Shelter in Place: How to Create Winter Habitat for Birds, Bees & Butterflies

A Season for Sanctuary

When the air turns crisp and the rain softens the soil, your garden is alive in quieter ways. Beneath the fading blooms and fallen leaves, countless creatures are tucking in for winter. Chickadees fluff their feathers in the cedar boughs. Mason bees sleep inside hollow stems. Butterflies overwinter as cocoons hidden among leaf litter.

In a world where every patch of habitat counts, your yard can be a small sanctuary, a place of refuge until spring returns.

1. Leave the Leaves (Really)

Those gold and crimson leaves are more than autumn décor; they’re insulation, food, and shelter all in one. Leaf litter protects beneficial insects and enriches the soil as it breaks down. Instead of bagging leaves, rake them gently into garden beds and under shrubs. The birds and beetles will thank you.

Tip: If you’re worried about a messy look, corral leaves with low native grasses like Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) or Kinnikinnick for a tidy, natural edge.

2. Stems Are Safe Havens

Hollow plant stems, especially from native perennials like Yarrow, Black-eyed Susan, and Goldenrod, are winter condos for solitary bees and other beneficial insects. Resist the urge to cut everything down. Wait until late spring, when daytime temperatures stay above 10°C, to prune.

3. Logs, Brush, and Beauty

A fallen log or brush pile may look unkempt, but it’s an ecological treasure. Salamanders, spiders, and wrens all find cover there. You can create a small “habitat stack” tucked into a corner of your garden, layers of branches, twigs, and leaf litter that quietly hum with life.

Pro tip: Add a mossy rock or two for a natural aesthetic that blends with the West Coast landscape.

4. Feeders and Water for Feathered Friends

Birds rely on steady access to food and unfrozen water through winter. Keep feeders clean, offer black oil sunflower seeds, and set out a shallow dish of water refreshed daily.

Native plants that provide winter food sources include Red-osier Dogwood, Snowberry, and Serviceberry.

A Kind of Quiet Stewardship

When we pause our tidying instincts, the garden rewards us with quiet abundance. Life hums under the surface, hidden but thriving. By offering shelter, you’re not just helping wildlife; you’re nurturing a small piece of the wild that once covered this land.

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