What is a Backyard Habitat?

A Backyard Habitat is the manipulation of a space close to developed areas, providing essential resources for different kinds of wildlife and plants. These may include birds,

butterflies, small mammals and other creatures.This manipulation could entail something as simple as adding a few favourite plants for butterflies or as elaborate as creating a place that provides food,water,summer shade,winter refuge,perches,nesting sites and hiding places for all kinds of wildlife.This ecologically-minded gardening is especially critical in areas of excessive development.

Why should we garden for wildlife?

1. Its fun! You'll attract beautiful songbirds like the warblers and the robins, attract beautiful butterflies and other interesting wildlife including hedgehogs and rabbits.

2. Its relaxing! Natural environments provide a peaceful place where you can relieve stress and unwind.

3. It makes the place more attractive. Beautiful wildflowers and native plants will increase the appeal of the area and provide a nurturing place for wildlife.

4. It nurtures and supports wildlife all year. Habitat control and restoration is critical for wildlife where commercial and residential development has eliminated most natural areas.

5. It expands your knowledge rapidly and lets you share your love of wildlife with others. It will teach you how to grow the right plants, encourage natural predators, use organic substances, test soil, conserve water, identify plants and trees, and learn pest management.

Our School

This year, a small group of middle- school children expressed their desire to start helping nature and formed the first Backyard Habitat group. They feel very lucky because the school grounds provide the perfect ambience for such a project. Their biggest challenge is to safeguard the existence of the large number of native plants we have at the back of the school. The biggest threat here is coming mainly from other alien, invasive plants, many times associated with disturbed and developed areas. Each week, this group of children became bigger and bigger, now forming various groups in different areas of devotion. .Ella and Sophie lead the wormies or those whose favourite pastime is to feel the wriggle of the earthworms; the scavengers burrowing in the compost heap are led by John... Andre` and his group make sure that everything is watered and nothing dries up, Nick is in charge of machinery (wheelbarrow) and Thomas for logistics and the air- ambulance!

Visit to Elysium Nursery at Ghajn Tuffieha on 24-01-2007

One way of combating the onslaught of invasive plant species is to help native plants reinforce their position. This can be done by increasing their numbers in such a way that alien plants would find it more difficult to penetrate and take over the territory. For this reason, the group went to the nursery at Gaia in Ghajn Tuffieha to acquire more native plants to be added in the school's nature area along with the ones already in place. These new plants will act as reinforcements. The children found the visit to the nursery very interesting and showed their appreciation at the very delicate work that is being done there. Gaia provides native plant material for afforestration and habitat restoration projects. Our shopping basket included the tree meddick, shrubby orache, wolf bane, myrtle, and spurge and rock roses.