Another year

An updated chronology and list of other habitat websites for 2001.

Twenty years later, who remembers the early days of the web and sites like The Mining Co, About.com, Suite 101, and Geocities? Or webrings? I can’t say I really miss those sites, and I don’t want to turn back the clock, but I do miss the camaraderie of those early days. The intersecting sets of wildlife/nature lovers and geeks was small but active. It’s hard to imagine that we, the internet equivalents of Mom and Pop shops, were the sources of information. The big players, the Audubon Society, Cornell Lab, NWF, and others were slower to get online and their offerings were limited compared to what they have online today.

2001

• You win some, you lose some. Losses: all three pepperbushes, three of the five viburnum, the re-emergent coreopsis, all the mountain laurels, one of two azaleas, three inkberries, all the foamflowers and some of the bluebells and wood poppies.
• On the other hand, the survivors are thriving.
• A busy summer has left little time to work in the yard or on the web pages, but behind the scenes thinking and planning continues. A consultation with landscape designer John Magee provided some new ideas that I hope I’ll be able to make real before much longer.

Websites

• Abe Lincoln’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat: A habitat in Southwestern Ohio on I-70 near the Indiana state line. Photos, habitat hints, squirrel box plans, links, and more. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #6769
• Audrey’s Wildlife Habitat: A few pictures, some basic information on creating habitats, a recommended reading list, and an excellent guide to native plants for the area. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #20725.
• Backyard Wildlife Habitat #23776: A Maryland habitat. Pictures and links to other bird info.
• Backyard Wildlife Habitat #25604: A habitat on a lake in the north woods of Idaho. Detailed pictures of pond construction and an invasive plant list. 
• Bee’s Ivory Tower: A pond, some photos, and information on amphibian monitoring. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #13303.
• Bigsnest Wildlife Pond: This Sebastopol, California backyard pool was transformed into a pond and wildlife habitat featuring native plants. Includes a five year illustrated chronology of the habitat development and pictures of wildlife visitors, plus a link to the authors’ dragonfly web pages.
• Bren’s Backyard Conservation Page: Backyard Wildlife Habitat #28776. General information on backyard conservation with pictures of the habitat and the birds that visit it.
• Butterfly Zone: This site discusses how to attract butterflies to your garden, including the basics of how to plan a small butterfly friendly garden or window box. The Urban Gardener’s Journal is the history of the creation of a backyard wildlife habitat in Virginia. 
• Carroll’s Critters: A certified backyard habitat since 1986, Carroll’s Corner attracts birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, and loves all of them.
• Cruger’s habitat in Oregon: A property inventory/application and a collection of photos from Backyard Wildlife Habitat #19051.
• David Jordan Bird Habitat: David is a 15 year old bird enthusiast in Yorba Linda, CA. He includes information on the habitats and the NWF habitat program as well photos and information on his backyard, Backyard Wildlife Habitat #18455.
• A Day in the Life of a Florida Backyard Wildlife Habitat: An article from EcoFlorida Magazine, on the joys of creating and living in your own backyard habitat.
• Family Stone backyard wildlife habitat: The Family Stone backyard wildlife habitat is in Loveland, Colorado. It is a xeriscape – not quite a desert, but the need for watering is eliminated by the wise choice of plantings. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #16540
• Fantastic Michigan Wildlife Habitat: Brief text and photos from an NWF certified backyard wildlife habitat.
• Feathers & Flowers…A Habitat Haven: An online project creating a haven for birds and butterflies. Two writers – one who wrote about birds, one about gardens – at The Mining Co (now about.com) joined forces to create a wildlife-friendly  backyard. Includes a history of the project, lots of photos, and links to more online about habitats, birds and gardens. 
• Garden Bench: Dedicated to promoting backyard habitats and wildlife gardening, Garden Bench includes a habitat tour, photos, and a variety of links and information, some commercial. The habitat also is featured in an article, “Murdo Morrison’s Suburban Backyard Habitat,” at Suite101.com where the author is the editor of the backyard habitat area, and as one of Suite101’s collection of garden tours. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #18606
• Garden Mosaic: Garden and pond pictures from the backyard wildlife habitat. Reference section with information on planning, birds, birdseed, links, and references.
• Gardening for Wildlife Conservation: This site illustrates how one dedicated enthusiast is setting about the task of caring for a yard in a wildlife-friendly way. Three acres in Devon (UK) are being transformed into a haven, and a larder of plenty for all wildlife.
• Graham’s Paradise Garden: The home of the ‘Town Gardens’ and ‘Urban Wildlife’ Webrings. A tiny garden in north-west England, open to the public for charity,  offering cultivation tips and sources of supply of many hardy perennials. Featuring a virtual tour of the garden, plus garden and wildlife quizzes. 
• Guadagno Habitat 2000 and Pond Page: Pictures from a certified habitat in Levittown, NY, and step-by-step photos of pond creation. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #26695.
• J’s Garden Jungle: A refreshing look at urban wildlife habitat renewal combined with organics and native plants and water. NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat # 28771 and Texas Certified Wildscape # 1564.
• Jeremy’s Wildlife Web: Jeremy lives in Somerset in the South West of the United Kingdom. He regularly posts information on the birds, foxes, squirrels and hedgehogs which are frequent visitors to his garden. The site also has a bird box camera in a nesting box.
• Kevin’s Backyard and Wildscape Page: The transformation of a typical backyard into a wildlife habitat. Large photos take some time to download. Texas Wildscape #1363 and Backyard Wildlife Habitat #24355.
• Lake Big Fish: Backyard Wildlife Habitat #16518, also known as Lake Big Fish, is an oasis nestled in the suburban sprawl of Plano, Texas. Lake Big Fish is also a registered Texas Wildscape Backyard Wildlife Habitat (Texas Wildscape #712). 
• Liebler-Neubig Prairie Project: Rick and Laura decided to convert much of their suburban front lawn into a natural area. Pictures show how the project progressed from the original layout through the second year. Also includes pictures of the controlled burn in March 2001.
• Lois and David’s Birding and Backyard Habitat: Lois and David  live in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. Their yard has become certified by the National Wildlife Federation as Backyard Wildlife Habitat #10309. They have established a Butterfly Garden, a Wildflower Area, plants that attract hummingbirds, and many perennial beds. 
• Los Inocentes del Norte Wildlife Sanctuary: A 37 acre wildlife sanctuary home in Missouri. Includes information and photos on energy efficient, passive solar house along with flora and fauna. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #21833.
• Mark and William’s Place: Starting from scratch, building home and habitat. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #24555.
• My Garden Path: A Florida & National Backyard Wildlife Habitat: A Florida and National Wildlife Habitat – perfect proof that you don’t have to have a lot of land to create a refuge for wildlife. 
• Nest Box: Photos, info, and links, with an emphasis on birds and birding, and a particular interest in bluebirds.
• NWF Example Habitats, Inspirational letters, and a Memoir: Backyard Wildlife Habitat #364: Text and pictures from participants in the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program, from the early years of the program to the present day. You also can search a database to find habitats by state, use, size, or features.
• Our Backyard Forest: An Ohio habitat with wildflowers, prairie grasses, trees, and shrubs –  at first purchased plants, but later grown from local seed to preserve the local ecology . There is a plants page with a description of each plant, a picture book of photos taken around the yard, and a collection of useful links to other interesting and educational sites. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #25845.
• Pam’s Puddle: Emphasis on ponds and water gardening, with backyard photos, lots of links, and narrative of step by step pond creation. 
• Robyn’s Pond Page: Web site on the plants and animals in a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Lots of info about aquariums and ponds.
• Snider’s Nature Gardens: Lots of photos of a certified backyard habitat and the critters that visit it.
• Stewardship Garden: Photos, Project FeederWatch counts, and habitat creation information from Backyard Wildlife Habitat #27815.
• Unpave the Way for Wildlife: Journey North’s nationwide collection of backyard and schoolyard habitats.
• Urban Houston Habitat: Plant list and photos, references, and links for a certified Texas habitat. Parent site includes other pages for Texas North Coast birders and naturalists. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #18935.
• Urban Wilderness: The Urban Wilderness is a comer lot in an older urban neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. Only a few seasonal pictures, but the page is part of a larger site, the Heartland All Species Project.
• Water Lily Cottage: Water Lily Cottage is located in Montecito, California, and is a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. The garden includes a large collection of California native plants and other non-native plants that are suited to dry climates (xeriscaping) plus a water garden. Backyard Wildlife Habitat #22119.
• Webrings: Webrings link sites with common themes through a shared navigation bar. Wrenaissance is part of the Urban Wildlife and Backyard Wildlife Habitats web ring.