Think about being able to step into your backyard and seeing beautiful butterflies fluttering around the vibrant and colorful blooms of your flourishing garden. Southside Soil and Water Conservation District (SSWCD) can get you started simply by purchasing a habitat house or a beautiful clay pot to provide shelter and a home for butterflies, birds and bats. Pollinator’s basic needs include natural and native landscape and a safe place for nesting and laying eggs. Providing a butterfly house will encourage the colorful showy creatures to stay in your flowers and plants to help pollinate.

Birds also need a safe place to build nests and stay protected from predators and weather. Birds are beneficial to your yard by controlling pests, pollinating flowers and increasing the natural beauty of nature by having them fly by. Even though most of the time people consider a bat a creepy rodent, these creatures also pollinate when they swoop and dive while going after the bugs and mosquitoes in your yard. Providing habitats and native landscape for pollinators not only is beneficial to them, but also for your flower and vegetable gardens.

SSWCD displays its painted clay pots, habitat houses and kits for sale at the Drakes Branch Farmer’s Market every Friday and in the office at 250 LeGrande Avenue, Charlotte Court House, Suite F. All proceeds from the sale of the habitat houses and clay pots benefit the education program to continue educating and raising environmental awareness in classrooms and throughout the communities of Charlotte and Lunenburg County.