Nature Friendly (WoW) Garden

Hello dear readers! Have you ever wanted to make your (WoW) Garden more nature friendly? Join me in exploring some ideas of how to accomplish this:

Remember - you don't have to have a massive garden to make a space welcoming for nature! We have to try our best to live alongside it, even when living in cities and towns.

Bug B&Bs (Bed and Breakfast)

It's great if you can provide what I like to call "Bug B&Bs" or "Bug Hotels" around your garden. Even if you have a small space!

I know most people don't love the idea of most insects - but they play a vital role in our ecosystem (they would have gone extinct if they didn't!) via pollinating and feeding the "cooler" animals like lizards and birds!

@... (AKA Spicybear) took on the challenge of recreating a Bug B&B within World of Warcraft!

Oh!? What's that I hear?! ...bzzzz.... It seems like a visitor may be interested!

Spicy's "Bug B&B" is made up of:

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Hedgehog Hideaways

Using old barrels, crates and left over beams (logs/wood) creates fantastic habitats for lots of different kinds of wildlife. It will help create habitats for food sources and protection for animals of all sizes! So, this is your excuse to not clean up all the "leftovers" from your builds!

I know it can be tempting to get rid of all the decaying vegetation from Autumn (Fall) - but try to resist! Leaving some natural leaf piles creates wonderful habitats and sleeping spots for Wildlife such as Hedgehogs!

Also don't forget to check any wood or junk piles you may have put together for bonfires; before you light them! Often creatures hibernate or take cover in them!

In the above image I used:

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And a variety of other local plants for the flower bed etc!

It's always best to try and use naturally occuring plants and flowers that will be found in your area - bringing in exotic/non local plants can actually be rather disruptive to the ecosystem! If you're unsure, do some research!

Wonderful Wildgardens

I know that maybe as a society we're taught that a "scaped garden" is better than a "unkempt garden" but when it comes to nature - leave it wild!

@... did an amazing job, at both his Horde and Alliance homes! He ticks all the boxes; water sources, rocks, a variety of flora (flowers, bushes, trees) and some parts have been left untouched!

Even if you can only provide a small amount of natural flora or leave some parts of your garden "wild" - it is well worth it! As it provides protection and food sources for all our little friends!

Reptillian Retreats

It can seem "unsightly" to have rocks or bricks etc in your gardens - but I implore you to leave some untouched! They create fantastic hangouts for bugs and reptiles! Which will then feed other animals too!

Reptiles (and some amphibians) love to sunbathe - so consider leaving some rocks in places that will get lots of sunlight! This is due to them being "cold-blooded" (also known as ectothermic) meaning they require external sources for warmth.

@... also did a fantastic job of providing some examples of this, at both his homes:

Hopefully enough sun manages to break through Duskwoods moody environment for these lil guys to keep warm!

Placing boulders and native fauna encourages reptiles to visit, as many of their food sources will be attracted to these spaces. Especially to decaying wood! So to help them, Spicy added some left over …, … / … and a couple … to provide shelter for a variety of critters.

Amphibian Abodes

Can you tell I enjoyed Tomb Raider growing up? It's so hard for me not to use "Welcome (back) to my humble abode" in every article! Anyway, back on topic:

If you are able - having water sources for wildlife is always a great thing to do. Larger bodies of water can be great for frogs, toads and newts. And hey if you're lucky, maybe even fish! But fear not, if you don't have the space, bird baths or even shallow dishes of water will do the trick (just don't forget to change the water and clean the bath/dish once a week!) It will also provide a variety of animals and insects a source of drinking water!

No matter the types of water you can provide (be it from a pond, bird bath or dish) try and include lots of ways that animals and insects can get out! Let's try and avoid any accidental drownings!

Let's look at a few examples:

The below is a perfect oasis example by @... - there are safe places in the water via easily accessible rocks - for any non amphibious critters and creatures to escape if needed. They can also use these rocks to rest, take a drink or sunbathe! She has included lush biome specific plants to create habitats for the native wildlife! Flowing water is always good to keep the oasis (or any water source) free from algae build up and to stop it from stagnating. (And who doesn't love calming water sounds!)

@... provides another great example - via his humble pond. I really wish I had thought of this idea! And maybe the … will act as a deterrent for Herrings and other birds that would usually prey on any fish (or other wildlife) that may be lurking below the surface!

Let's not forget we are playing World of Warcraft - so I couldn't help but include @...'s amazing Magical Murloc Mmm-pond (are there any "M-words" to describe a body of water?! Let me know in the comments)!

So don't forget to create habitats for your favourite magical beasts too!

Closing thoughts

I know there's probably much more I could have mentioned such as bird/bat boxes and animal/insect feeders etc. So perhaps I'll do a part 2!

Thank you to everyone who allowed me to use their builds as inspiration and examples!