Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden

Soaking up the sights and sounds of nature...

Your garden can provide you with the opportunity to observe many wonderful creatures at first hand. Attracting wildlife in the form of birds, butterflies, moths, lizards, bats, frogs, ladybirds, and the whole insect kingdom is easier than you think. All you need to do is exactly what you would do for any other pet: provide food, drink, a place to sleep and a place to hide from foes.

Transforming your garden into a wildlife habitat means designing the garden planting scheme to cater for different species. The wider the range of plants, the more wildlife you will attract. It's helpful to be aware of the interaction between plants and animals. Butterflies sometimes rely exclusively on a particular plant, for instance the Swordgrass Brown Butterfly lays eggs on the gahnia plant and the larvae hatch and feed on the foliage. Nectar, seed and insect-eating birds can all be provided for with a selection of Australian trees, shrubs, groundcovers and annuals. And in lean times you can attract birds with your homemade bird puddings!