Happy Spring everyone!  I never thought I would be sitting in shorts and a tee shirt while writing my post, it is only April in New England, after all.  We have flowers blooming in the yard that don't normally pop out and say "hello" until the end of April.  What a strange year it as been with the weather!

Since now is peak gardening season, I want to pass along to you some helpful resources that will provide ideas and instruction on how plan your yard and gardens to attract wildlife.  There are more than I can relay to you here, so I am listing my favorites.


1) Your state natural resources or conservation agency website.  You will find guidance on appropriate trees, shrubs and plants plus information on local wildlife and a plethora of information on how to attract various species.
2) National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat Program provides tons of great information on how to attract wildlife whether you "have an apartment balcony or 20-acre farm."  You can even qualify to become a certified wildlife habitat
3) The Natural Resource Conservation Service provides basic information that is helpful.
4) The American Horticultural Society provides a link to state master gardener associations.  The state associations maintain a list of master gardeners and can provide contact information to those who do business in your area.  A master gardener is a specially and thoroughly trained horticulturalist who can help you design, plan and install a garden.  Many have special interest in being ecologically sensitive and trained accordingly.

Here is a list of my favorite books:
Gaia's Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway (Paperback - May 19, 2009)
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded by Douglas W. Tallamy (Paperback - Apr. 1, 2009)
Landscaping With Nature: Using Nature's Designs to Plan Your Yard by Jeff Cox (Paperback - Feb. 1996)
Your Backyard Wildlife Year: How to Attract Birds, Butterflies, and Other Animals Every Month of the Year by Marcus Schneck (Hardcover - Sept. 1996)

Happy gardening!

Author's note:
I want to give you all a heads up that I will be redoing the entire design and content of the blog over the next several weeks.  This means that there is a really good chance that things may look weird, with stuff out-of-order and misplaced here and there, but please bear with me.  I plan to continue to post during this time of transition and promise some exciting new things for the future, so please stay tuned!