How I Turned My Backyard into a Wildlife Sanctuary

Thank you, Rambler readers, for your thoughtful and supportive response to my previous article about my effort to produce honey in the backyard of my home on Roundhill Road. In that essay, I shared that Aster Waves was inspired, in part, by my passion for pollinator conservation. Now, I would like to describe how, at the same time, my property came to be certified as a wildlife sanctuary.

During the ‘COVID’ summer of 2021, I decided to plant an 8’x8’ pollinator garden with the goal of attracting hummingbirds, adorable Carolina wrens, striking goldfinches, and any kind of butterfly.

Consequently, I became an ambassador for the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance (formerly the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia) and I quickly learned how our suburban landscape could become a resource for maintaining biodiversity.

Douglas Tallamy, an entomologist and ecologist at the University of Delaware, is often credited with starting (or at least encouraging) this idea with his book, Bringing Nature Home, and NVBA offers a certification program to support those who want to bring natural landscaping to their yards.

The certification process has several key steps:

First, there is a consulting visit by an NVBA ambassador. This typically entails a one-hour property tour in which the ambassador seeks to understand your goals and challenges; a written report with recommendations follows.  I, or another ambassador from our immediate area, typically manage visits in our neighborhood since we have experience with the local soil and microclimate. (This is a free service.)

Secondly, there is a need to sight and identify at least 10 sanctuary species on the property. These include goldfinches, skinks, and fireflies among many others. These are species that need more intentional habitat support than common suburban wildlife, like robins and cardinals. Fireflies, for example, require leaf litter to complete their life cycles.

Once an NVBA ambassador certifies that enough habitat elements (e.g., heated water sources, native trees and shrubs, rain barrels) are in place and the sanctuary keeper commits to eco-friendly best practices, such as removing invasives, avoiding broad spectrum mosquito spraying which harms all pollinators, and responsibly managing water runoff, a formal application for certification can be submitted.

Creating a sanctuary returns part of our suburban landscape to the wild creatures who share our community. In addition, spending more time in nature has been found to promote wellbeing by calming the nervous system. Sanctuary spaces also provide a home for parasitic insects that naturally control pests without chemical applications which can harm wildlife and our domestic pets.

My experience as an ambassador is like my experience as an urban farmer. Both have encouraged me to learn and build skills, and both have made life more interesting through new friends and connections.


For more information about creating a wildlife sanctuary on your property, contact the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance at nvbirdalliance.org or email me at asterwavesurbanfarm@gmail.com.

Lydia Lawless PhD is the founder of Aster Waves and lives on Roundhill Road.