Have you ever heard the term “rewilding”? Rewilding is the process of restoring ecosystems back to their more-natural state for conservation’s sake, and it may be something you want to consider for your outdoor space.
But why? Hometown Landscape is here to explain rewilding, why it’s beneficial, and how to make it happen in your own yard.
What Is Rewilding?
Rewilding is all about restoring nature, promoting conservation, and protecting wildlife (both flora and fauna). There are three c’s to it – cores, corridors, and carnivores.
- Cores refers to maintaining large “cores” of untouched wilderness full of native plants.
- Corridors refers to maintaining natural pathways for animals and wildlife to move through.
- Carnivores refers to recovering and maintaining large carnivore populations.
In essence, rewilding is all about preserving as much of nature’s natural state as possible.
What Are the Benefits of Rewilding?
Not only can you feel good about helping Mother Nature through rewilding efforts, but you’ll also see benefits to yourself and your local community. Here are some of the perks of returning your outdoor living space to a more natural habitat:
- You’ll have less to maintain. Gardens and yards that have been rewilded have less lawn space to maintain, which means you can cut down on time spent behind the mower.
- You won’t spend as much money on fertilizers and pesticides. Rewilding is all about a natural approach, so you won’t be using fertilizers and pesticides to treat your outdoor living space (those costs can add up).
- You’ll see more wildlife. As pollinators like bees and butterflies return to your outdoor living space, so will birds, insects, and other small wildlife.
- You’ll support local economies. By buying native plants from local nurseries, you’re supporting small-town businesses and your local area.
- Your garden will thrive. A rewilded space encourages visits from pollinators, which means your fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens will thrive and produce more.
How To Rewild Your Garden or Yard
Sounds appealing? There are really no downsides to rewilding your outdoor living space, so if you’re ready to take the plunge here are some tips on how to rewild your yard or garden from Hometown Landscape.
- Stop cutting your lawn so much. Depending on where you live and how you like your home to look, you can stop cutting your lawn altogether and encourage native plant growth. However, if you need to keep things neat-looking, cut your grass with a higher blade to help encourage the survival of ground-living animals.
- Reintroduce native plants. Explore local nurseries to find native plants to integrate into your outdoor living space. Native plants help promote local conservation and will also thrive better in your yard because they’re meant to live in the local environment. Native plants will also encourage more wildlife and pollinators to visit your yard.
- Use natural mulch. When you do cut the lawn, save the clippings to use as mulch. You can also use discarded fall leaves from the trees in your yard for a natural (and money-saving) mulch.
- Throw out the chemicals. Stop using chemical fertilizers and pesticides in your yard. Rewilding calls for a more natural approach. If you can’t give up pesticides and herbicides altogether, try to use them in targeted applications rather than spraying the entire yard.
- Introduce a water feature. Digging a small pond in your yard will add aesthetic value and keep your space cooler, but it’ll also encourage a host of wildlife including frogs, salamanders, dragonflies, and more. Ponds also provide drinking water sources for other animals, like birds and squirrels.
- Hang animal shelters. Hanging bird houses and bat houses will provide shelter for local fauna and encourage the biodiversity of your yard.
- Shut off your exterior lights at night. Turn off your exterior lights – this will help promote the return of nocturnal animals to your yard. If you can’t turn them off, at least put them on a motion sensor.
Let Hometown Landscape Help You With Rewilding
Ready to rewild your space? Whether you need to source native plants or add a water feature, Hometown Landscape can help. Contact us today for a consultation.