4 Main Components of a Habitat:

According to Joe Lamp'l and other experts, for your yard to be officially considered a wildlife habitat, it needs four things:

• Food source: Use native plants that produce berries, nectar, seeds, or nuts. For example, plant sunflowers or native flowers for butterflies. Avoid pesticides — insects are a primary food source for birds!

• Water: A small pond or even a bird bath is essential. It is important that the water be clean and available at any time of year.
  
  

• Cover: Animals need places to hide from predators and bad weather. Dense shrubs, evergreen plants, or even a pile of branches in the corner of the yard make the best hiding spots.

• Breeding site: Birds need trees for nesting, and butterflies need specific “host” plants for laying eggs.

Practical tips:

• Layered planting: Create zones of different heights — ground cover, shrubs, and tall trees. This will attract different kinds of birds and animals.

• “Lazy” gardening: In the fall, do not cut back dried flowers and seed heads — many insects overwinter in them, and the seeds are winter food for birds.

• Lighting: Reduce nighttime lighting in the yard, because it confuses nocturnal insects and migratory birds.