Build a wildlife friendly garden

In Gandel Gondwana Garden you can walk through ancient landscapes and see how Victoria’s ecosystems have evolved.

But you don’t need to go any further than your own garden to continue exploring the natural world. Whether you have a backyard or a balcony, there’s plenty of ways to bring biodiversity home.

Take a look at our illustrated garden to find tips and tricks to make your garden a safe place for wildlife.

A backyard garden full of wildlife in the day

Illustration by Allira Tee

Lizards

Native grasses, leaf litter and bark make the perfect hiding place for lizards.

Two common skinks in the sun — Common garden skink

Tip: Use fallen logs, rocks or bricks to create a home where lizards can shelter.

To keep your yard safe for reptiles it’s best to avoid pesticides and keep your cat inside.

Water

From birds to butterflies, all animals need water to survive.

A red Wattlebird in a bird bath — Red Wattlebird

Tip: Different water sources will attract different animals. Lizards will drink from a shallow dish, butterflies drink from puddles, while birds prefer an elevated water source protected from predators.

Shrubs

Closely planted shrubs of different heights make good places for birds to hide. Mid storey plants also support insect populations, which in turn attract birds that keep insect populations under control.

A close-up of a Red Wattlebird — Red Wattlebird

Tip: Don’t feed birds bread or seed. Native plants are the best source of food for birds.

Trees

Trees are an essential part of any wildlife friendly garden. They give shelter to birds, mammals and insects as well as food in the form of leaves, seeds, fruits and nectar. Fallen leaves create habitat for lizards and other creatures. When leaves break down into the soil they provide food for other plants.

Looking up at a Eucalyptus tree — Eucalyptus tree

Tip: Choose native trees for your garden. They’re best suited to the local soils and climate.

Nest box

As trees age they develop holes and cavities where animals can rest and rear young. These hollows can take up to 100 years to form, so once an old tree is gone, this habitat is lost.

Nest boxes can provide a safe place for animals to roost when there aren’t enough old trees around.

Bats in a box — Gould’s Wattled Bats roost in tree hollows and in nest boxes. There's also one Eastern Broad-nosed Bat in this box, can you spot it?

Tip: Light coloured nest boxes will stay cooler in the summer sun.

Explore the garden at night

Taking steps to make your garden safe for wildlife doesn’t only bring benefits during the day. You may not notice, but even in the dark your garden is a hive of activity.

Find out how your wildlife friendly garden can become a haven for night time creatures.

A backyard garden full of wildlife at night

Illustration by Allira Tee

Cats

Pet cats kill more that 390 million animals a year in Australia, mostly native birds, reptiles and mammals. On average, a domestic cat allowed to roam outdoors will kill 186 animals a year.

Tip: A cat tree or scratching post can help keep your cat busy indoors.

Night birds

Just like the birds that inhabit your garden in the day, nocturnal birds look for shelter and food when choosing a home. The Tawny Frogmouth will roost in a big old tree where it is well camouflaged.

Tip: Avoid using poison on pests like slugs or mice as the birds that hunt them may get sick too.

Spiders

Spiders not only help to keep insect populations under control, they also make a great food source for birds.

A spider in its web — Garden orb weaving spider

Tip: Leave spider webs in place. Big webs like the orb weaver’s are great for catching flying insects and keeping pests like mosquitos under control.

Pollinators

Pollinators carry pollen from one flower to another. This allows plants to reproduce. But pollination is not just the work of bees and butterflies—after dark moths take over.

Black and White Tiger Moth. Great Otway National Park, Victoria.

Tip: Moths seek out nectar producing flowers, so a diverse garden of flowering plants is key to attracting moths.

Bats

Although there are 14 species of insect-eating bats in and around Melbourne, they’re often difficult to spot. Not only are they very small, but most species’ echolocation calls can’t be heard by humans.