How to Attract Birds, Bees and Beautiful Butterflies to Your Garden

“Those caterpillars will all die and starve to death,” Landau says. She explains you may feel good that you’re attracting pollinators to your yard, but if the plants don’t support the entire life cycle of a butterfly or bee, you could be causing more harm.

Use a variety of plants that will bloom at different times of the year

When designing your landscape, think about flower blooming times year-round, not just in the summer months. “Some of the most limiting times for pollinators are early spring and late fall,” says Landau. Pollinators need food and habitat in all seasons.

“A lot of people don’t realize that [monarchs] need nectar from any plants in the fall when they’re moving back south,” says Landau.

Keep your yard a little messy

Maintaining a brush pile of leaves, sticks and branches in your yard is important for many insects, especially in the colder months.

“A brush pile is a wonderful space for wildlife to seek refuge,” says Landau. “If you clean up your yard in the winter, then you’re removing the next generation [of insects], which is still trying to take advantage of your wonderful yard as a place for safety.”

But your pile doesn’t have to take up a lot of space or be an eyesore. “If you can just devote a corner of your yard to your little messy area where you leave these sticks and the leaves, even that little bit will help tremendously,” she says.

Leave dead stems standing

You may want to clean up your garden when the season ends but leaving flower stalks and stems provides homes for cavity nesting bees.

According to Johnson, “Leaving those plant stalks standing over the winter is just one simple way that gardeners can create habitat to ensure the next generation of those native cavity-nesting bees have a place to grow and then emerge from and be the next generation of bees.”

Create a water lifeline

Providing a water source in your front or back yard, porch or balcony is a simple way to bring in wildlife.

“Water equals life when you put water in a garden,” says Hayes. “It changes the dynamic for both the wildlife and humans; water introduces a different feeling … you get reflections, you get movement.”

Put in a nonslippery bird bath or a shallow receptacle so birds and insects can have water to drink and birds can also bathe. Hayes suggests placing a rock in the middle so there is a place to perch. 

Limit your lawn area

The classic grass lawn  is far from garden-creature friendly — what Landau calls an “ecological desert.” 

Some alternatives to traditional grass are ornamental grasses — plants or actual grasses that not only add texture and color to a garden, but provide great wildlife habitats. “Grasses are really important in your planning because lots of bees nest under ornamental grasses, especially bumblebees, and they also provide shelter,” says Hayes.

Go pesticide free

If you create a biodiverse garden, it will mimic nature and won’t need chemicals to ‘control’ pests.

“Your garden will be healthier [and] you’re going to be able to reduce and eliminate pesticides because you’re going to be letting nature do the work,” says Hayes. 

Another benefit of not using pesticides, herbicides or insecticides is that you avoid harming wildlife and negatively impacting the ecosystem.

Plenty is happening that the eye can’t see, says Landau. “If you’re applying pesticides to your lawn, then shrubs might be taking up that pesticide and then when the bird eats the berry, you might be negatively impacting that bird. Everything is connected.”

​Without pesticides, your garden will also begin to balance itself, Landau adds. You’ll be “creating a welcoming place for all different kinds of insects … you’ll have a balance of predators and herbivores, which will keep the ones you don’t want down,” says Landau. 

Garden size doesn’t matter

Whether you live on several acres of land or in a small apartment, you can create creature-friendly spaces.

“You can plant native plants in containers and have those on balconies or patios,” says Johnson.

And if you don’t have any outdoor space, consider using windowsills. “If all you have is a window box, then plant the native flowering plant there. Every little bit counts, and you will be astounded at how many insects you can attract to just a window box,” says Landau.

“The more and more people who do that, even if it’s just the tiniest of spaces, you’re creating connections, you’re making a bridge and you’re allowing these insects to continue their migration; you really can make a difference with even just a small little bit.”

Keep rats and deer at bay

There are a couple of precautions to take when creating a critter-friendly garden. For example, if you put out bird seed to attract birds, then be sure to clean up any seed on the ground that might attract rats, says Johnson.

As for deer that may eat your plants? Landau recommends speaking with your local nursery for natives that deer aren’t interested in snacking on.