Why Help Wildlife In Your Garden?
As more land is developed for human use, our gardens are needed now more than ever to provide wildlife with habitat - spaces to nest, rest and feed. Every wildlife-friendly garden is a haven that can act as a stepping stone between other gardens, parks and larger areas of natural habitat. In turn, these animals play a critical role in our own survival, from pollinators that help provide fruits and vegetables to cavity nesting birds which keep mice and insects under control.
When you welcome songbirds, butterflies, bees and other animals to the gardens surrounding your home, cottage, business, school or community garden, you are supporting them with much needed habitat. Anyone with outdoor space, be it a patio or acres of land, has an amazing opportunity to help our local and migratory wildlife and to enjoy the benefits and beauty they bring. The best part is it can be as simple as you like and suited to any lifestyle, budget or space.
Goal of the Program
CWF’s Gardening for Wildlife program helps Canadians discover, appreciate and support our local and migratory wildlife. It inspires them to get outside and transform home, school, business and community outdoor spaces into attractive wildlife-friendly habitat. We do this through workshops, webinars, an online course, posters and handouts, online articles and many resources like our Native Plant Encyclopedia and Supplier List. We also offer a Garden Habitat Certification where successful applicants have their property certified as “Wildlife-friendly Habitat”. If you like sharing and learning with others, we also have a Gardening for Wildlife iNaturalist project and Facebook group to share ideas, stories, photos, get help with identification and find out what’s happening in your part of the country!
Videos
Buy the CWF Medallion Plant Collection!
Pollination is one of the most important processes on the planet. Thanks to pollination, we have delicious foods, healthy ecosystems, and even growth in the economy. Pollinators are the tiny but important creatures that make this all of this possible. Purchasing one of our five plant kits from our pollinator collection of Medallion Plants is one way to help conserve wildlife in Canada.
What You Can Do
Did You Know?
How to Garden with Wildlife in Mind
Learn about the basic elements wildlife need and get ideas how to incorporate them in your outdoor space.
Learn moreAnimals
How do I stop birds from hitting my windows? What are beneficial insects? What are some animals that live in or visit Canada's gardens? Find out these and more.
Learn moreGardening Tips, Tools and Other Resources
Download handouts, get how-to advice, consult zone maps and plant ID tools, listen to podcasts, order a poster, peruse our demonstration gardens and more!
Learn moreIn the News
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CWF and Olde Forge Community Centre Create Conservation Garden
June 8, 2022 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) has received funding in part from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The funds will be used to create a conservation garden at Olde Forge Community Resource Centre in Ottawa.
CWF and Olde Forge Community Centre Create Conservation Garden
June 8, 2022 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) has received funding in part from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The funds will be used to create a conservation garden at Olde Forge Community Resource Centre in Ottawa.
Intergenerational Gardening Blooms at Bruyère Village in Orleans
June 8, 2022 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) has received funding in part from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The funds will be used to create a WILD Generations Gardening Club pairing tenants of Bruyère Village...
How to tell if a plant is wildlife-friendly
March 20, 2022, CWF Blog – Many people buy plants thinking they are helping our pollinators or birds.
Bee Hero Garden Challenge winners congratulated for their efforts
February 17, 2022, The Peterborough Examiner – Throughout the summer of 2021, participants showed their progress with before and after pictures of their gardens designed to provide beauty for their homes as well as help pollinators do their jobs
Native Trees and Shrubs with Autumn Colour
September 20, 2021, CWF Blog – Fall is a lovely time to enjoy another stage of our plants – their changing leaf colours. We’re all familiar with the famous Canadian maples and their reds, oranges and yellows but did you know that many other plants native to our...
Sign Up for Timely Articles and Tips
Our e-newsletter Grow Wild features Canadian animals and plants as well as some edible plants and how to grow them in harmony with nature. It also provides tips, project ideas or family crafts suited to that season as well as sharing photos of wildlife-friendly gardens across the country. Sign up to join over 20,000 readers in this gardening community.
Blogs
Little Green Sprouts – 3 Toddler-friendly Gardening Projects
Gardens provide a wonderful environment for children to explore, learn and play. By gardening together as a family, you can plant the seed of a life-long love of nature, while reaping the many health benefits of being outside!… Read
More BlogsMeet The Team
Carole Wheatley, Sarah Coulber and Eneze Baye-Imerion work to ensure that Canadians have the resources and support they need to easily and enjoyably create wildlife-friendly habitat in their gardens.
"I love sharing potentially helpful and inspiring information with others so that they, too, can help Canada's wildlife through gardening."
Sarah Coulber,
Education Specialist
“I’m passionate about outdoor experiential learning, liaising with partner organizations to promote social inclusion through nature engagement."
Eneze Baye-Imerion,
Education Manager (Generalist)
"Each one of us can make a difference in a few simple actions in our backyards or balconies."
Carole Wheatley,
Education Specialist