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Started more than 30 years ago as an idea in the minds of two Ottawa Field Naturalists Club (OFNC) members, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden has become an icon in the Ottawa gardening scene. Pioneers at the time, Jeff Harrison and Peter Hall thought that if you created a “natural area” with a variety of habitats – wetlands, meadows, woods – then local creatures would move in, creating a balanced ecosystem. And it has worked.
Run entirely by volunteers, under the direction of the OFNC, the garden includes a mature woodlot, a “new” woodlot, a butterfly meadow, an old field, a ravine, and a pond. In all of these areas, the aim is to provide what local wildlife need: food, water, shelter, and places to make a home.
A model backyard garden behind the interpretive centre demonstrates how to create natural habitat and adopt ecological practices on a small scale. A wide variety of wildflowers, for sun and shade, damp and dry conditions, attract an even wider variety of insects, including butterflies and pollinators, birds, and small mammals.
The FWG shows off our beautiful native species in both garden and wild settings. We hope it also encourages residents to incorporate these plants into their own gardens. With gurus like Sir David Attenborough, Doug Tallamy, and Canada’s Lorraine Johnson telling us that, to save the planet, we have to plant native species and recreate ecosystems in our urban yards, the FWG has become an inspiration and a model — as well as a great place for a walk.
To demonstrate how to create HABITAT for WILDLIFE on a home garden scale.
A place that provides all or part of a wild creature’s FOOD, WATER, SHELTER, and SPACE to live in.
No pesticides, herbicides, or commercial fertilizers are used. Watering is kept to a minimum.
Plants are chosen carefully with the following criteria in mind:
Diversity is important to increase the number of wildlife species using the garden and to keep things in balance so that no species becomes a pest.
All waste material is recycled. Soft plant material is composted and returned to the garden beds; woody material is used to make brush piles.
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