Summer wildlife, pests and almost-pets

This bright male house finch likes the cover provided by my columnar junipers
and the seeds frome my coneflowers and Queen Anne's lace.

Sometimes, our first reaction to the concept of summer wildlife is along the lines of, how can we avoid it? With some of the life hanging around the city and suburbs, that’s completely appropriate. First in line: mosquitoes, wasps and flies.. I could cheerfully ban them all from my yard. Less obviously, the deer and rabbits that plague some gardeners to the point that all yard plants get enclosed in chickenwire. Or perhaps the raccoons and opossums who raid the vegetable gardens.

Certainly, if you have pets that spend time outdoors, you need to discourage some wildlife from sharing yard-space with them. For instance, having the dog run right next to heavy shrubbery might seem to make sense from the point of view of shadiness but may also bring a heightened tick and mosquito exposure. Also, a lot of cover in a suburban yard can encourage predators like foxes and even coyotes to lurk in the neighborhood, creating significant risk for cats, small dogs and any pet rabbits that might be kept outside.

That said, plenty of animals can be welcomed, even encouraged in your yard. A butterfly garden provides a wonderful splash of color and scent—and may well attract hummingbirds as well as butterflies. Good perennials for this purpose include buddleia, coneflowers, butterflyweed and asters. Adding a hummingbird feeder gives your winged visitors a buffet with plenty of choices.

This lovely male ruby-throated hummingbird has a mate nearby--and I think a second pair also lives close enough to visit as I've seen two females at the same time.

Many songbirds will hang out around your year with merely the provision of some bushes and trees to provide hidden perching and nesting spots. Most of these feed on a mix of insects and seeds during the summer months. A good mix of perennials will start producing seed heads by mid-June so you’ll be attracting the birds without bringing them to congregate at a feeder—which some experts discourage in the warm months as having too great a potential of spreading disease.

I have to mention our less-attractive but still useful garden friends before closing: toads and bats. Both eat harmful and pesky insects and both can be encouraged to make their homes in your yard. Your average toad can eat more than 100 bugs a day and providing a “toad house” in a shady (thus cool and damp) location. You can buy all sorts of whimsical houses—or make your own. Even an old coffee can or flowerpot set on its side and partly buried will work. Bats need more specialized homes, but you can buy suitable structures or find plans to build your own at any number of web or brick-and-mortar conservation supply sources.