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  1. I found your blog fascinating. I can definitely see you accomplish this again. We have a bird feeder and a hummingbird feeder in the summer. We also feed the squirrels. We have had birds nest in our tree and also in a birdhouse that my husband had built. I have added new plants this year for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I did not know about having a yard certified. I have had about every feature in different homes we have lived in. The yard where we live now is much smaller but we do attract birds, bees and butterflies. I am looking forward to more articles about this and seeing more of your patio garden. Hope Abi is feeling better.

  2. You can do a lot of things without spending any money. You can leave a small area of your lawn unmowed, and the grass will produce seed heads for birds to eat. Gather up twigs and sticks that drop from trees and put them in a pile, and animals can hide in the pile. Put a flat rock into a shallow pan and fill the pan with enough water so the flat rock is just barely above the water. Bees and butterflies will sit on the rock and get sips of water. Leave a bit of ground ivy in a flower bed to provide cover for insects. Make a little pile of rocks to provide a hiding place for insects. If it won't freak you out too much, leave spider webs so that the spiders can catch insects. You might have to do such things in a private spot in the yard, behind a shed or garage for instance, because doing these things means your yard won't be quite as neat and tidy as you — or your neighbors — might like. I'm not advocating creating an eyesore that has your neighbors filing a complaint about you! But loosening up a bit can bring some delightful creatures to the yard. I once had a neighbor who was extremely tidy and he got upset when I left some strips of grass in my backyard that contained clover blossoms. I wanted to watch the bees buzzing, but my neighbor just couldn't handle my uneven mowing job, and told me he tried to get his mower into my backyard to tidy things up but it wouldn't fit through the gate. I would have been so mad if he had cut my grass!

  3. Thank you for the information. I'm trying to do just that; we love seeing the wildlife come to our yard, even though it's only 1 1/2 acres.

  4. When I was married I had my house certified as well, and also had the sign hanging in the garden. My new home has everything I need to be certified also, no doubt! I love that you have also created such a haven for wildlife on your patio, many people will be inspired by what you've done.

    1. I've been wanting to do this for some time, since I did it before, as you did. It will be harder in an apartment. But when have I ever let that stop me???

  5. Great post. I just moved,and there are two trees outside my living room and bedroom windows. They are quite tall, (I am on the 3rd floor facing south) and they are taller than my rooftop. They are just starting to bud out, and gosh, they have lots of birds in them singing and chattering all the time.

    Management has asked us to not feed the birds as they make a really big mess on the buildings. This is pretty disappointing to me. I would love having a bird feeder and a little water feature, that would be so fun. Any suggestions?

    1. If you have any form of a patio, you could put out a bird bath and also get container plants that feed them naturally. I will be looking up these plants and writing about them. If you can reach a tree branch you could also hang a hanging bird bath possibly.

  6. There are conflicts between the nature we want to encourage and the nature that can hurt us. We were told to get rid of any birdbaths or standing water because of mosquito-born chikungunya (I have heard of similar things in the U.S., with people being fined for having birdbaths).
    Our yard has lots of different kinds of cover and is full of birds and other critters like big old toads, bats and lizards. I would like to do more with plants for butterflies and bees (we have lots of trees, which flower and turn into a bee festival), but I am not big on actual digging in dirt. Brown thumb. What we have grows on autopilot.

    1. From what I understand, mosquitoes won't lay eggs in moving water. So if you have a pump (I have solar), that should work. You can also add things that keep this from happening. However I guess it's different in other countries.

  7. I absolutely love the idea of a wildlife garden! I look forward to reading your comments and pictures. Right now I feed the birds in winter (I am in Canada) and purchased a heated water bowl for the winter months for the birds and squirrels. It gives me great pleasure to give a little help to our wild neighbours!

  8. I have been thinking of having my yard certified for years and never gotten around to it. After reading through your list I see that I have already covered the bases so I plan to use your link to get over there and do what is necessary to make it official.
    I like how you have shared the things you have done in your apartment garden. I believe in doing all we can to help our wildlife. This year I plan to do all I can for the honeybees and monarchs.

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