Step 2: Providing Water

Providing water for your new Wildlife Habitat can be as simple as installing a bird bath, or as complex as creating your own backyard wetland. If you're lucky enough to have a creek or pond (or live right on the beach) then you've got all the water your new, wild, friends are going to need.

Remember, the water you're providing isn't just for drinking. Birds and other animals will use the water you provide in order to bathe and, depending on what critters come to live in your yard, they may need water rear their young as well.

Whatever the case, you're going to have to do your best to ensure that these water sources remain clean and in good condition. That means keeping them free of chemicals and other contaminants. For birdbaths you'll want to clean them out several times a week to prevent mosquito larva from hatching.

Someone living in an apartment with a balcony might have a shallow dish to allow butterflies to

Butterflies "puddling" via Flickr

"puddle" (more on this in the Butterfly article). Someone with a small yard might go with a birdbath, while someone with more room may opt for an above ground pond.

There's no real hard rules here, as long as you're providing enough clean water to sustain the critters you're trying to attract into your habitat.

In order to become certified you must provide at least one of the following:

• Birdbath
• Lake
• Stream
• Seasonal Pool
• Ocean
• Water Garden
• Pond
• Butterfly Puddling Area
• Rain Garden
• Spring