Food Options
Table of Contents
Introduction
There are a wide variety of ways to help provide food for wildlife. This page focuses on the most sustainable option: growing a variety of native plants which can help support a wider range of wildlife with little to no cost (financial or otherwise).
Then we cover some options for food options we can buy or find in our kitchens, though this option is generally less sustainable, more costly, and can have some negative effects for wildlife. For example bird feeders can encourage the spread of viruses among birds.
At the bottom of the page we include resources & guides.
Principles for Success
Variety & Diversity: The Key to Success
The greater the variety of wildflower and other native plants in your garden, the more species your garden will be able to provide for. This works on several levels.
Biodiversity Boost
Each plant supports one to several species, the more types of plants you have, the greater the overlap and combination of species will be.
Year-Round Bounty
Different species of plant produce flowers, fruit, seeds, and nuts at different times of year. Some flowers show once during a very brief window of time, while others will bloom all season or multiple times a year. Greater variety helps ensure that species such as pollinators can find at least a few flowers at throughout the year. Similarly different fruiting plants can provide food for birds in different seasons.
Insurance Against Total Failure
Not every plant will survive the first year, or sometimes dies within a few years. This can be because they were planted in the wrong place (wrong soil type, wrong level of soil drainage, wrong amount of light, or they might even die due to climate fluctuations), but by planting a variety, and putting the same type of plant in different locations, you can boost the chance of success. You might plant 5 species your first year, and 3 of each in various places. All of one species might die right away, then 1-2 of each of the other types, leaving you with at least a handful of successes.
The next season or year you can plant some more of what was successful last year, and add in a few new species to try out. Inevitably some will fail and others will thrive. Even if you don't have a "green thumb", this method can help you learn more about your garden, including what does well and where. Over time you'll start to get a feel for where new plants can go based on their tag info: sun, soil, and water needs.
Don't Over-Tidy
Fallen Leaves
As mentioned on our Firefly page clearing away fallen leaves clears away important nesting and feeding material for future generations of insects, some of whom need multiple years to feed before reaching maturity.
Instead of removing or destroying all the leaves it's a good idea to remove any toxic leaves (from high acid plants like pine or pecans), then use the rest a free mulch, but you can also create a designated leaf pile for wildlife in a dark, out of sight area where you know children and pets won't jump in and roll around which would kill the beneficial insects. It's a good idea to water the pile in hot/dry weather as this will help the beneficial species, and reduce the chances of fire hazard if you are in a fire-prone area.
Logs
Logs are homes to many species including animals, plants, and fungi. They help trap moisture in the soil, allowing worms and other species to turn the disintegrating tree into rich matter for future generations of plants.
Ponds
Ponds need to be aerated and cleaned from time to time. Ensure that intake valves are clear, and that the components aren't big enough for small animals like tadpoles to be sucked in. Invasive plants can look very pretty, but they can "choke" a pond or waterway, disrupting light and the oxygen cycle which can kill any animals living in the pond. A healthy amount of leaf litter can provide safe haven for baby dragon flies to grow up and feed in, but too many leaves produce tannins and can make the water toxic. Check for dead animals (or better yet, make sure to have rocks, logs, or other ramp-type options to help fallen animals climb out), and refill with rain water if possible. If you have tap water only, then let the water sit in a container for a day before adding it to the pond, as water-treatment additives like chlorine can disrupt the beneficial creatures in your pond.
Snags
These are dead trees which are a vital component of many eco-systems, offering space for insects that many bird species feed on. They're also important for species such as birds to nest inside of or underneath. When they eventually topple, they become logs which are equally important.
Avoid Pesticide Use!
Don't sabotage your own environmental efforts by using poisons or traps!
These often hurt non-target species, for example slug pellets end up poisoning the frogs, lizards, and birds that naturally control slug populations.
Habitats Create Food Opportunities
Grow Native Plants
Wildlife in your area has evolved over millions of years to eat plants that also evolved in the same area. The best way to provide food for them is to remove any invasive non-natives and start growing native plants that offer food, protection, and nesting sites.
The difference between a shrub and a tree can come down to natural size, plant age, or you can keep a tree trimmed as a bush or hedgerow. Hedgerows can consist of any number of trees and bushes. The older a hedge is, the more biodiverse it will generally be. Scientists actually estimate a hedges age based on how many species are found within it. While a hedge is often planted as a line of many individuals of a single species, if we want to maximize our impact helping local species, we should probably focus on building new hedges or filling gaps in old ones by introducing as many species as possible.
Wildflowers & Grasses
Wildflowers and grasses provide wildlife with seeds, nectar, vegetation, and nesting materials. Bird can find their prey among these plants, including soft, nutritious caterpillars, slugs, and snails for their chicks.
Even if you just have a small balcony, you can try keeping some of these small plants for your wild neighbors.
Ponds
Life Expectancy: 20 - 100s of Years depending on lining material and maintenance
Pro: A wildlife-friendly pond can be a great place for your wild neighbors to rest for a drink, hunt for some bugs, or for species like dragon flies, frogs, and newts to reproduce.
Con: A pond without wildlife-friendly features can be a death trap for people, pets, and wildlife who can't swim, or get out.
Solution: Wildlife-friendly pond design generally means that there are sloped sides or at least some shallow area with rocks or a sloped surface to allow anyone who falls in an easy way out. Ponds can be very shallow, but a person can drown in 2 inches of water. Ponds can help support amphibians and beneficial insects even with a protective metal grid over or fencing around a wildlife pond, though it may be harder for birds or other wildlife to access.
Fuel Types: Rain + any needed supplemental water, solar energy fuels the natural processes such as plant growth which helps with aeration, but if a pump is needed then electricity is also a must. Fortunately there is a growing selection of solar-powered pond pumps.
Buying Food for Wildlife
This should be an act of last resort as farming to produce tons of bird feed and other wildlife feeds is much more resource intensive than simply having a wildlife-friendly space to feed them naturally. If you live in an urban area with very little resources, of if you are experiencing severe conditions such as a drought, heatwave, flood, typhoon, or harsh winter, then this can be a very good way to help animals who don't have access to grocery shops or disaster relief.
Life Expectancy: food can last a few seconds or several days - Remove rancid, moldy, or wet food! Feeders can last
Pro: This method can also be a good opportunity for children and others to see wildlife, which may help them develop a closer relationship with their local ecosystems. Food can be used as a lure for wildlife camera traps which can be used to help scientist and conservation organizations track local species.
Con: Feeding wildlife can reduce their fear of people, which unfortunately has caused serious health and safety issues when animals start congregating and defecating over public areas or breaking into people's property and damaging their homes or other belongings in search of more food. Parrots, primates, raccoons, and bears are especially good at opening latched or otherwise breaking property if they associate people with food. Pigeons, geese and seagulls are also high on the list of animals you don't want to accidentally train with food the latter two can be quite vicious, especially with kids.
Solution: Try to offer naturally growing or naturally occurring food sources such as the ones listed in the sections above. If you must feed wild animals it's best to do so in ways that they won't associate with us. Or only if helping to rehabilitate injured, lost, or starving animals.
Fuel Types: Fossil fuels and a lot of water go into farming food whether bird seed or meal worms. These products then use more fossil fuels and water to package and ship to their destination.
Effects of Feeding wildlife
Animal health/nutrition
Don't feed bread to ducks!
Don't give milk or cat food to Hedgehogs!
human/animal interactions
community safety
DIY
stuff like suet for winter emergencies
Organizations
Europe
UK
England
The Big Green Internet "Our aim is to give wildlife a helping hand by creating new habitats and improving the ecological health of those already here. This is known as Nature Recovery.
The Big Green Internet project achieves this by planting wildlife corridors and hedgerows to connect isolated ‘orphan’ woodlands together."
Resources
Click the Trees button to learn about tree planting opportunities in your area, or even get free trees from local organizations including government programs.