Plant blueberries and raspberries for your wildlife friends and your own table. Make nesting boxes available Birds and mammals that usually nest in cavities of mature trees also nest in boxes if they are available. Owls, bluebirds, wrens, purple martins and swallows are just a few. Bats consume pesky insects such as mosquitoes that thrive in the streams and marshes of the bay region. Bat boxes erected on buildings and trees attract these beneficial mammals to your backyard gardens.
Bats roost inside during the day and perch on eaves at dusk to feed on flying insects.
Why water is important Water for both drinking and bathing is essential to wildlife. Unfortunately, it is often the most overlooked landscape component. Natural water sources continue to rapidly disappear in the cities and suburbs around Chesapeake Bay. You can provide this critically needed element in several creative ways. Even a shallow pan filled with 2 inches or less of water is an excellent drinking source.