Gardening
for wildlife in Tampa Bay
Dealing
with wildlife on a daily basis
has given me a great deal of insight
into how different species interact
with their environment in an urban
setting.
Many
people love putting out birdfeeders
and pet food to feed wildlife
but this usually leads to problems.
Birdfeeders
usually feed rats and squirrels
more than they do birds. When
those critters have that much
more food to eat on a year around
basis it usually leads to over-population.
This leads to disease and animals
breaking into attics because
of lack of nesting areas.
Leaving
out pet food for raccoons or opossums
gets those species to lose their
natural fear of humans. When you
forget to fill the food bowl one
night a raccoon might slip into
the house through the cat door.
It may also accidently scratch
you trying to get the food bag
out of your hands too aggressivley.
If that happens you will have
to get rabies shots unless the
animal is caught and killed before
testing. I have seen both of these
things happen, countless times.
The
best way to feed wildlife is by
planting native plants. Native
plants are the bottom rung of
the food chain. Even animals that
don't feed on plants will benefit
from feeding on the insects and
herbivores that do feed on them.
Not as many problems arise from
this method because wildlife keep
to their natural cycles. They
don't associate humans with food.
They don't overpopulate an area
that may not sustain them if someone
who leaves the dog food or bird
feeder out, moves out of the neighborhood.
I
am compiling a list of native
plants and different local wildlife
and how to best provide for them
in a natural way.
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