How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden (National Wildlife Federation)
The Birds and the Bugs
Look at the flower garden in the image on the left.
Do you see:
- Splashes of different colors?
- Lots of leafy greens?
- Many types of plants?
Though diverse, the plants in this flowerbed share one thing: these plants attract pollinators—the animals that spread pollen between flowering plants.
The flowers' colors, patterns, shapes, smells—even the directions they open—draw pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the nectar within.
Fragrant and Colorful Plants
Skippers, like butterflies, depend upon the nectar from French marigolds as a rich food source. Butterflies see a broad range of colors and ultraviolet light, and they prefer clusters of tubular shaped flowers or larger flat flowers that can support their weight.
Aster, purple coneflower, milkweed, Joe-Pye weed, New York ironweed, and goldenrod are all great choices. 
Get more butterfly gardening tips and learn about butterflies seen at the Zoo.
What's in It for You?
A tasty treat. Do you enjoy rich red strawberries, sweet watermelon, or crisp green beans?
Many of your favorite fruits and vegetables depend upon pollinators. Bees are the most common pollinators for our foods, but birds, butterflies, and mammals pollinate flowering plants, too.
What's in It for the Pollinators?
A "free" meal. The pollinators that come to gardens like those at the Zoo are nectar feeders. Nectar is loaded with sugar to give the animals energy.
The young of many pollinators depend upon garden plants for their food as well.
What Can You Do to Protect Pollinators in Your Backyard?
Get rid of plant pests naturally.
What are small, red with black spots, and have ferocious appetites for insect pests?
Ladybird beetles (or ladybugs)!
Better than pesticides—which harm pollinators—these beetles and other insect predators are nature’s perfect pest controllers.
