Creating a winter place for wildlife

Slightly cooler temperatures have many Texans venturing back outside to embrace natur ei nt heir favorite outdoor spaces.

Supporting wildli fe i nyourgarden can help maintain the balance of nature in an urban setting. Watching or photographing the antics of wildlife creatures can provide hours of enjoyment for children and grown-ups alike. And

to the songs and chirps of birds, toads, frogs and others will be music to your ears. It can be like having the National Geographic channel in your back yard.

Many people hang bird feeders or houses in their yards, but with a little garden habitat planning, you can bring a whole new variety of wildlife to your landscap e— birds, bats, toads, frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and many other small creatures. While some people might not care to invite all of these anim als into their yards, most of them are harmless. Many even eat destructive insects or rodents.

How do you go about creating a friendly and successful habitat for wildlife? There are four primary elements necessary to h elp wildlife survive in your garden: ■ Shelter ■ Food ■ Water ■ Places to raise young

Shelter

For wildlife to thrive, animals need shelter from predators and weather extremes — the blazing summer heat, winter’s cold and rain, a ndourC entral Texas droughts.

Many garden plants can provide both food and shelter .T rees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, groundcovers and vines can all provide