needs What

Creating natural habitats to attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial wildlife

The ideal method of enticing wildlife to stay is by catering to their tastes. So turn your property (or at least part of it) into something similar to the mix of flora (flowers, herbs, weeds, grasses, shrubs, and vines) that occurs in their natural habitats.

By understanding what different species need—food, water, shelter, and nesting sites—you can create a thriving ecosystem in your own backyard that benefits both wildlife and your plants.

Basic Rules for Copying Nature

Some basic rules of thumb for copying nature are:

Use native plants. The wildlife will thrive best and these plants usually require less in the way of maintenance than imports.
The more habitat edges you create, the more wildlife you are likely to have. An edge is where one kind of habitat meets another (e.g. where grass meets trees). The more natural looking, the better with irregular borders and curved lines.
Combine different heights of plants. Use short and tall trees, short and tall shrubs, flowers of various sizes and ground cover.

Wildlife Essentials

🍽️ Food Sources

Seeds, berries, nectar, insects, and nuts provide nutrition throughout the seasons.

💧 Water Access

Birdbaths, ponds, or shallow dishes provide drinking and bathing opportunities.

🏡 Shelter & Cover

Dense shrubs, brush piles, and evergreens offer protection from predators and weather.

🪺 Nesting Sites

Nest boxes, natural cavities, and safe branch structures for raising young.

Wildlife You Might Play Host To

Here are just a few of the animals that you might host in your backyard, along with their food preferences and habitat needs.

Species	Natural Food	Preferred Habitat
American Toad	Insects	Loose soil, cool daytime temperatures
Western Painted Turtle	Crayfish, insects, mollusks	Deep pools w/muddy bottoms, sunning spots
Big Brown Bat	Insects (beetles)	Buildings & trees near meadows and residential areas
Little Brown Bat	Aquatic Insects	Caves & buildings near rivers, lakes, marshes
Butterfly	Insects (moths)	Farmlands, suburbs, other residential areas
Mason Bee	Flower nectar	Gardens, orchards, fields
Deer Mouse	Seeds, nuts, fruit, insects	Woodland edges, brush piles
White Footed Mouse	Seed, nuts, vegetation	Woodland edges, logs, brush piles
Cottontail Rabbit	Leaves, twigs, bark	Brush piles, hollow logs
American Robin	Fruits, berries, earthworms	Open woodlands, farmland, suburbs, cities
Baltimore Oriole	Insects, fruits, nectar	Open deciduous woods, shade trees
Black-Capped Chickadee	Insects, seeds, berries	Forests, thickets, residential areas
Blue Jay	Acorns, nuts, seeds, insects, fruits	Oak woods, suburbs
Bluebird	Insects, berries	Open areas with scattered trees, orchards, golf courses
Brown Thrasher	Insects, fruits, seeds, mast*	Thickets, dense brush, hedgerows
Cardinal	Seeds, fruit, insects	Woodland edges, hedgerows, residential areas
Carolina Wren	Insects, seeds	Dense brush, thickets, residential areas
Catbird	Fruits, berries, insects	Dense shrubs, hedges, thickets
Cedar Waxwing	Berries, fruits, flower petals, tree sap, insects	Open woodlands
Chipping Sparrow	Seeds, some insects	Lawns, gardens, grassy woodland edges
Common Flicker	Ants, beetles, grasshoppers, seeds, fruit	Open woods, woodland edges, residential areas
Downy Woodpecker	Insects, caterpillars	Open woods, residential areas
Eastern Bluebird	Insects, berries	Open woodlands, pastures, orchards, lawns
Fox Sparrow	Seeds	Undergrowth, thickets
Goldfinch	Seeds (thistle)	Weedy fields, roadsides, groves
House Finch	Seeds, berries	Urban and suburban areas
Indigo Bunting	Insects, seeds	Open woods, brushy pastures, hedgerows
Junco	Insects, seeds	Coniferous and mixed woods
Mockingbird	Insects, fruits	Towns, farms, roadsides, thickets
Mourning Dove	Seeds, grains	Farms, residential areas, open woods
Pine Siskin	Seeds	Coniferous forests
Purple Finch	Insects, seeds, berries	Coniferous forests, mixed woods
Red-Breasted Nuthatch	Insects, spiders, conifer seeds	Coniferous forests
Red-Wing Blackbird	Seeds, insects, berries	Marshes, wet thickets, fields
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak	Insects, seeds, fruits	Open deciduous woods, residential areas
Rufous-sided Towhee	Insects, seeds, berries	Woods, thickets, forest edges
Song Sparrow	Seeds, insects, fruits	Thickets, woodland edges, parks, backyards
Tree Swallow	Flying insects, berries, seeds	Near water
Tufted Titmouse	Insects, seeds, fruits, mast*	Deciduous woods, swamps
Western Bluebird	Insects, weeds, fruits, seeds	Deserts, farms, open woods
White-Breasted Nuthatch	Insects, seeds, mast*	Mixed forests to suburbs
Canada Goose	Insects, marsh/aquatic plants, grains	Ponds, rivers, bays, fields
Mallard	Seeds, leaves	Edges of lakes, ponds, & sometimes fields
Wood Duck	Acorns, insects	Wooded swamps, marshes, near water
Rubythroat Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird	All Hummingbirds are nectar feeders although they also enjoy an occasional insect snack. Here are some flowers that are favorites: Salvia, Bee Balm, Flowering Tobacco, Lantana, Honeysuckle, Aloe, Fuchsias, Columbine.	The commercial feeders scattered in several locations will also help encourage these unique birds to make repeat visits.

Mast* includes acorns, beechnuts, and other nuts accumulated on the ground underneath trees.

Start Your Wildlife Garden Today

Explore our plant guides to find safe species for your garden