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You head to your kitchen window and look out across your back garden. All the plants are bright and beautiful - and you spot lots of little critters having fun too. Birds are singing while squirrels and other wildlife run around. It’s a wonderful sight that looks like it was taken straight from a Disney film.
Encouraging wildlife to come to your garden can be a beautiful thing. There’s something lovely about seeing nature unfold before your very eyes - and wildlife will provide benefits as well. Wildlife can bring some negative effects as well. Knowing the pros and cons of having wildlife in your garden is good before you decide to attract it.
Wildlife Pros
The benefits of actively attracting wildlife to your garden include:
* Improving Plant Growth - When animals go to the toilet, they accidentally give your garden natural fertilizers to help things grow. Unironically, the wildlife could turn your ugly garden into a stunning paradise!
* Better Pollination - Drawing in bees and butterflies in your garden can aid with the pollination of plants and flowers. In turn, this encourages more fruits and seeds to be produced, leading to a more plentiful garden.
* Keep Pests At Bay - Birds and other wildlife are good at keeping certain garden pests at bay. You shouldn’t see things like slugs damaging your plants if you have plenty of birds around. As such, this could help your garden thrive.
Wildlife Cons
Having wildlife in your garden might not be a good thing 100% of the time. It depends on what animals or insects you attract and some of the downsides are:
* More Likely To Infest Your Home - While animals in your garden can keep some pests at bay, making them too comfortable here could lead them into your home. They might make nests in your garage, roof, or loft, meaning you have to call pest control to get them out.
* Might Damage Some Plants - Again, it depends on the animals, but some could damage your plants by trampling them, eating flowers, etc. It’s important to know what wildlife is common in your area so you don’t attract the wrong creatures.
* Could Pose Safety Risks - Some wildlife can present serious health and safety risks for you and your family. What if you attract venomous snakes to your garden, or perhaps you invite bears in?!
Is Attracting Wildlife To Your Garden A Good Idea?
Yes, but only when you bring in the right animals. There should be a balance between attracting the right species and keeping others away. For example, you can hang bird feeders in trees to attract little birds that’ll help keep certain insects or bugs away from your plants. Planting lots of flowers to draw in bees is also an excellent idea for pollination.
At the same time, you ought to have fences around your garden to keep bigger animals away - like foxes, bears, or even some snakes. It all depends on where you live, but a healthy garden thrives with some wildlife in it. You don’t want to deter all of the local animals, just dial it back a bit so you don’t accidentally own a small zoo!
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