Workbook Tip #3
CREATING URBAN BIODIVERSITY
FOR BIRDS

from Machaelle Wright

This Tip is especially for those of you who live in cities and suburbs where development has eliminated the natural biodiversity needed by wild birds to breed, rear their young and survive. I have included the link to a good National Wildlife Federation article about this. It includes information about several good books for creating wildlife-friendly diversity in human-dominated areas. If you are interested in doing something like this, I suggest you use one or more of these books as your starting point. They will provide the lists of things for you to consider. Then apply the Workbook process to that information so that you create your area in balance with nature. No matter how small your space (a postage-stamp size yard to a balcony with planted pots), treat the project as a garden, activate your DDP and ask the same relevant questions listed in the Workbook: Where do you locate it? How big should it be? What do you do to prepare the soil? What plants do you include? When do you plant them? What additional things do you include (birdbath, feeders, housing, a small bird cafe with WiFi hookup . . . )?

We have an opportunity to respond to nature in needed ways. But as co-creative gardeners, it's important to work with nature so that we respond in balance and offer exactly what's needed for the wild birds who will use each area. Another thing that's nice about this is that it's a good way for you and your children to learn about working with nature on a smaller scale and with less complexity than is required for a vegetable garden.

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