Create a WIRES Wildlife Habitat Haven – Step 2
Providing water for your Wildlife Habitat Haven
Water is life. It is indispensable to all of earth?s plants and animals. With a little effort and space, you can add the magic of water to your personal landscape, in the form of a pond or a container, and then watch as a community of backyard wildlife develops.
Plan with Wildlife in Mind
If a pond is to be usable to wildlife, it must allow an animal access to water without the danger of slipping or falling into deep water from which the animal cannot escape. How about a birdbath? Birds are drawn to a shallow pan of water into which they can hop and wade safely.
A wildlife-friendly pond should have a similar shape on a larger scale. This means that the slope of the pond, the material of the pond bottom and the edging around the pond become important considerations.
Location
Position your pond where it will receive four or more hours of direct sunlight. This helps ensure that water lilies and other aquatic plants will grow well. Avoid areas shaded by deciduous trees or shrubs as their leaves will fall into the pond, making excavation difficult.
Be sure to steer clear of low-lying areas that naturally collect runoff or drainage water. Give underground utility lines a wide berth. You will be refilling your pond regularly, so place it near a convenient source of water.
Bird Baths
One simple way to provide water for wildlife is to put out a bird bath. We are always amazed to hear stories from our supporters about the amount of activity they see when they install a bird bath into their yard.
Please remember that the water in the bird baths have to be changed every second day, this will ensure mosquitoes do not use the water.
Every few days you should empty the bath, scrub it with a stiff brush, and rinse it well. Although some people recommend cleaning them with a bleach solution, we have found that this isn't necessary (besides being harmful to the environment!(. If you must clean it with something, try a water and white vinegar solution or hot soapy water.