Greening Your Garden

Who may visit your garden

The wildlife a native garden can bring

Birds, butterflies, native bees, frogs and lizards each need something different. Here is what each one eats and needs, and the plants that help.

A backyard pond at dusk, with lily pads and reeds, and a small green frog on a leaf at the water's edge.

Five groups of garden visitors

  • A small brown bird half hidden among the twigs of a dense shrub beside a timber fence.

    Small birds

    Wrens and other small birds like to tuck into dense, prickly shrubs where they feel safe. Too many nectar plants can draw noisy miners, so mix in shrubs for cover.

    Currant Bush, with spiny stems that shelter small birds and lizards

  • A brown bird feeding at red brush-shaped flowers among garden shrubs and fallen branches.

    Honeyeaters

    Honeyeaters feed on the nectar in flowers. A mix of plants that flower in different seasons, and a safe, dependable place to drink, can help them through the year.

    Red Passion Flower, whose nectar-rich flowers feed honeyeaters

  • An orange and black butterfly on mauve daisy-like flowers in a sunny garden bed.

    Butterflies

    Adult butterflies sip nectar, but each kind lays its eggs on particular host plants that its caterpillars eat. Sunny, sheltered spots and shallow water help too.

    Native Plumbago, Kangaroo Grass, Coffee Bush, Richmond Birdwing Vine

  • A bee with a blue-banded body flying beside a mauve flower in a garden bed.

    Native bees

    Native bees, like the blue-banded bee, visit native flowers for pollen and nectar. Plant a mix that flowers across the seasons, and keep sprays out of the garden.

    Native Sarsaparilla, Flax Lily and Karamat, all visited by native bees

  • A small lizard basking on a flat sandstone rock among ferns, small purple flowers and leaf litter.

    Frogs and lizards

    Frogs need clean water with shallow edges, no fish and no sprays. Skinks and other lizards need sunny rocks to warm up on, with leaf litter and low plants to hide in.

    Knobby Club Rush and Native Violet, both listed for frogs and lizards

Four things every visitor needs

  • Food

    Nectar, seeds, fruit, insects and leaves for caterpillars: plant a mix, so there is food in every season.

  • Water

    A bird bath in dappled shade, a shallow dish or a pond, kept clean and topped up.

  • Shelter

    Dense and prickly shrubs, logs, rocks and leaf litter, where animals can hide.

  • A place to breed

    Host plants for caterpillars, nest boxes or thick shrubs for birds, and a pond where frogs can breed.

Plan for the wildlife you hope for

Pick the birds, butterflies, bees, frogs or lizards you would like to see, and the planner chooses plants for them that suit your garden.

Plan your garden