a raccoon standing on its back paws
PHOTOGRAPH BY GUAN JIANGCHI, SHUTTERSTOCK
Make your backyard wildlife friendly
4 easy steps to creating a cool animal habitat
Your backyard is more than just a place to play—it's also a habitat for animals! Turn your outdoor home space into a place animals want to hang out in with these simple tips.
YOU WILL NEED:
Shrubs and bushes that are native to where you live. Look for plants that have berries, nuts, and seeds that will attract animals. An expert at a garden center can help.
A make-your-own birdbath and bird feeder. You can always buy one but making one is more fun!
Bunnies need to be on high alert, because an eagle can spot a rabbit from more than a mile away.
If your backyard is in Aruba, you might run into a young green lizard when you play outside.
In cities, raccoons scavenge around garbage bins and will eat scraps of food and other trash found there.
Walking through a marsh or near a pond, you might hear the deep calls of the male bullfrog.
The robin is a feisty bird and one of the few birds which can be heard singing during the winter.
There are more than 200 species of squirrels! They feed on nuts collected from trees found in temperate forests.
Chipmunks like to live alone in holes or burrows called dens.
In the spring and fall, box turtles forage during the daylight hours, and they sometimes bask in the sun to get warm.
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Bunnies need to be on high alert, because an eagle can spot a rabbit from more than a mile away.
Bunnies need to be on high alert, because an eagle can spot a rabbit from more than a mile away.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LEENA ROBINSON, SHUTTERSTOCK
STEP 1
Have an adult help you plant the shrubs and bushes around your yard. Animals may use these plants for shelter, hiding spots, or places to build nests. Animals that eat berries, nuts, and seeds can use them as a food source.
STEP 2
Choose an area for your birdbath and ask an adult to help you set it up . Birds and other small animals might use this to bathe and drink from.
STEP 3
Choose a tree for your bird feeder, and have an adult help you hang it up.
STEP 4
Wait for the animals to explore your backyard! Make sure to watch them from a safe distance so you don't disturb them.
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