My wife, Jane, and I love wildlife. We have always observed and encouraged all wildlife in our yard, and we enjoy spending time with the variety of organisms—from bees to raccoons—that come to feed, drink, rest, and raise their young here. When we read about the National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Challenge in their magazine, it provided a means to verify and validate the things we were already doing. We applied, and now our yard is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat!
We proudly display plaques of recognition both outside and inside of our yard. As the plaque states, to be certified, the property must sustainably provide four habitat elements: food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Learn more
Supporting a Certified Wildlife Habitat
Food
We offer a widely varied menu: a post feeder with small seed mix; a platform feeder under that frequented by mourning doves, cardinals, and blue jays; a suet feeder popular with nuthatches and squirrels; a hanging feeder with black oil sunflower seeds primarily for our red squirrels and flying squirrels (who have come to that feeder almost every single night for years); another small hanging feeder with a woodpecker mix. In the winter Jane smears peanut butter onto the bark crevices on some trees. The squirrels love it! We also supply hummingbird feeders in spring and summer.