A backyard wildlife sanctuary

Trish Lynn and Thom Donitz with friends.

The JOLT News Staff

Before we start with our column, we would like to apologize to any regular readers who might be wondering why we aren’t writing columns every week.  

After the first of the year, we decided that with our busy schedules, we would need to cut down to every two weeks, so after this column, the next one will come out on March 5 and every two weeks after that point. We should have let you know before now. 

It’s springtime and a lot of us will be revamping or enhancing our backyards with new plants or an entirely new design all together. If you are looking for any ideas, then perhaps you might consider turning part or all of your backyard into a backyard wildlife sanctuary. 

Being neighbors, Trish and Thom have the luxury of blending their garden designs with each other while still maintaining their individual tastes. 

A backyard sanctuary is made up of several parts, which when taken as a whole, provides a habitat for all to enjoy and brings us together with nature. It is comprised of water, food, shelter and space. 

Whether you are creating a large environment or just a smaller patio or balcony size, the needs are the same. As in life, it comes down to one major decision and that is “know your audience.” What are you trying to attract and what might you attract. 

• Water: All creatures need water and unless you are lucky enough to have a natural water feature, then you’ll have to provide one. Bird baths are the most common way of providing this but, as usual, there are many varieties. We have several located at various locations that accommodate different needs of different animals.

Some are at ground level, while others provide safety at a higher level. Changing the water at regular intervals prevents bacteria and algae from accumulating, while during the hot summer days it is best to move them toward shade and keep them filled at night as some animals may change their habits during hot temperatures. 

• Food: Plants are the best source of food and not only attract a wide variety of birds, wildlife and insects but are beautiful additions to your yard. Whether it is winterberry holly, which looks beautiful during the holiday time, or the incredible colors of crocosomia, rhododendrons or wisteria blossoms which will attract a variety of wildlife to your yard.

Keep in mind that seed, suet and hummingbird feeders, like all other outdoor feeders, should be used as supplements and try to provide as much natural food to their diet as possible. While some sources do not recommend placing different types of feeders next or close to each other, squirrels and bird feeders for example, again this all comes down to “know your audience.” For some strange, odd reason all the wildlife that visit our backyards live alongside each other just fine. 

Additionally, always remember that whenever you provide food and water outside, it may attract some wildlife that you may not especially want. Our experience shows that while it is OK to place contained feeders, such as hummingbird, close to a window or patio, we keep feeders that spill as far away as we can but close enough so we can still enjoy them. 

• Shelter & space: This provides many essentials for a variety of wildlife. They provide a place to rest and hide, a place to escape bad weather and especially a safe area to raise their young. A couple of examples we enjoy are barberry shrubs with their thorns which provide a safe place as do Leyland cypress with their dense, thick foliage.

The best results we’ve had are designing a garden in layers and varying heights. By adding pathways intertwining through these layers, it adds a more natural environment for wildlife while providing some daily fun for Trish’s dogs as they explore their domain. (Thom’s cats govern from their throne inside Neko’s castle).  

Add to this list some man-made additions, such as bird and bat houses. While we have had luck with these two, we didn’t have any results with our attempt at hummingbird houses although this could have been because of location. It can’t be for a lack of hummingbirds. 

You don’t need a large yard or space to provide a sanctuary, as you can obtain similar results with a smaller footprint on a patio or balcony with containers. This is especially convenient for renters, as they can take their plants with them but keep in mind both watering and drainage. 

As technology changes, so do our gardens. We are now able to provide heated water bowls in freezing weather and with better solar products, we are now able to provide small water features that were not previously available.  

Most amazing of all is a bird feeder that Trish has, equipped with a small Wi-Fi camera, that not only records what birds are feeding but it will tell her what species they are. Incredible! 

Paws for thoughts 

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” — Albert Schweitzer 

Thom Donitz and Trish Lynn are neighbors and close friends who share their love of animals and wildlife. Trish and Thom are residents of Tumwater. Contact them at  pets@theJOLTnews.com.