When I first moved in to my the new house it was squeezed closely in between other houses on the right and on the left,and I had no idea  that I could attract such a large variety of wildlife in this heavily human populated area . It took alot of time and hard work. There were layers of broken glass and old brick tiles scattered through out the yard and the goat head thorns growing randomly all over were the only sighns of plant life.

I heard many different birds full of song,and  I caught glimpses and streaks of red from the Northern Cardinals.But the birds were always high up in the top of the trees ,and since my yard had only one tree at the time ,which is a thorny mesquite tree, I only saw them eatting berries in the distant trees.I could never get close enough to catch them on my cam corder even. Every time I got near enough , they would fly farther away .I wanted to attract them closer into my world .

So after I did alot of yard cleaning, removing the goat heads and the broken tiles and glass ,I tried planting a couple trees,and some bushes .I went to the nearest nature park and observed the native species of plants there, and tried to incorperate as many of them into my backyard landscape as possible.

My neighbor offered starts from her prickly cacti type plants when she thinned them out .Including Century plants,Yukka plants, palm trees, and other  species  like Lillies and Banana trees as well that grow naturaly in this area .I was new to this part of the state,so I welcomed any advice I could get. I put in 2 small pomogranit trees ,( which are really fast growers }, and some Lantanas, Mexican Heather, Red Salvia, {which grows wild here along the highways}, and I let the Trumpet vine grow, that had previosly been kept cut off ,as well as some small populas trees in the back yard along the  fence line.

The birds did seem to come with the plants,They seemed to be curious at each new plant I added, and they would flutter along behind me , scavaging through the freshly turned soil,looking for worms or insects that I may have dug up for them. And when I would water in a new plant,they seemed to call all thier friends in to share in the community water spot .And they would always show their gratitude, with their happy wing flaps and songs.Even though I provided a bird bath  water in the back yard on an old stump,they seemed to prefer the fresh running water from a hose or sprinkler.

With the plants and water also came other forms of wildlife, Butterflies, Lizzards, Ants, Bees,and Frogs. But it wasnt always , that simple. There were also unwelcomed guests such as opossums, Kangaroo mice , stray cats,and other predater type animals.Its taken alot of trial and errors to try to find and maintain a healthy balance of critters, insects and plant life that exist here in my backyard habbitat. But this is a challenge I cant refuse because the rewards are well worth it for me, as Wildlife and Nature are deeply rooted within my bones and they restore my inner tranquility.And I have learned so much along the way,and still am.