Making your Backyard a Wildlife Haven in Canberra

An Australian native Blue Banded Bee is safe to forage in a pesticide-free garden. Image Credit: Stella-Rae Zelnik

An Australian native Blue Banded Bee is safe to forage in a pesticide-free garden. Image Credit: Stella-Rae Zelnik

Backyard biodiversity

Have you ever considered sharing your back or front yard with more birds, frogs, lizards, butterflies and native bees?  Even in the inner city these colourful characters will visit your patch more regularly if you provide them with water, food or a place to live.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal life in a given area with emphasis on the word variety.  It is important that we preserve and encourage biodiverse environments so that we can keep our ecosystems healthy and continue to access clean air, water and food.  In built up environments such as cities, every little contribution is significant.

Here are some simple steps you can take to increase the biodiversity of your backyard:

A Common Eastern Froglet is a visitor you could expect in a suburban frog pond in Canberra.Image via Canberra Nature Map, image credit alicemcglashan, licensed for use under CC BY 3.0 AU.

A Common Eastern Froglet is a visitor you could expect in a suburban frog pond in Canberra.

Image via Canberra Nature Map, image credit alicemcglashan, licensed for use under CC BY 3.0 AU.

  • Plant native species that attract native birds and bees.  The Australian Native Plant Society Canberra is a great local resource for learning about and sourcing native plants.

  • Provide water in the form of a bird bath, a place for thirsty birds to drink and splash.  Make sure it is in a place that is safe from potential predators.

  • Build a backyard frog pond. Be it a small sanctuary in the corner of the garden or a significant feature, a pond is a great asset to any yard.  Ginninderra Landcare Group have written a free PDF guide to help you get started.

  • Create a lizard lounge.  Lizards love to lounge in piles of wood, branches, bark and rocks and enjoy the protection of long native grasses.

  • Ditch the pesticides.  Using less or no pesticides is ideal for native wildlife, particularly bees.  

  • Build a nest-box.  Naturally formed tree hollows provide habitat for a range of native species and are not always available in the suburbs.  Nest Box Tales is a great local resource to help you with designing the right nest-box for your backyard.

  • Pot a native.  Small gardens and balconies may not provide room for tree planting but there are a range of native species that will survive in pots and are equally as valuable to local species.  Gardening Australia has some good information on planting natives in pots.

There is so much you can do to increase biodiversity in your patch and with just a bit of effort you will be enjoying the increased colour and song that comes with it.

Canberra Enviro