1.  Food

Your habitat needs three of the following: Seeds from a plant  -  Berries  -  Nectar  -  Nuts  -  Fruits  -  Sap  -  Pollen  -  Suet  -  Bird Feeder  -  Squirrel Feeder  -  Hummingbird Feeder  -  Butterfly Feeder

"Restoring habitats where commercial and residential development have degraded natural ecosystems, can be your way of giving back to wildlife."

2.  Water

Your habitat needs one of the following sources of clean water for wildlife to drink and bathe:  Birdbath  -  Lake  -  Stream  -  Seasonal Pool  -  Ocean  -  Water Garden/Pond  -  River  -  Butterfly Puddling Area  -  Rain Garden  -  Spring

"Wildlife needs sources of clean water for many purposes, including drinking, bathing, and reproduction."

3.  Cover and Shelter

Wildlife needs at least two places to find shelter from the weather and predators: Wooded Area  -  Bramble Patch  -  Ground Cover  -  Rock Pile or Wall  -  Cave  -  Roosting Box  -  Dense Shrubs or Thicket  -  Evergreens  -  Brush or Log Pile  -  Burrow  -  Meadow or Prairie  -  Water Garden or Pond

"Providing places of cover not only help wildlife feel safe from people and predators, it can also help your overall garden if you "branch out" to attract other helpful pollinators, such as bats or bees."

4.  Places to Raise Young

You need at least two places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and raise their young: Mature Trees  -  Meadow or Prairie  -  Nesting Box  -  Wetland  -  Cave  -  Host Plants for Caterpillars  -  Dead Trees or Snags  -  Dense Shrubs or a Thicket  -  Water Garden or Pond  -  Burrow

"Creating a wildlife habitat is about creating a place for the entire life-cycle of a species to occur."

5.  Sustainable Gardening

You should be doing two things to help manage your habitat:

Soil and Water Conservation: Riparian Buffer  -  Capture Rain Water from Roof  -  Xeriscape (water-wise landscaping)  -  Drip or Soaker Hose for Irrigation  -  Limit Water Use  -  Reduce Erosion (i.e. ground cover, terraces)  -  Use Mulch  -  Rain Garden

Controlling Exotic Species: Practice Integrated Pest Management  -  Remove Non-Native Plants and Animals  -  Use Native Plants  -  Reduce Lawn Areas

Organic Practices: Eliminate Chemical Pesticides  -  Eliminate Chemical Fertilizers  -  Compost

"Replacing grass lawns with native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees will increase the beauty of your property and provide a nurturing refuge for wildlife. How you manage your garden can have an effect on the health of the soil, air, water and habitat for native wildlife  -  as well as the human community."