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Planting for Butterflies, Birds and Other Wildlife

Valerie Albarda

By Valerie Albarda
Updated March 1, 2023

Attract birds, butterflies and other beauties to your garden by offering them all the comforts of home. By planting for butterflies and other animals, you can help create a habitat for insects and wildlife.

A butterfly on a plant with pink blooms.

How Can I Attract Wildlife to My Property?

Animals can be attracted to your home by pleasant resting places, inviting scents and succulent nourishment. Having these amenities outside your home will cause birds, insects and other animals to settle nearby and visit your property on a regular basis.

Food

A bee on a yellow flower.

Native species of plants, shrubs and trees lure wildlife into your area. Butterflies and hummingbirds sip nectar. Bees dine on pollen. Flowers and plants for attracting butterflies include coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan and lavender. Not sure how to attract birds to a feeder? Use bird seed and berries. Use suet feeders in the winter to feed insect-eating birds.

Water

Three bird baths on a lawn.

Every living thing needs water to drink, and birds, bees and butterflies are no exceptions. If you have a natural water source on your property (such as a pond, stream or marsh), it's probably already a lively place, offering nurseries for toads and frogs as well as habitat for waterfowl, lizards and reptiles. Birds also like bathing — so a birdbath is a good addition to a wildlife-friendly garden. The Audubon Society recommends that birdbaths have sides that incline gently and that the baths are no more than 2 to 3 inches deep. They also should offer slightly rough surfaces for adequate footing.

Add fresh water every couple of days. Make sure the bottom of the bath is free from algae. Give it a good scrubbing every few weeks. Birds flock to the sound of trickling water, so adding a fountain will lure more species. Position a birdbath about 15 feet from trees and shrubs so predators, such as hawks and cats, can’t sneak up on bathing birds. To attract butterflies with water, set out a shallow dish filled with wet sand.

Do Swimming Pools Attract Wildlife?

Animals and insects look for places to take a drink and cool off in the heat, so they'll certainly look for ways inside your pool. If you own a swimming pool, you need to keep wild animals away from it. Be sure the pool has fencing around it as required by law. You can also keep critters out with alternative deterrents such as bird repellent or decorative alligators.

Cover/Housing

For nesting and safety, plant a variety of species — from small to tall. All wildlife needs protective cover in which to safely hide from predators and get out of bad weather. Shrubs, hedges and piles of brush (including dead trees) offer respites for birds, rabbits and other species. The more cover and housing opportunities you offer, the more species will call your yard home.

Choose native shrubs and trees to provide natural nesting areas and materials. For example, different bird species have nesting styles that range from a hole in a tree to a nest that sits in the crotch of a tree branch. Add a mix of deciduous trees (that lose their leaves in autumn) and coniferous trees (evergreens) to create the most diverse habitat. For more inspiration, read our guide — Choose the Right Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Your Landscape.

You can increase the number of bird species in your area by erecting manmade nesting boxes or houses. Purple martins, bluebirds, wrens and titmice will nest in these structures. Other ready-made wildlife structures include bat houses and mason bee boxes.

Good to Know

If you want to attract wildlife, take care when using chemicals in your yard. Herbicides and pesticides can create a dangerous environment for many wildlife species. Check out our guide to using natural lawn care alternatives.

Best Wildlife-Attracting Plants

Red berries on a green plant.

Add a wide variety of food-producing plants, shrubs and trees to your landscape and you’ll enjoy an abundance of wildlife species in your yard.

  • Nuts: Oak, hickory, buckeye, chestnut, walnut
  • Seeds: Pine, spruce, fir, maple, sunflower, coneflower, aster, goldenrod, grass, thistle
  • Berries: Holly, dogwood, serviceberry, cherry, elderberry, mulberry, bayberry, raspberry, blueberry, high-bush cranberry (in photo), pokeberry, Virginia creeper, grape
  • Nectar: Columbine, lobelia, penstemon, azalea, fuchsia, trumpet vine, monarda, honeysuckle, Joe Pye weed.

Make Your Garden a Wildlife Refuge

Create a backyard habitat for wildlife by adding food, cover, water and nesting materials to your landscape. Once you do this you can certify your yard as a wildlife-friendly zone by applying to be part of the National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program.