Plant Recipients Have Been Chosen!

Thank you to every school that applied for free native pollinator plants and submitted their garden project! Our 2026 plant recipients have now been selected.

• If your school was chosen, you will have already received a separate e-mail with the next steps.
• Schools that requested plants but were not selected will receive a small package by mail to the address submitted on the application. (Packages are reserved for schools—not groups or individuals.)

Didn’t Get Plants? You Can Still Plant a Garden!

There are many ways to create a thriving pollinator garden this spring:

1. Find Native Plants Locally — Use the CWF Gardening for Wildlife hub to locate a Native Plant Supplier near you.
2. Try Low/No‑Cost Habitat Wins — Add value now with brush or rock piles, leaf‑litter corners, or hollow stems left standing.
3. Use Other Forms of Support — Many organizations in Canada offer grants, small funding streams, or education to support outdoor learning, greening projects, or habitat creation. Here are some that schools frequently succeed with:

• Local community foundations
• Local plant nurseries
• Local horticultural societies
• Municipal environmental grants
• Provincial electric utility community grants (e.g. Hydro/Fortis local programs/)
• TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TDFEF)
• WWF Go Wild Grants (when available)
• School district innovation or environmental stewardship funds
• Parent council fundraising

You can combine even small grants to cover expenses like soil, mulch, pollinator plants, tools, signage, and student materials.

Classroom‑ready Resources (CWF Learning Library)

• A Bird‑Friendly Garden (activity/colouring) — introduces habitat needs and observation skills for younger learners
• How to Start a Garden — practical tips for sequencing your project (site, soil, layout, maintenance)
• Helping Pollinators in Your Garden — quick wins students can add to their garden

 After You Plant: Get Certified (Free Sign for Schools!)

Once your garden is established, apply to certify your garden as a “Wildlife‑friendly Habitat.” Certification recognizes gardens that provide food, water, shelter and are cared for in earth‑friendly ways, and it’s a great way to celebrate student stewardship.

Bonus for schools: When your school garden is certified, you’ll receive a free sign to showcase your achievement and inspire your community!

April Events to Inspire Your Students

• National Wildlife Week — Check out our week of webinars
• City Nature Challenge: April 24–27, 2026 (use iNaturalist)

Thanks For Growing With Us!

Whether your school received plants or not, your efforts are creating real habitat and rich outdoor learning. Every native plant, water dish, log pile, and student observation helps local biodiversity.

If you discovered this blog on our website, be sure to sign up for the WILD Spaces e‑blast. You’ll receive monthly updates, next‑step reminders, and resources featuring each month’s highlighted pollinator—everything you need to stay inspired and keep your garden growing strong!

This is especially true when working towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creating a more equitable society for all Canadians.

The International Volunteer Year is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to celebrate the power of civic participation and renew Canada’s culture of volunteering. ~Volunteer.ca

The Canadian Wildlife Federation salutes and celebrates our committed community of volunteers – from our Board of Directors and committee members, to local facilitators and group leaders who educate new teachers and lead youth in the community, and the youth themselves who create local action projects to make a difference. So many volunteers doing their part!

At the Canadian Wildlife Federation, our strategic goals depend upon healthy volunteerism to:

1. Strengthen conservation ethic among Canadians
2. Inspire conservation actions
3. Conserve key species and their habitat
4. Minimize the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems

To achieve these dreams our dedicated staff rely on all the amazing volunteers that engage with us across Canada. They are passionate about wildlife, habitat, conservation and the outdoors in general and conserving this important Canadian heritage for the future and generations to come.

Thank you to the Canadian Wildlife Federation volunteer community for all you do to help us reach these goals by giving your time and energy to conserve and inspire the conservation of Canada’s wildlife and habitats for the use and enjoyment of all.

With its bright orange wings, black tips and small eye-like spots on its hindwings, this butterfly is both beautiful and easy to recognize in gardens and wild spaces. You can help this butterfly and many other pollinators thrive, starting in your own backyard!

Give Them Something to Eat

Painted Lady butterflies are long-distance travelers – they arrive in Canada in early summer after migrating from warmer regions and spend the season feeding and breeding before heading south again when temperatures drop. Because they’re only here for part of the year, they need plenty of nectar-rich flowers while they’re visiting. Planting a mix of tall, nectar-producing blooms and host plants will help give them the energy they need during their stay.

Try these butterfly favourites

• Early summer: purple coneflower, milkweed, lupines, Wild Bergamont
• Mid-summer: blazing star, thistles (there are several native ones, but Canada thistle isn’t one of them!), Joe-pye weed, purple coneflower
• Late summer: asters (such as New England aster), blazing star, goldenrods
• Fall: native asters (such as New England aster), goldenrods, Joe-pye weed

Give Them Shelter

Painted Lady butterflies need more than nectar – they also need safe places to rest and plants where their caterpillars can grow. Creating a welcoming garden habitat gives them shelter from wind and predators while providing food for every stage of their life cycle.

Try these simple steps to support them:

• Host plants (for caterpillars): Native thistle, nettles and woodland Sunflower also gives painted lady caterpillars a place to feed and grow.
• Location: Plant your butterfly garden in a sunny, sheltered spot. Warm areas protected from strong wind help butterflies feed, rest and conserve energy.

Ditch the Pesticides

Pesticides are a major threat to pollinators, and Painted Lady butterflies are no exception. Whether it’s through direct contact, contaminated pollen, or polluted nesting spots, these chemicals can wreak havoc on pollinator populations including in areas like weedy field edges, brush piles, or even your flower garden. To keep pollinators safe, choose natural pest control methods and avoid buying plants that have been sprayed with pesticides like neonicotinoids (neonics).

Help Scientists by Snapping Photos of Painted Lady butterflies

Love watching butterflies as they fly from one bloom to another? Turn your observations into valuable data for scientists! By snapping photos and uploading them to iNaturalist Canada, you can help researchers track butterfly species and better understand their preferred habitats. It’s as simple as downloading the iNaturalist app or visiting iNaturalist.ca to share your sightings.

Helpful tip: try to take lots of photos close up and from different angles. Try to snap a photo of their back and don’t forget to showcase the flowers they’re visiting!

Community science opens the doors of discovery to everyone — not just professional researchers. Through accessible tools like iNaturalist and community-driven projects, everyday people can observe, record and share data about the natural world around them. Whether it’s tracking migrating birds, documenting plant species, or monitoring local ecosystems, every little bit helps conserve nature.

This collective effort not only expands the scale and depth of current scientific research, it also empowers individuals to become active participants in environmental stewardship. In a time when biodiversity is under increasing pressure, citizen science offers a powerful reminder that meaningful contributions to science and conservation can come from anyone, anywhere.

April is Citizen Science Month

April marks Citizen Science Month, a global initiative that encourages everyone to step outside and take part in meaningful scientific discovery. Whether it’s photographing a backyard pollinator, recording bird calls on a morning walk, or documenting seasonal changes in local parks, there are countless ways to get involved. Tools like iNaturalist make participation simple and engaging; users can upload observations, receive help with species identification, and contribute directly to a growing global database. Here in Canada, these contributions are especially valuable, helping scientists and conservationists track species distributions, monitor ecosystem health, and respond to environmental changes with better, more comprehensive data.

Citizen Science Month is filled with opportunities to put your citizen science hat on and make a real impact. During National Wildlife Week, form April 6 to 11, Canadians are encouraged to celebrate and appreciate native species by observing and recording wildlife found in and around their communities. Earth Day, taking place on Wednesday April 22, offers another moment to take action, with community science activities like habitat cleanups, species counts, and environmental monitoring taking centre stage. Rounding out the month is the City Nature Challenge, a friendly global collaboration that brings together participants in more than 40 countries—and over 40 Canadian cities from coast to coast to coast – to document urban biodiversity and kick off a season of nature exploration. The City Nature Challenge happens in two stages: April 24 to 27 uploading observations and recordings, then an extended identification period April 28 to May 6.

Taking part in these events not only deepens our understanding of the natural world, but they also empower people of all ages to contribute to the protection of Canada’s diverse habitats and ecosystems, ensuring they remain healthy and resilient for generations to come. To all you community scientists, remember this: change doesn’t wait for permission – every observation you make, every data point you gather, is a step toward reshaping the world for the better by providing a brighter future for wildlife!

Is this true of all owls? Every rule has exceptions.

Meet the Burrowing Owl. Smaller than a pigeon, this owl lives in Canada’s flat-to-gently-undulating treeless plains or grasslands. Contrary to what its name implies, it does not burrow or dig, but unlike other owls, it nests underground, using burrows vacated by small mammals like ground squirrels, badgers and prairie dogs. This social owl may be seen standing on dirt mounds near its burrow or perched on nearby fence posts, ready to chase prey, whether it’s daytime or nighttime. This bird consumes a variety of small creatures: ground insects, small rodents, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, small birds and dead animals. The Burrowing Owl migrates, staying in Canada only during the summer months, generally from April to September. That’s when the access to its burrow is not blocked by snow and there’s access to food. The rest of the year, Canadian Burrowing Owls winter primarily in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Wintering owls tend to be more nocturnal, so they are not as conspicuous.

Owl’s Not Well for the Burrowing Owl

This strange owl is not faring well: it’s considered an Endangered Species in Canada. At one time, the Burrowing Owl was common in the four western Canadian provinces. Now, it is one of the most endangered birds in these areas.

The decline in population began in the 1980s and accelerated during the 1990s to an average rate of 22 per cent a year. In 1977, about 3,000 breeding pairs of Burrowing Owls lived in Canada; by the year 2000, the number of pairs had dropped to fewer than 1,000. Another 64 per cent of the population disappeared between 2005 and 2015.

The main reason is linked to the fate of its habitat, the grasslands. Much of our native prairie habitats have been converted to cropland (where the original burrowing animals are often seen as pests), and the rest has been fragmented and degraded. In Canada, less than 24 per cent of the original prairie habitat remains. If we add the effects of reductions in prey populations, climate change and severe weather, vehicle collisions, effects from the expansion of renewable energy and predation, the situation is dire. And it’s ongoing, since the decline of populations has not stopped.

Canadians Dig Deep to Help the Burrowing Owl

But what are we doing about this decline? Given its status in Canada, the Burrowing Owl is protected by federal law and efforts must legally be made to stabilize and increase its population. Several programs in Canada’s four western provinces are conserving habitat for this owl, studying its habits, banning the use of some pesticides and raising awareness about its needs.

In Alberta and Saskatchewan, more than 700 landowners have conserved roughly 70,000 hectares of Burrowing Owl nesting habitat. Several other methods of helping the species have also been studied, notably prairie restoration, stopping the elimination of burrowing animals, captive breeding or raising chicks in captivity to reintroduce them, surveying the population, moving individuals from other localities and installing artificial nest burrows.

There have been some successes, including the reintroduction of the species in British Columbia and Manitoba, but with roughly 270 individuals in Canada, we are far from our goal of maintaining a minimum of 3,000 nesting pairs and much more work is needed!

You can help this unusual owl in a few ways:

• Learn more about the species, including reading up on them with the Hinterland Who’s Who fact sheet and spreading the word!
• You can also learn more about their habitat by visiting Canadasgrasslands.ca. Many Canadians have never heard of the Burrowing Owl or know very little about our grasslands. The more we learn, the more we care.
• If you live in the Prairies or in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, you can get active with local wildlife conservation organizations. Many areas have Burrowing Owl related programs where you can lend a hand.

The more lush and colourful cultivars and hybrids of popular plants may be double trouble for pollinators like native bees. Here are two reasons why they can be problematic for these important insects.

1. Petal Pushers

For some plants, what we often think of as a single flower, is actually a flower head composed of numerous small flowers. Examples of these composite flowers include sunflowers and asters. While the outer flowers have a showy petal attached, most of the flowers are inconspicuous. Some plants, however, have been bred to replace the tiny flowers with showy structures, resulting in a fuller-looking flower, with multiple layers of petals, as with ‘mophead’ hydrangeas. The trouble with pleasing the human eye at the expense of fertile flowers is food production, as these flowers produce little or no nectar or pollen. Even with flowers that are not completely sterile, pollinators can spend more energy accessing food as each flower head has less nectar and/or pollen and more petals to get around.

2. Colour Confusion

Bees use ultraviolet (UV) light to navigate and forage as this light reflects information on the flower, guiding them to the flower’s nectar and pollen. As colours are modified, so too is the ability of bees to receive cues from the flower, impacting the foraging behaviour of these pollinators.

Thankfully, we can make a “bee-line” back to the native flowers these pollinators love.

3. Bee Strong

Did you know that Canada has more than 900 species of native bees? Bumble bees are perhaps the best known for their pudgy and fuzzy bodies while other bees can be smaller and bright metallic green, black-blue or even just a few millimeters long, fooling many of us into thinking they are a fly! We can help them by providing a continuous supply of food so that no matter when they are active in the spring, summer or fall, they don’t have to expend unnecessary energy searching for food.

Regionally native plant species are best, where possible, as these plants have coevolved with bees and other wildlife to provide their perfect food at the perfect time and their flower shape is also suited to the pollinator’s body size and structure. Ensure you have blooming plants from early spring through to late fall. Some bees are generalists and will visit many different plant species while others are specialists. There are variations as some bees only visit goldenrods, for example, while others may visit plants in a few genera (broad category for closely related species, such as “asters”). You can help attract pollinators to your garden by planting the flowers that they like close together. These are called drifts. Native plants with single blooms will likely provide four times the benefit of exotic plants, and you can fill your garden with different varieties of native plants that bloom at different times to add interest and texture.

Eight species of bumble bee are listed as species at risk in Canada, along with one species of sweat bee. The primary reasons for bee decline are habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use and competition with non-native species. Like many other wild bees, bumble bees prefer to nest in the ground or in crevices and piles of debris. Some solitary bees, however, nest in stems. You can help them by leaving plant stems in the winter (which also provides seeds for birds) and snipping the stalk to perhaps 30 to 60 centimetres at the end of winter or very early spring. This timing helps some bee species when looking for suitable nesting sites of hollow or soft pithy stems. These stems are also where the bees will lays eggs and provide them with pollen. The stems will seal off the nest, creating a space for the next generation of bees to hatch during the growing season. If concerned about the look, perhaps do this for plants that are at the back of beds or in a corner of your yard. New plant growth will soon hide the stems while the solitary bees within are safe to emerge.

4. Bee Aware

Contrary to popular beliefs, Honey Bees are not native to Canada. They were brought here from other countries and may visit your flower garden and compete with wild bees for food. Both Honey Bees and bumble bee species are social and have a nest to protect (with Honey Bees, we refer to that as a hive). But if you move slowly and gently in the area of the nest, the bees are less likely to see you as a threat and feel the need to defend their nest. This is especially true with bumble bees which can nest in existing holes that provide some protection from the elements and predators – from old rodent burrows and dense plant debris to crevices in logs or even old bird houses.

Also note, bumblebees will not reuse the same spot year after year, so if you can avoid a nest one year, you’ll be able to get back to it the year after. Most solitary bees do not sting or if they do, it is usually very weak and not the same concern as a social bee. If you aren’t sure what kinds of bees are in your area, try to get photos and post them to iNaturalist.ca for proper identification.

5. Bee Helpful

The more you can do to help native bees, the better, so instead of filling your garden with new varieties of show-stopping flowers, give some thought to the beauty of the true native species. Some are just as showy and colourful as ornamental plants and provide the best habitat for productive pollinators. There are a lot of options, from Wild Bergamont, Liatris, lilies, columbines to goldenrods and asters. Depending where you live in Canada, you can give wild bees and other pollinators a boost by focusing on regionally native plants.

To learn more visit GardeningForWildlife.ca

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is excited to introduce the CWF True North Wildlife Conservation Awards. It is a newly revamped awards program created to recognize and celebrate the remarkable work being carried out across the country by individuals, organizations and communities.

And for the recipients, this awards program can be transformational.

Designed to reflect the diversity and depth of conservation efforts in Canada, the awards shine a national spotlight on those whose passion, innovation and leadership are helping to protect and conserve our wildlife for the future. The program helps drive awareness of all those making meaningful contributions to protecting Canada’s natural heritage. This is done by recognizing individuals, organizations and communities who demonstrate leadership, innovation and dedication.

Award programs like this play a vital role in amplifying the positive work being done in conservation. They not only honour achievement but also inspire others to take action. These programs are essential to fostering a culture of stewardship that extends far beyond the recipients themselves. By bringing attention to successful initiatives and measurable impacts, these awards help build momentum for conservation efforts, ultimately benefiting wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on for generations to come.

Nominations are now being accepted online in the following six categories:

• Canadian Conservation Leadership Award
• Canadian Conservation Innovation Award
• Canadian Nature-based Education Champion Award
• Canadian Youth for Wildlife Conservation Award
• Canadian Wild Media Impact Award
• Canadian Wildlife Impact Award

Description and criteria for each award is available online at CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca/awards. Award recipients in each category will also receive the following prizing:

• A CWF True North Wildlife Conservation Award
• $1,000 contribution to support the recipient’s ongoing conservation work
• An invitation to be acknowledged at a CWF gala event in Ottawa on October 23, 2026
• A profile of their work published in both Canadian Wildlife (English) and Biosphère (French) magazines

Being nominated for — or receiving — a CWF True North Wildlife Conservation Award not only reflects on the achievements of a particular person or organization, it also demonstrates that meaningful action can spark lasting impact.

Help us shine a spotlight on the remarkable individuals, teams and organizations across Canada who dedicate themselves to conserving wildlife and their habitats. Recognizing these conservation champions is more than a symbolic gesture – it highlights the vital work being done to conserve biodiversity, safeguard ecosystems and ensure a sustainable future for all species. Deadline for nomination submissions is May 15, 2026.

Submit your nomination today!

Meltwater flows through forests and wetlands, early plants push through cool soil, and wildlife becomes increasingly active. It’s also the moment when we can begin to notice which species are returning and which may be taking hold — offering a perfect opportunity to explore the difference between native and invasive species. This season is rich with opportunities for learners to observe ecological change in real time.

Teaching Resources

• An overview of plants – A PowerPoint presentation resource on plant anatomy.
• Paper Plant Pots – A hands‑on craft. Pair it with native seed starting or discussions on soil moisture and thaw timing.
• Native or Invasive? Learn about native and invasive plants in your community with the CWF Native Plant Encyclopedia and CWF Invasive Species Encyclopedia.
• Friends or Foes – A classroom debate between native and non-native species.
• Assess the Mess – Research native and non-native species in your area and discuss the effects on local wildlife.
• Hinterland who’s who – A quick video and background on invasive species.
• Grasslands Project – Though broad in scope, this fits nicely as grasslands undergo major regeneration in early spring—new shoots, overwintered seeds germinating, and wildlife return.

WILD Education Workshops

Have you taken a WILD Ed workshop? Check out these lesson plans and activities in the Project WILD Manual.

Wish you had a Project WILD manual or want to tell a friend to sign up for a WILD Education workshop? Send them this link to sign up for our waitlist. Sign up link

Project WILD:

• Turtle Hurdles (pg. 638) — As wetlands thaw, turtles begin moving from overwintering sites to basking spots and nesting areas. This activity explores the migration challenges turtles face—especially road crossings in spring.
• Aquatic Roots (pg. 327) — Investigate native and non‑native aquatic plants as water systems warm. Meltwater brings nutrients and disturbance, creating ideal conditions to study plant adaptations and invasions.
• World Travellers (pg. 550) — Perfect for exploring how seeds, species, and materials travel across the landscape—especially via spring water flow, wind, and human movement.
• Water Canaries (pg. 160) — Explore spring water quality by studying aquatic invertebrates.

Student Action Projects

“Caring about wildlife, restoring natural areas, and getting kids into nature is the best thing that we can do for our kids. […] They do better in their cognitive abilities. They do better in science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts. They develop their social and emotional intelligence at higher levels than kids who are spending more time on screens. They’re less anxious and less fearful.” – Collin O’Mara

As the world thaws and spring awakens, encourage your students outside to connect with nature and take meaningful action for wildlife. Here are a few simple ways to make a lasting impact together.

National Wildlife Week — April 5–11

• Many organizations celebrate National Wildlife Week. Search to see what is taking place in your area.

Earth Day — April 22

• Encourage stewardship with: habitat cleanups or Native seed planting.
• Check out a nature-based education organization near you.

City Nature Challenge — April 24–27

• A global citizen science event inviting schools to document local biodiversity using iNaturalist.
• Spring thaw = ideal conditions for spotting early plants, insects, birds, and amphibians.

To support educators across the country, we’re highlighting three key themes that help learners build environmental understanding:

• Species at Risk in Canada
• Biodiversity and Conservation
• National Wildlife Areas

These themes align with national conservation priorities and complement the hands‑on learning approaches found in the Project WILD and Below Zero activity guides. 

Whether you’re teaching indoors, outdoors, or online, Project WILD and Below Zero offer engaging, curriculum‑linked ways for K–12 learners to connect with nature — wherever they live. 

1. Species at Risk in Canada: Understanding What’s at Stake 

Across the country, many wildlife species face pressures such as habitat loss, pollution, and climate impacts. Canada maintains a public Species at Risk registry that lists species and provides information about their conservation status. 

Activities That Focus on Species at Risk 

• Mighty Migrators (Below Zero – p. 155)
  Students draw murals showing a caribou migration route, and the possible consequences of a pipeline being laid across the route. 

• Back from the Brink (Project WILD – p. 331)
  Students investigate why certain species declined and explore real recovery strategies.  

• Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Project WILD – p. 383)
  Learners compare species’ vulnerabilities and evaluate how different traits affect extinction risk.  

• Turtle Hurdles (Project WILD – p. 638)
  Students become sea turtles and limiting factors in a highly active simulation game. 

Classroom connection: Combine these with Habitat Circles (Project WILD – p. 39) to help students understand why habitat protection is the foundation of every species’ recovery effort.  

2. Biodiversity & Conservation: Exploring the Web of Life 

Biodiversity is essential for healthy ecosystems — and for the well‑being of communities across Canada. National guidance such as Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy emphasizes halting and reversing biodiversity loss through education, stewardship, and shared responsibility. Here are some resources that will help you do that in your classroom.  

Activities That Build Biodiversity Awareness 

• Fishy Deep Freeze (Below Zero – p. 55)
  Students role-play fish in a game that illustrates how winter can affect the survival of aquatic life. 

• Ecosystem Architects (Project WILD – p. 376)
  Students explore ecosystem processes and how habitat restoration supports resilience.  

• Insect Inspection (Project WILD – p. 58) + Busy Bees, Busy Blooms (Project WILD – p. 194)
  A great duo for teaching the critical roles insects play in pollination, decomposition, and food webs.  

• Bottleneck Genes (Project WILD – p. 336)
  A hands-on demonstration of how reduced population size affects genetic diversity — a key factor in long-term survival. 

3. National Wildlife Areas: Learning Through Protected Places 

Canada’s National Wildlife Areas (NWAs) protect nationally significant habitats for wildlife, including migratory birds and species at risk. There are currently 64 NWAs across the country, many containing sensitive ecosystems that support critical biodiversity.  

You can find an NWA near you through the Government of Canada’s online map and location directory.  

Activities for Understanding Protected Areas 

• Snow Tours (Below Zero – p. 5)
  Students create a nature trail and prepare a written guide for others to follow. 

• Habitat Circles (Project WILD – p. 39)
  A powerful demonstration of how wildlife needs food, water, shelter, and space — and what happens when one is lost.  

• Dragonfly Pond (Project WILD – p. 578)
  Students role‑play land‑use planners balancing development and conservation — just like real protected-area planners.  

• Time Lapse (Project WILD – p. 424)
  Students create and analyze sketches depicting changes in the variety and quantity of species in an ecosystem as it undergoes successional change. 

More Learning Tools for Educators 

To support learning at all grade levels, here are additional Government of Canada resources that educators can explore: 

1. Resources for Educators (K–12): A curated hub of climate, environment, and nature education tools. 

2. Biodiversity Education Page: A kid-friendly introduction to biodiversity with language tailored to different ages. 

3. Pollution Education Page: Helps students understand pollution, impacts, and solutions. 

4. “Ask a Scientist” Video Series: Short, engaging videos answering real student questions about climate, nature, and science. 

5. “What Is…” Video Series: Explainer videos that unpack big environmental concepts in simple terms.

6. Protect Nature Challenge: Follow the 31 Protect Nature Challenges. Choose a few actions that you can include in your daily life.

Helping Students Become Stewards of the Wild 

CWF’s WILD Education activities, paired with ECCC’s national educational resources, empower learners to understand ecosystems, recognize the challenges facing wildlife, and imagine solutions rooted in stewardship and conservation. 

By exploring species at risk, biodiversity, and protected habitats, students across Canada can discover how every plant, animal, and ecosystem is connected — and how their own choices and actions matter. 

Ready to explore? Dive into Project WILD, Below Zero and the educator resources above, and bring Canada’s wild places to life for your learners. 

Now that you’ve connected with your outdoor space and started planning your native plant garden, it’s time to focus on two essential habitat elements that help wildlife thrive: water and shelter. This month, let’s build on the foundations you’ve already created.

Provide Water in Your WILD Space

Water is one of the most important components of any wildlife‑friendly garden. It’s needed for drinking, bathing, cooling down and staying healthy. Even simple water features can make your WILD Space more welcoming to wildlife. Remember to refresh water every few days and keep containers clean to prevent bacteria and mosquito larvae.

Ways to Provide Water in Your WILD Space

  Water sources that you can purchase or make

• Birdbath — A birdbath in a shaded spot helps wildlife drink and bathe while keeping water cooler for longer.
• Shallow dish with perching stones— Ground‑level dishes support birds and insects. Add a few stones or gravel for safe footing.
• Butterfly puddling dish/area — A shallow dish with moist sand, compost or soil gives butterflies access to water and minerals.
• Small pond — A simple pond supports amphibians, insects and other wildlife. Ensure edges are sloped or provide stones or logs so animals can climb out easily.
• Recirculating stream or mini‑waterfall — Running water adds sound and movement that attracts wildlife and can support a wider range of species.

  Natural water sources

• Water garden — A planted area designed to hold or manage water, similar to natural pond edges.
• Rain garden — A shallow, vegetated basin that collects and filters rainwater runoff.
• Stream / Spring / River / Lake — Flowing or standing natural waters provide habitat for amphibians, insects, and many species of birds.
• Wetland / Seasonal pool — Temporary or permanent shallow wetlands support amphibians, insects, and migrating wildlife.

Creative and Low-Cost Water Ideas

• Upcycled container dishes — Old lids or trays can become shallow water sources.
• Rock with a natural depression — A flat stone with a dip can hold small amounts of water after rain, similar to natural puddles.
• Clay pot saucers — Saucers make excellent shallow basins for insects and birds.

Provide Shelter in Your WILD Space

Shelter is just as important as water. Wildlife needs places to stay warm in winter, cool in summer, hide from predators, and nest or rest throughout the year. Below is a wide range of shelter features your schoolyard can incorporate.

Ways to Provide Wildlife-Friendly Shelter in Your WILD Space

Vegetation-Based Shelter

• Potted plants — These are great for schools with limited digging space.
• Ground cover — Ground cover provides cool, moist hiding places for insects and amphibians.
• Leaf litter — A critical microhabitat for insects, leaf litter also supports soil health.
• Dense area of native grasses/perennials — Clusters of perennials, ferns, and grasses give small creatures places to hide.
• Vines — Climbing plants create vertical habitat and nesting cover.
• Meadow/prairie plantings — Tall grasses and wildflowers offer shelter and food.
• Host plants for caterpillars — These plants are essential for butterfly life cycles.
• Hollow plant stems — These offer nesting habitat for native bees.
• Evergreen trees/shrubs — Trees and Shrubs provide year‑round cover from weather.
• Deciduous trees/shrubs — These create layered habitat for birds and insects.

Structural Natural Shelter

• Rock pile — This feature creates cool, shaded micro‑habitats for insects and amphibians.
• Brush pile / Log pile — Piles offer excellent shelter for insects, amphibians and small mammals.
• Open sunny ground for solitary bees — Many solitary native bees tunnel into bare soil, making ground beneficial.
• Burrow — Natural underground hideaways used by small mammals and amphibians for shelter and safety.

Human-Made Shelter Structures

• Bug hotel — This structure supports solitary bees and beneficial insects.
• Bird nesting/roosting box — These boxes can be created at home, or you can opt to provide the material for the birds to make their own.
• Bat house — These houses provide summer roosting habitat for bats—here’s a video tutorial.
• Toad abode — These homes give toads a place to rest and eat.
• Snag (standing dead tree) — Snags supports cavity‑nesting birds and insects (when safe to maintain on site).

A Note on Maintenance

Remember: Keeping your garden free of pesticides ensures these shelter areas remain safe for wildlife and the insects many animals depend on for food.

 It’s Not Too Late to Request FREE Native Plants!

There’s still time to apply for a chance to receive free native pollinator plants through the WILD Spaces program.

Request your plants >

Thanks for Growing With Us!

Your efforts are making a real difference for local biodiversity. By offering water and shelter, you’re helping your WILD Space become a living, thriving habitat — and a powerful learning environment.

Let us know how your garden is evolving — we love seeing photos and stories from your schoolyard!

If you discovered this blog on our website, be sure to sign up for the WILD Spaces e‑blast. You’ll receive monthly updates, next‑step reminders, and resources featuring each month’s highlighted pollinator — everything you need to stay inspired and keep your garden growing strong!