Giving Back to Wildlife: 8 Free Things That Make a Big Difference

Every day I am thankful for the gifts Mother Nature offers. Sure, some days I may be busy with other things and don’t make time to get outside and notice and enjoy them, but I DO know they are always there. 

More and more these days animals large and small are facing incredible challenges. Fractured habitat, the necessity of crossing dangerous roads, lack of water, extreme temperatures, exposure to chemicals and poisons (from pesticides, insecticides, etc.) lack of food, hunters, and on. The list could take up pages. 

The bottom line is that there are things we all can do to help wildlife, and much of those don’t cost a penny.

Here are 8:

1.When driving, SLOW down! Speed kills, especially on narrow winding, two-lane roads that have houses on both sides. My road has a speed limit of 35 but most people easily drive 15 miles per hour over that. Everyone always seems in such a hurry to be somewhere, and I get that. I too have been late for an appointment and needing to “make up a little time.” But each time I’m in that situation, I try to remember the animals who may pay the price. I am saddened to see dead squirrels, raccoons, opossums, birds, deer, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, chipmunks, rabbits, butterflies, and other animals. Estimates of animals killed by vehicles EVERY DAY in the US varies greatly, but some say 1 million animals lose their lives to vehicles. Obviously driving slower isn’t going to save all the animals, but it will make a difference to those in your path on any given day, especially in the early morning or at night when many animals are active. If you’re driving slower and you spot an animal coming into the road, there’s a higher chance you’ll be able to safely slow down and allow it to cross. As much as we sometimes dislike it, speed limits are there for a reason.

2.Turn off your outdoor lights at night.  I’ve written numerous posts about the reasons we all need to fight for darkness. It’s something that just doesn’t occur to many people. But outdoor lights that are left on all night negatively impact all kinds of animals, from fireflies, to moths, birds, frogs, bats and others. And you may not realize this but plants exposed to light at night also suffer. For example, trees exposed to all night lights live shorter lives. It’s SO EASY to just turn your lights off until you need them. 

3. Don’t burn your brush. When branches, trees, and leaves fall to the ground, they will decompose and return a wealth of nutrients back to the soil. It’s Mother Nature’s way of recycling. When you burn your brush, you are sending unnecessary carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and other particulate matter into the atmosphere. And even worse, you are not allowing those organic materials to be returned to the soil, or wildlife to shelter in them. Instead of burning your brush, or hauling it away, rake it up and leave it on the ground in a designated “wild” area. Brush piles are wonderful for all kinds of wildlife.

4. Offer water to wildlife. There are many ways to do this, from bird baths, to ponds, to a simple bucket put outside and filled regularly. Wildlife needs water year-round, and sometimes in nature, with fragmented habitats and highways, parking lots and houses, it’s hard to find. You can make a difference by adding a water source, and it can be a bucket or shallow pan you already own. 

5. Leave those nuts on the ground! I’m so saddened when I see or hear about people collecting all the nuts in their yards and either throwing them in the trash, or using them all for themselves. You may be tempted to pick up those hickory nuts, black walnuts, acorns and others, but guess what? Many, many animals NEED and depend on those nuts!! It’s easy to leave the nuts for the animals. 

6. Leave dead trees standing (when it’s safe to do so.) Sometimes the dead tree may be too close to your house, too close to your neighbor’s house, or too close to a road or sidewalk, or may pose a hazard. Obviously in those cases, safety should take priority. But when the tree is far away from buildings, consider leaving it standing. Standing dead trees, or snags as they are called, provide habitat for a lot of animals, and are essential in the ecosystem. Snags actually are more valuable to wildlife than live trees. If it’s not safe to leave the tree standing, consider cutting the top 1/3 off, or cut it down and create a brush pile with the wood. Many animals will take shelter there. 

7. Leave your leaves. This might be the easiest one of all to do as it requires you to do nothing! Just leave your leaves where they fall. Many animals require fallen leaves as part of their lifecycle including moths, butterflies, fireflies and more. If you can’t leave them where they fall, then rake them up and put them around your trees or in a designated “wild” space” in your yard. 

8. Change your attitude. This might be the easiest and most impactful of all, especially if you go out into the world and share what you’ve learned with everyone you know. We all need to stop thinking of everything as US against them when it comes to wildlife and plants. Many feel the need to conquer Mother Nature. They go out of their way to spray their flowers so “bugs” won’t eat them, remove every last scrap of leaf or stick on the ground to keep snakes out of their yards, to kill any caterpillars on their plants, to poison the mice, moles, voles, shoot the hawks that come to their bird feeders, the coyotes that hunt their cats, etc. I know you’ll help me spread the word that it IS possible to coexist with nature, rather than treat everything as a battle.

Be the Change You Wish To See