As summers (and the other seasons) get hotter, local wildlife needs more and more help from humans to survive. While systematic changes like legal protections for threatened species and reduced fossil fuel usage are obviously the best way to ensure fauna and flora can thrive, there are also small ways individuals can offer a helping hand.
Providing Water Sources
You can use hose water, but it may be even easier, cheaper, and more sustainable to collect rain water or save excess water. Seal the bottom of a large planter and leave it where it will fill with rain, rinse your veggies over a bowl, save the water you wash rice in, or keep pasta water after cooking.
This water can go into bird baths or shallow water bowls to hydrate pollinators and small animals. Ensure bird baths are somewhat shaded and cleaned every couple days to keep them free of disease-spreading bacteria. Placing pebbles in a shallow water dish provides a great place for lizards, frogs, and pollinators to rest while they drink or bathe.
Worried about Mosquitos?
The idea of keeping standing water around may incite a kind of fight-or-flight response in Floridians who have been through brutal mosquito seasons before. Don’t worry! There are ways to maintain harmony with the natural ecosystem while enjoying your time outdoors.
Of course, natural bug repellant like Beat It! is a fantastic defense, but you can also plant herbs that will discourage mosquitos from visiting your backyard. Peppermint, thyme, lemon balm, lemongrass, rosemary, basil, and catnip are a few that have been shown to keep bugs away. Marigolds and nasturtiums are more beautiful options that also repel mosquitos.
All said and done, when you create safe spaces for natural predators like frogs, lizards, and birds, mosquito populations are bound to be kept in check.
Garden Intentionally
By far the best thing you can do for local wildlife is cultivate native plants. The plants that are already adapted to life in this ecosystem are going to provide the best support for the animals that evolved alongside them.
However, there are easier and quicker ways to temporarily make your garden more friendly to bugs, birds, and small animals. Replenish the mulch in your garden beds – or add some if you’re rocking bare soil! – to help trap moisture and provide a cool, dark place for little crawlies to rest out of the hot sun. They’ll nourish your soil in return!
You can also make a bug hotel from scrap wood, bricks, bark, sticks, and/or leaf litter. Many wild pollinating bee species are solitary and look for little holes to make their homes in, so hallowed bamboo rods and logs with holes drilled in them are a great way to help them out!
Moving bird baths and feeders out of direct sun is also helpful to giving birds a cooler place to rest, and it’ll prevent the water from evaporating too quickly.
If you have a pool, consider investing in a frog ramp to save any little critters or pollinators that may get stuck in the water. This will also help keep you from needing to scoop up little bodies!
Every Creature Counts
As temperatures rise, the smallest acts of care can make a big difference. Whether you’re setting out a shaded bowl of water, planting herbs that deter pests naturally, or creating a welcoming garden for native pollinators, you’re helping to weave a web of resilience that supports our shared ecosystem. We may not be able to reverse climate change overnight, but we can choose to live in closer harmony with the creatures around us. Kindness to wildlife isn’t just compassion, it’s survival. And it starts in your own backyard.