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The temperatures are dropping across Canada and many compassionate people are asking how they can support wildlife through winter. The Fur-Bearers has put together this list to help you find ways to support wildlife without directly feeding – because that can lead to significant issues long term (click here to learn more about the impact of feeding wildlife). Let us know which your favourite is!
1 Leave the leaves. A variety of benefits come with allowing fallen leaves to stay in piles on your property, including creating habitat for numerous species of insect and amphibians. These species are important to ecosystems and can also be an overwinter food source for many birds and mammals. Plus, leaves can create a natural mulch that benefits soil health and can reduce weed growth.

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2 Plant native trees and shrubs. Including trees and shrubs in your yard that wildlife evolved alongside gives them incredible opportunities for food and shelter through winter. Work with a local nursery or gardening group to identify which plants are ideal for your soil, sun, precipitation, and hardiness zone.

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3 Don’t deadhead native plants. While removing the spent flowers of a plant (deadheading) can help generate more growth through the seasons, leaving seedheads intact overwinter not only provides visual interest, but offers a food source to birds and other wildlife. Solidago canadensis (Canadian goldenrod), for example, goes from a golden haven for pollinators to a striking winter plant that birds like Spinus tristis (American goldfinch) love to snack on.
4 Minimize outdoor lighting. Wildlife will often avoid people, even in urban areas, and providing them that opportunity can make a big difference in their ability to thrive through winter. Reducing outdoor lights – particularly decorative lighting that illuminate greenspaces – will make your property more comfortable for wildlife to move through and potentially find habitat within.

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5 Create nesting boxes. Whether it’s for bats, birds, or squirrels, creating a nesting box can offer local wildlife additional habitat and safety from extreme temperatures in winter. Click here for plans for a bat house and squirrel house from Hobbitsee Wildlife Refuge and click here for plans and more about building bird houses from CornellLab’s NestWatch program.
Directly feeding wildlife will affect their behaviour and can have tremendous impact on both the ecosystem and human-wildlife conflicts. Remember to feed ecosystems, not wildlife. Do you have a favourite way to help wildlife thrive in winter? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook, Instagram, X, or YouTube posts, or email us at [email protected].