When the construction of my home was complete I began the re-construction of my yard.  The plan was to nature scape the front and back yards.  I don't mind mowing grass but I wanted to provide more habitat for the small creatures in my yard as well as draw more of them in.

Draw them in I did.  I had some new visitors arrive the very first summer. One was about two feet long.  It watched every move that I made.  I had never seen a garter snake in the yard before.  That summer there were three.  During the day, they lazed in the sun on the warm clay soil.  In the evening they would crawl into a crack in the ground and stay there until morning.  I've seen snakes in the yard each year since.

The other visitors were a pair of tiger salamanders.  I created a twig/branch pile in two separate areas of the yard.  The piles provided shelter for the small birds and reptiles.  They were home to the salamanders during the day when

the sun was out.  When the air cooled and the dew coated the grass, the reptiles would exit the pile and explore.  I have found up to four of them in the yard since the first day that I saw them.

There is a snag standing in the backyard for the woodpeckers.  Wood stumps were grouped together for the insects to enjoy and little birds to hide in between.  Tree trunks were laid along the edge of the garden to provide shelter for insects and to provide a place for the snakes to hide in the shade.  Mulch was laid to keep the weeds down but to also provide a cool place for the reptiles.

I will continue to re-build the backyard; adding more habitat for the small creatures and hope that they will continue to thrive in the yard that we share.