Habitat "To Do" list

Things to do

Add native plants
Remove invasive introduced plants
Put out a bird bath or other water source
Put up a bluebird box
Provide natural food and shelter for songbirds
Plant a native tree, or better yet a grove of trees
Grow food (organically). Share vegetable seeds and seedlings.
Change outdoor light bulbs to yellow LED (3,000K or less). Put motion sensors on outdoor lights
Provide food and habitat for hummingbirds
Create a stream buffer at least 100 feet wide
Add a pond
Create a butterfly garden
Participate in invasive plant removal events in the local parks
Protect areas for ground nesting bees
Compost kitchen and yard scraps
Put up a solar roof array
Protect birds against window strikes

Ways for us to learn together about

Clifton's natural beauty

Watch the movie Hometown Habitat Stories of Bringing Nature Home
Join the Naturally Clifton Facebook Group and/or sign up for Wild About Clifton updates on our website
Upload photos of wild things (plants, animals, etc) to iNaturalist
Read Nature's Best Hope by Doug Tallamy
Participate in City Nature Challenge every April
Help identify observations on iNaturalist
Become a volunteer stream monitor
Invite a child, or a friend or neighbor, to take a nature walk (after the restrictions are lifted!)
Ask at least one neighbor to do some of these things

Things to do less of

Reduce or eliminate lawn chemicals
Keep cats indoors
Avoid planting invasive introduced plants
Reduce lawn area
Eliminate outdoor insecticides (except in emergencies)
Avoid gas-powered leaf blowers
Don't drown the frogs: add a Critter Skimmer, Frog Log or other escape devise to my swimming pool
Leave fallen leaves and grass clippings on the lawn (chopping them up with the mower if needed)
Leave dead tree snags in place
Keep stormwater on your own property
Conserve water

Resources