How to Turn Your Virginia Yard into a Certified Wildlife Sanctuary

You’ve read articles about declining bee, butterfly, frog, and lightning bug populations, but did you know you can become part of the solution to protect them by creating a simple wildlife sanctuary in your own yard?

Whether you have a sprawling lawn or a modest patio, your yard can become part of a vital network of safe havens for wildlife. These havens act as stepping stones across fragmented urban areas, offering food, water, shelter, and nesting grounds.

Healthy ecosystems are good for both people and wildlife. Traditional landscaping— like using pesticides, turfgrass, and non-native plants—can be harmful, but choosing eco-friendly methods and planting native species helps both nature and communities thrive. Indigenous peoples have been protecting ecosystems for centuries and believe their deep connection to the land, plants, and animals fosters a strong physical, spiritual, and emotional bond with nature.

The National Wildlife Federation offers homeowners a guide to creating a certified wildlife sanctuary in your yard. You take a quick quiz to determine if your garden meets the right criteria, and if you qualify, you can get a sign/flag/plaque to display and show you are doing your part to protect the environment.

If your yard isn’t quite there yet, you can get step-by-step instructions on improvements you can make. Then, purchase a sign/plaque/flag to display to your neighbors (who may wonder why your landscape is changing). Who knows, you may inspire them to ask about the program and create their own habitat.

How to Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Transforming your space into a certified wildlife habitat is easier than you think. Here’s how to get started.

Provide Food

A certified habitat must include at least three food sources, such as bird feeders, native flowers for pollinators, or seed/berry-producing plants.

In general, it's best to use native plants whenever possible. They're better adapted to Virginia's climate and wildlife. Eliminating invasives like English Ivy, Nandina, Bradford Pear, and Tree of Heaven will help natives thrive, as invasives are overtaking native habitats.

If you have a nice sunny spot, plant native milkweed. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs only on these plants. Leave them in your yard until the following Spring, and you’ll see more butterflies next summer.

The Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Native Plant Society have loads of information on native plants and how to eliminate invasives. Here are just a few:

Non-Native Invasive Plant Species Control Treatments

Invasive Plants – Help Stop the Spread

Virginia Native Plant Guides - Virginia Native Plant Society

If you ever wonder if a plant in your yard is considered invasive, you can check the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreations list by clicking here.

Provide Water

Click on image for link.

Even if you don’t have a natural stream or pond, you can provide water for birds, animals, and even

bees. A bird bath or fountain, a shallow bowl with stones for insects (so they don’t drown), and hanging waterers like this one all qualify.

Create Shelter

Offer at least two types of cover where animals can hide, rest, or hunt. These include shrubs, trees or tall grasses; brush piles or fallen logs; and roosting boxes or rock piles. Reducing your lawn space and replacing it with wild grasses and native shrubs will create habitat diversity and reduce your mowing and trimming times.

Provide Nesting Areas

Give wildlife places to raise their young. These can overlap with shelter areas and include host plants for caterpillars (like milkweed); birdhouses, bat boxes, and bee tubes; and leaf piles and deadwood that shelter insects and amphibians.

Avoid heavy pruning during nesting season, and wait until late spring to remove garden debris (including leaves that you rake into your borders), as many insects overwinter there.

Use Sustainable Gardening Practices

For a truly wildlife-friendly space, incorporate the following:

• Ditch harmful chemicals

• Use compost and mulch instead of synthetic fertilizers

• Avoid pesticides and herbicides

• Plant drought-tolerant natives to conserve water

• Use drip irrigation or xeriscaping

• Remove invasive species.

Xeriscaping: a landscaping strategy that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It focuses on using drought-resistant plants, rocks, gravel, and other elements that save water and look beautiful.

Get Certified—and Show It Off

Once you’ve met the basic criteria, you can make your efforts official by registering with one (or more) of these organizations:

• National Wildlife Federation: For $20, you’ll receive a certificate and the option to purchase a plaque for your yard. Funds support conservation, and the sign signals to others that natural landscaping is intentional and valuable.
  

• Homegrown National Park: Founded by ecologist Doug Tallamy, this free initiative adds your yard to a nationwide map. It’s part of a movement to meet America’s 30x30 conservation goals.
  

• National Audubon Society: The National Audubon Society offers helpful guidelines for planting your garden for birds, and you can purchase a sign to display that tells passersby what you are doing.
  

• Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources: Their Habitat Partners © program helps homeowners, schools, and businesses restore land for Virginia’s native species.

One Yard Can Make a Difference

Even a small plot of native plants can increase wildlife visits by 50% in a single season.

“This is something you can do and feel good about,” says Homegrown National Park founder Doug Tallamy. “And there is payback. You get to see the results and the species that come to your yard.”

By transforming your yard into a sanctuary, you aren’t just gardening—you’re becoming a steward of the land, a neighbor to native creatures, and a visible part of a growing solution.

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Sources: Family Handyman, Virginia Native Plant Society, VAInvasiveSpecies.org, National Wildlife Federation, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Homegrown National Park, National Audubon Society