Neighborhood nature: habitat without feeding encounters

USU Extension frames wildlife habitat around food, water, cover and places to raise young. Native plants can supply foliage, nectar, pollen, fruit and shelter; vegetation is part of the animal story even in a developed neighborhood. The useful starting question is what the landscape supports, rather than how to lure a particular animal close enough to photograph.

Yards and parks can offer food, water, cover and nesting sites in miniature. Showy milkweed and the monarch butterfly are a good pair to learn together, as long as the caterpillar's host plant and the adult's nectar plants stay distinct. Coyotes, bobcats and bats each come with their own coexistence advice in their profiles. None of this is an invitation to feed wildlife or to put out water near a road. Plant choices and upkeep belong in a locally appropriate gardening guide.