Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Other Wildlife Houses

[ysabetwordsmith]

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth runs April 25-May 15. This year, I'll be posting about birds in honor of birdfeeding. Today's topic is Other Wildlife Houses.




Birds are the most popular users of housing provided by humans. However, many other creatures also appreciate constructed shelters. These include mammals (e.g. bats and squirrels), reptiles (e.g. snakes and lizards), amphibians (e.g. frogs and salamanders), and many invertebrates (e.g. insects and centipedes). Furthermore, some types of wildlife housing, like brush piles, can shelter many different species. This makes for a more diverse and resilient ecosystem, which attracts more birds by supporting their food sources.

Bird and Wildlife House Plans
Squirrel Den
Bat House
Butterfly Hibernation Box

Creating wildlife hibernation and nesting sites: The Mersey Forest guide (UK)

How to Choose Wildlife Houses (Birds Bees Bats Owls)

Landowner's Guide: Homes for Wildlife II - Plans
House Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, Nuthatches, Flying Squirrel, Deer Mouse, White-footed Mouse Nest Box
American Kestrel, Gray Squirrel, Red Squirrel, and Fox Squirrel
Squirrel Tire Den
Rabbit Den

Nest Boxes for Wildlife (including birds and mammals)
bat, flying squirrel, tree squirrels

Other Wildlife Houses (to buy)
bats, bees, butterflies, ladybugs, squirrels, toads

Wildlife Houses (to buy)
solitary bees, bats, butterflies


Many small mammals appreciate shelters to nest, store food, hibernate, or hide from inclement weather. Among the more common are bats, hedgehogs, and squirrels. Options include nest boxes, brush piles, hibernacula, rock piles, and standing snags. There is also artificial tree bark for tree-roosting bats, which has a barklike outside mesh inside to be wrapped around a tall pole. Shelters intended for feral cats can accommodate many small to medium mammals.

9 DIY Squirrel House Designs That Will Look Amazing In Your Yard

28 DIY Outdoor Cat House Ideas For Winters

37 Free DIY Bat House Plans that Will Attract the Natural Pest Control (and Save Their Lives)

Bat House Plan Modifications for the Pacific Northwest

BrandenBark for Bats

Bat Houses (to buy)

Brush and Rock Piles

DEAD WOOD: KEY TO ENHANCING WILDLIFE DIVERSITY IN FORESTS

DIY Hedgehog House

Flying Squirrel Houses (to buy)

Hibernacula and Homes

How to Make a Chipmunk House

Installing Snag Wildlife Habitat Installations — plans for 3 options

Rabbitat

Rock Wall Habitats

Snags and Cavity Trees

Squirrel Feeders & Houses

Squirrel Houses

What Kind of Squirrel House to Buy

Winter Wonderland Animal Homes


Reptiles include lizards, snakes, and turtles among others. These cold-blooded creatures need help with thermal regulation. So they benefit from basking rocks or rafts, hibernacula, and rock piles. Basalt is popular in landscaping and makes a great basking stone because it is dark and dense.

Build It and They Will Come: Basking Rafts

Creating Box Turtle Habitat - Backyard Wildlife Gardening

Habitat Rock Piles

Learn how to build Snake Hibernacula

Yard Herping


Amphibians include frogs, toads, salamanders, and a few others. They need moist places to live such as ponds, rain gardens, mulch or compost piles, and rotten logs. You can also provide shelters such as toad abodes and tree frog pipes.

Add beauty and manage rain with a rain garden

Build your own Hibernaculum

Creating ponds for amphibians and reptiles (UK)

Creating a Wild Backyard - Snags & Logs

Garden Toad House – How To Make A Toad House For The Garden

How to make a Frog Hotel (with PVC pipes for tree frogs)

MY FROG/TOAD HABITAT

Toad Houses


Invertebrates include a huge range of insects but also others such as spiders and centipedes. Many of these are food for birds or other animals. Housing options include beehives, bee trees, bee houses, butterfly houses, insect hotels; bark stacks, brush piles, compost heaps, mulch piles, and rotten logs.

9 Best Bug Hotels of 2022

22 Best Trees For Bees + FREE Printable

49 Butterfly Houses & Feeders

50 DIY bug hotels: material and instructions to attract bugs

Beehives (to buy)

Building a brush pile for your Woodland garden

Different Types of Beehives - With Pictures

Bee Houses (to buy)

Bee Houses (to buy)

DIY Butterfly House

DIY Native Bee House

How to make the most of compost

Ladybug Houses

Log Beehives

Make a Log Beehive

Nesting & Overwintering Habitat: FOR POLLINATORS & OTHER BENEFICIAL INSECTS

Rotting Log Ecosystem and other Wildlife Friendly Ways with Logs

Spiders in the Garden - Planet Natural

The Value of mulching with compost to birds and wildlife

What's in a Leaf Pile, Or Why Not to Do Fall Clean-up

Wildlife Habitat Piles in the Garden