A wildlife-friendly garden is not simply a garden that feels natural or slightly untamed. Some landscapes genuinely support birds and beneficial wildlife. Others unintentionally create shelter for rodents and nuisance species.

What a Nighttime Hoot Reveals About Landscape Design Great horned owl , photo credit: Jake Bonello/USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/great-horned-owl-5 A deep hoot in the dark can change how you see a garden. Recently, a Great Horned Owl called from nearby trees on a winter evening in my backyard garden in NE Seattle. Not a rapid exchange, just an occasional, resonant hoot that carried through the neighborhood. Moments like this shift perspective. A garden stop

A bumblebee on a Mahonia 'Winter Sun'. Photo credit: A French Garden What winter-active bumblebees reveal about how gardens function in Seattle LAKAMAS | WILDLIFE BY DESIGN If bumblebees are active in your garden during winter, especially around flowering shrubs like mahonia, it’s not an anomaly. It’s a sign that your landscape is offering food and shelter at one of the most vulnerable points in the year. In Seattle and on Camano Island, winter-active bumblebees are native qu

Anna's Hummingbird on her nest before tree leaves out. Photo by Tara Lemiezis of Bird Alliance of Oregon Anna's Hummingbirds Nesting Season in Winter in Seattle If you’ve been seeing Anna’s hummingbirds more frequently this winter, you’re not imagining things. While most birds are still focused on survival, Anna’s hummingbirds are already turning their attention to the next generation. They are one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, and in the Pacific Northwe

Anna’s hummingbirds don’t migrate. They stay. Through freezing nights, cold rain, and short days, relying entirely on what the landscape can still provide. Which makes winter the most honest season for understanding whether a garden truly works.

Where Pacific Chorus Frogs live, how they overwinter, how to encourage the vernal pools they adore, and what these frogs contribute to an ecologically vibrant landscape.

Osoberry is one of the earliest signs of spring in the Pacific Northwest. Blooming in late winter when most shrubs remain dormant, Osoberry brings movement, subtle fragrance, and ecological value to both cultivated gardens and naturalistic designs. In Seattle and Camano Island landscapes, it signals the shift toward longer days and becomes an important nectar source when few others are available.

Tiger swallowtail butterfly Creating Wildlife Habitat I got into gardening with native plants when I realized a few things: we are losing native wildlife species quickly, and I didn't know there were native plants that could be used in the garden. Additionally, I couldn't find the ones I learned about. Today I'll write a bit about creating wildlife habitat intentionally through garden design. Since then, gardening with native plants has become a movement embraced by many gar