Whether they’re creeping, crawling, hopping, munching, flying, or buzzing, kids love to watch animals in action. Observing wildlife intrigues, entertains, and educates young minds. Although some creatures are unwelcome guests in your vegetable plot, inviting insects and animals into a special wildlife habitat at your school can be an exciting and powerful educational tool. Students can learn about core topics such as life cycles, diversity, interdependence, and ecosystems, and develop important personal skills such as respect, cooperation, leadership, and responsibility.

To attract wildlife you must provide essential habitat elements, including water, food, shelter, and a place to rear the next generation. Because plants can provide three of these four essential elements, it’s important to include many native species in your habitat design.

Why Use Native Plants?
As a result of hundreds of years of slow adaptation to the physical and biological conditions surrounding them, native plants are uniquely suited to life in their local environment. The same is true for native wildlife, making both these plants and animals part of the complex web of interrelationships in your local ecosystem. Native animals rely on native plants for food and shelter, and for some animals, native plants play a key role in reproduction. Conversely, many native plants rely on local wildlife for pollination and dispersal of seeds.

Native plants are also well adapted to local weather conditions, which make them vigorous and hardy enough to withstand cold winter temperatures and summer heat. Over time, native plants have adapted defense mechanisms to ward off many common insect pests and diseases. They grow well in existing soils and, once established, require little to no irrigation, fertilization, or pruning, so you will spend less time maintaining a successful habitat. These traits make native plants excellent choices for drought-resistant, low-maintenance gardening and landscaping. And don't worry that your design options will be limited if you only use only native plants — an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 species of plants are native to North America!

Getting Started
- Identify desirable wildlife for your habitat. You may not want to attract all native wildlife to your garden. Butterflies and birds are popular and well suited to schoolyard habitats. On the other hand, although they may be interesting creatures to study, you won’t want to attract area skunks or poisonous snakes. Your habitat design and plant choices will help tailor your “advertisement” for certain animal species.

- Determine wildlife needs. Research the food, shelter, and water needs of your target animal species. 

- Conduct a site analysis, paying special attention to the composition of your soil, availability of sunlight, and drainage.

- Research native plants that are preferred by your target wildlife, and the growing conditions those plants prefer. Overlay this information with your site analysis. If more than one plant suits an animal’s needs, select those that will perform best on your site. You may want to plan a trip to a local nature preserve or state park to observe the plants growing in their natural habitat. Another great resource is your local or state native plant society chapter.

- Avoid invasive plants. Although some non-native plants make fine additions to gardens and habitats, others do not. These invasive species tend to lack native predators and other biological controls, so they compete with native plants for natural resources. These plants generally offer inferior food and shelter benefits to local wildlife as well. Because invasive plants decrease biodiversity by displacing native plants and animals, they represent a significant threat to native ecosystems across North America. Consult the USDA’s noxious weed list to confirm that none of your desired habitat plants are considered invasive species.

- Create a design. Using your site analysis and plant lists, develop a design that offers protection to wildlife, suitable growing conditions for your chosen plants, and also provides plenty of space for students to observe and explore in.

- Identify native plant sources. Research nurseries that sell native plants, or collect seeds from wild plants that are plentiful in your area and then start your own plants from seed. Never dig up wild plants unless you're rescuing them from a spot where they are in danger of being destroyed, such as a construction site.

- Plant at the appropriate time of year for each species, and don’t forget to take care of your new plants. Even natives need a little TLC until they are well established! Keep the soil moist and remove uninvited “weeds” that may compete for available resources. Once established, however, native plants should thrive with minimal care.

- Use your new habitat. Think of your wildlife habitat as an extension of your classroom and incorporate it into lessons across the curriculum. If possible, allow students time to explore the habitat on their own during breaks and before and after school.

Additional Resources:

For detailed information about planning a wildlife habitat garden, visit the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife Web site at: http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/

Related articles on Kidsgardening:
Inviting Butterflies to the Schoolyard
Hooked on Hummingbirds
Creating a Pollinator Garden
Feeding the Birds
Native Beauty
Exploring Wild and Native Plants