The delegate seemed ready to pick a fight, already having mocked a proposed plastic bag ban and other pro-environment bills on the day’s agenda. As I finished my testimony in support of wildlife-friendly plantings, I steeled myself for a heated debate. But on that gray afternoon in February 2020...

It seemed like a good idea at the time: Buy a house with a two-acre property, let our energetic herding dog have the run of the place and spend blissful summer days digging side by side in the dirt with her. And it was blissful, watching Mattie carve out her napping spots behind the ferns and tall...

The Humane Society of the United States works with community leaders and animal care and control agencies to create Wild Neighbors communities, where humane and non-lethal solutions are given priority.

Of all the surprising twists and turns my venture into the world of wildlife gardening has taken, the one that stands out most is the day I learned about the dark side of my favorite symbol of hope and summer: the sunflower. It was in the early 2000s and the fledgling gardens at my new home were...

Following one former lab worker's path to advocacy.

Somewhere between childhood and middle age, people’s natural affinity for wildlife often melts away, overtaken by exaggerated fears of marauding armies of deer, insects and raccoons intent on invading our gardens and homes. Scorn for rabbits, the sensitive stars of many a bedtime story, is...

Glue boards (also known as glue traps) might seem like a safe solution to ridding your home of uninvited guests of the crawling, flying or scurrying sort, but they are one of the cruelest.

On summer evenings, my husband and I head to the darkest spot of our property to look for the light—in the form of fireflies rising from meadow grasses and twinkling their way into the trees. As the tulip poplars behind this spectacular display settle in for slumber, white yucca flowers open their...

The woodland phloxes bring the heavenly scents of spring, and the fireflies bring the sparkling lights of summer. Even in the depths of winter, cardinals, white-throated sparrows, northern flickers, mourning doves and squirrels bring all the music and entertainment we could ever need—right in front...

If you find a wild animal in distress while you're out for a hike, traveling or even in your own backyard, get them the help they need. Find a wildlife rehabilitator in the alphabetical list below. IMPORTANT! Before you " rescue " any wild animal, make sure the animal really needs your help...

In a few short months, the sweet scent of thawing soil will have me searching under trees, by streams and in gardens for new life peeking into the frosty air. During winter’s dark days, it’s hard to imagine anyone more excited about spring’s brave first blooms. But just below ground, creatures on a...

Machine-washable items Add a one pound box of baking soda to your regular detergent and wash as usual, air drying if possible. If you can still see or smell the soiling, wash again with an enzymatic cleaner—these break down pet waste odors. If your pet soils the sheets or blankets on a bed, cover...

Learn how you can turn community parks, corporate properties, places of worship and even apartment balconies into havens for wildlife, people and pets.

Longtime Trust friend Fred Ziegler became the first founding member of the Humane Stewardship Alliance, pledging to follow humane stewardship principles in managing his nearly 2900 acres in Tennessee. With three streams and 1.5 miles of frontage along one of North America’s most biologically rich...

Did you know that 72 % of renters have pets, yet problems finding and keeping rental housing is a leading reason dogs and cats wind up in shelters? It doesn’t have to be that way! Pets are a part of every community and live in two-thirds of American homes, yet renters often have trouble finding...

Rats have gotten a bad rap throughout human history, but people who share their homes with domesticated rats ( Rattus norvegicus domestica) attest to their intelligence, charisma and social natures. So, yes, rats can make great pets—but like all pets, they need care and attention to thrive. Here are...

Teddy was never meant to have a name. He was born a number, just one of tens of thousands of dogs—mostly beagles like him, chosen for their trusting, docile nature and compact size—bred in the United States for use in experiments each year. Teddy was meant to live and die in a laboratory, without...

For wildlife on a beautiful 32-acre property in Mount Airy, Maryland, life is sweeter—and safer—because of the pledge landowners Jennifer Bevan-Dangel and Andrew Dangel made to follow the Humane Stewardship Alliance’s humane stewardship principles in managing their land. Lands of all sizes can be...

Sitting on her porch in the desert one afternoon while recovering from surgery, Christine Hass closed her eyes. The operation to fix her detached retina had been difficult, and she sought respite from the lingering pain. “Suddenly I could hear all the birds singing. It was March—the migrants were...

They were like moths to a flame or, more accurately, butterflies to a native plant. No sooner had I unloaded two joe-pye weed perennials from my car last August than three tiger swallowtails dive-bombed the pots, as if to validate my purchase. If only my fellow shoppers knew what they were missing...