A Welcoming Home for a Wild Time

"The front is far more work because I have more annuals there," Rothman said. "In the back, I water less and I have far fewer weeds because I have ground-cover plants like wild ginger, which grows so thick nothing can get through."

She said insect problems are minimal. "I don't do any spraying. The birds seem to take care of most bugs, or they keep it to a manageable level. Things can work to a pretty good balance."

The Humane Society is one of a number of environmental protection organizations that promote urban or backyard wildlife habitats, via publications and Web sites.

"We basically all do the same things," John Hadidian, director of the Humane Society's Urban Wildlife Programs, said of the plethora of information available on how a homeowner, a high-rise apartment dweller or even an entire community can go about providing the food, water, shelter and cover that will earn the wildlife habitat designation.

While there are specifications, there are also degrees of involvement. Mary Burnette, spokeswoman for the National Wildlife Federation, said people who become interested in making their yards wildlife-friendly tend to find more and more ways to embellish.

"They'll go from a birdbath to a pond, or they'll build a bat house," Burnette said. "Habitat loss is the number one threat to wildlife, and people are more aware. They see wetland bought by a developer that is now a shopping mall. Anything people do is most commendable."

Dona Hardi, a retired elementary school teacher living in Falls Church -- where some residents are working with the National Wildlife Federation to certify the entire city -- said that in addition to helping the local wildlife, there can be practical reasons for transforming a property from suburban lawn into a certified habitat.

"Our house is on a hill. We wanted something that would be less work, less mowing," she said.

Her solution? Take out the grass and put in a perennial garden that includes plants such as lavender and phlox, butterfly bushes and black-eyed Susans.

"We did it ourselves. It's an ongoing process and never complete," Hardi said.

She said the upkeep is minimal. "We do water, but it's easier than lugging a mower, and we enjoy watching the birds."

Melissa Teates, a Falls Church homeowner who turned a portion of her yard into a certified wildlife habitat, initially embarked on the project because of health concerns.

"We had a lot of invasive English ivy. It was dense, almost a foot deep, and it cupped water. It was a mosquito hazard. It was also strangling the trees. Also the rats build highways underneath it. They are moving through your yard, and you don't even know it," said Teates, director of research for the American Society of Travel Agents and a mother of three.

Today, coneflowers, blackberries, American holly, tulip poplars and hickory nut trees are among the numerous offerings that invite birds, butterflies and squirrels to Teates's yard.

"Every winter, we get robins stopping by. Each December, they strip the holly before going south," Teates said. "I'm much happier with my yard. It's healthier for my children and my dog."