Certified Wildlife Habitat in Central Florida!

Our north Orlando Bed & Breakfast accommodation, Thurston House, proudly supports this program that is offered by the National Wildlife Federation.  It is a very simple process to qualify. By providing food, water, cover and places for wildlife to raise their young, your garden can join the more than 150,000 Certifed Wildlife Habitat sites across the country.

Here are the components needed –

Food – Many of our yard trees and bushes have berries. The fruit trees provide flowers and then the fruit itself. A variety of flowers are very popular with butterflies and hummingbirds.

Water – We overlook beautiful Lake Eulalia but also have a bird bath.

Cover and places to live – We are surrounded by 8 acres of lush land with many trees and bushes offering a safe home for a variety of wildlife. Even the tall trees provide homes to owls and raccoons.

 You don’t have to have a huge yard or a lake to qualify, just be creative on how you can offer these components to your local wildlife. Do it now!
 

Becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat – last step

The last step in becoming a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation is to provide housing for birds and other wildlife. It can be birdhouses that you have made or bought, adding host plants for butterfly & moth caterpillars to eat, or simply providing dense safe areas for nesting wildlife. 

Thurston House, a Ceritified Wildlife Habitat

Thurston House bed & breakfast in Maitland sits amid 8 acres of water front land full of dense trees and shrubs. There are many old trees that wildlife can live in. Birds can build their nests in any one of the large shrubs scattered around the land. We are certainly a natural fit for being a wildlife habitat!

Becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat – 3rd Step

The 3rd step in becoming a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation is to create protective cover. Wildlife needs places to hide, such as a meadow, a prairie, dense shrubs and evergreens. If you don’t naturally have these things, you could place hollow logs and rock piles around your yard.

Thurston House, Maitland, Florida

At Thurston House Bed & Breakfast in Central Florida, we are very fortunate to have a lot of natural covers, from meadow areas, closely packed bushes and lots of trees with dense leaves. Come see!

Becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat – 2nd Step

To be a Certified Wildlife Habit like Thurston House bed & breakfast in Central Florida, you need to be committed to the wonderful world of wildlife. The first step I told you about mentioned the importance of  having native plants.

Lake Eulalia in Maitland, Florida

The 2nd step is providing water to wildlife. Thurston House is fortunate to  overlook beautiful Lake Eulalia, but we also have a bird bath and a shallow dish that both provide water.  If you have any of these things, or even a natural spring or stream on or near your property, you would certainly qualify!

Keep tuned for step #3!

Become a Certified Wildlife Habitat Like Thurston House!

Certified Wildlife Habitat sign at Thurston House

Maitland’s only bed & breakfast, Thurston House, has been certified as an  official Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation! Protecting wildlife can be easy & fun, and is good for the future of our world. This is the first blog about what it takes to be certified.

red berry shrub

The first step in this process is to start growing  plants that are native to your area. Be sure to include trees, shrubs and other plants that offer food such as pollen, nectar, acorns, nuts, cones, berries and other seeds. Exotic plants that are not native to your region can become invasive. This could make them harmful to both people and wildlife!

More to come….