Welcome to Wrenaissance
NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat #23563
Urban Wildlife Sanctuary #304
Not at lot of changes from 2001 and earlier, but websites were a lot more static back in the day. Despite that, it seemed to take up a fair amount time. Perhaps I’m conflating all my online actives and communities into one blob of time and assigning it to the website.
Wrenaissance.com exists as a way for me to share my enthusiasm for backyard wildlife habitats, and the joy that I’ve gotten from creating, improving, and living in one. It also lets me share some of the information I’ve learned over the years, which I hope will convince you that creating your own backyard habitat is a good idea, an achievable goal, and a lot of fun.
It’s really not difficult to create a wildlife habitat in your yard, if you’re willing to give up the typical suburban lawn and provide food, water, and shelter for small animals instead. It also helps to plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers, since local plants and animals are suited to each other.
Why did I do this?
- I really enjoy watching birds, squirrels, and other wildlife and wanted to do everything I could to attract them to my yard
- It’s good for the environment – songbird migration is disrupted and bird species are disappearing at an alarming rate due to habitat loss as cities and suburbs sprawl further afield
- Pesticides are killing birds.
- Traditional landscaping has disadvantages
- Pollution from yard runoff has damaged watersheds, rivers, and larger bodies of water such as the Chesapeake Bay
- Use of native plants helps preserve biodiversity
- It’s fun! There are lots of other people with a backyard wildlife habitat. Join the crowd!
The greatest reason for me, however, is that having a backyard wildlife habitat adds tremendously to my quality of life. Watching the birds, squirrels, and other critters who visit the yard is the most relaxing part of my day. Puttering around the yard, adding more native plants, and plotting where to put the pond someday is my best escape from stress and hassle. It takes only as much time and effort as I have to give to it, and often can and must go on autopilot for long stretches of time when I’m busy at work or elsewhere. You don’t need green thumbs or years of experience to create a habitat – anything you do that makes your yard a more welcoming place for wildlife will return rewards that far more than repay the work you did to create it. Like me, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you have made the world a little better place through your actions.
Both the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service offer information and step-by-step guides to creating a backyard wildlife habitat as well as general information on the why and how of backyard conservation. The Division of Migratory Bird Management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has pamphlets on Backyard Bird Feeding, Landscaping to Attract Birds, Backyard Bird Problems, Bird Houses, and Migratory Songbird Conservation. There’s an abundance of books, magazines, and electronic resources available if you want more information. Take any small step today!
What’s here and what’s what?
Follow the links at the bottom of the page to read about Wrenaissance, its habitat design, the plants and other wildlife-friendly features it contains, and the birds and small mammals which have visited. There are photographs throughout – for most photos, if you click on the small pictures it will link you to a larger version.
You’ll also find links to other habitats and to print and electronic resources for further exploration. Feel free to link here or to any of the pages from your own website. I ask, however, that you respect my work and the effort I put into it and ask for permission as well as give credit before using text or images from Wrenaissance elsewhere in any format.
Webrings
This site is a member of the WebRing Backyard Wildlife Habitats
View a complete list of WebRing memberships here
Urban Wildlife Ring
This site is owned by Wrenaissance Woman
Wrenaissance Woman was an identity I tried on for awhile, but it was too cumbersome and I quickly reverted back to just Wren as my web and blog identity.
