Caterpillars feed on their specific host plants, whilst causing some damage to the plant, it is not enough to harm them permanently. It’s not easy to attract seed-eating birds such as bishops, widows, whydahs and weavers to your garden without offering them wild bird seed and most of our gardens are far too small to plant large patches of seeding grass. Barn owls and spotted eagle owls have learnt to live in close proximity with humans. Try to leave an area of your garden to grow a little wild, to encourage this, and a pond will work wonders. Gardeners can determine which birds they wish to frequent their garden, by choosing plants that attract them. B ring your garden to life by transforming it into a haven for butterflies. B ird expert and author Sally Johnson explains how to attract interesting wild birds to a small garden. Try putting the nest box next to a shady tree. Attracting seedeaters and common omnivores is easily done by putting out bird feeders and apples. South Africa has a huge diversity of indigenous plants and trees, many of which are beautiful ornamental species. Rodents like to live among long grass, so put away the lawnmower. Many companies turn to traditional pest control agents to get rid of rats on their properties. to Attract Owls to Your Yard and Solve Your Pest Problem Owls and other birds of prey can be a great asset to your property for keeping out pests. Owl nesting boxes are constructed from standard, tongue and groove pine ceiling boards, on a 30mm x 30mm pine frame. Attracting owls to your property, though, isn’t the easiest thing to do. Top 14 water-wise plants for your garden By Glenice Ebedes With 49 comments With the recent drought in South Africa, home owners have become more savvy in … Attracting Birds to your Garden. South Africa's National Botanical Gardens. These nocturnal birds can drive down rodent and vermin populations — not to mention they're fascinating to watch and listen to. We want beautiful butterflies to grace our gardens but not their caterpillars which are the larval stage of butterflies. In addition, owls make for great birds to listen to and observe in the wild. Barn owls and spotted eagle owls have learnt to live in close proximity with humans. Adding an owl nest box to your backyard will attract screech owls. Owl boxes are generally designed to attract either a Spotted-Eagle Owl or a Barn Owl. Many owls will make use of an artificial nest box such as African wood owls, scops owls and pearl-spotted owlets. B ring your garden to life by transforming it into a haven for butterflies. Building an owl box is a great way to encourage them to your garden. You don't need to have a shed and a nest box for nesting, but you can if you want to attract multiple barn owl families. You can encourage rodents onto your property in several ways and they will, in turn, attract owls. Bush Black-cap. Inspired by gardens from the suburbs and farmlands around Cape Town, we’ve rounded up 11 garden ideas to steal to refresh your personal botanical hideaway: South African companies are making a substantial contribution to protecting the environment by introducing eco-friendly pest control agents in the form of Barn Owls to control rat populations. However, by installing an owl box, providing the resources owls need to thrive, and determining what owls live near you, you may be able to attract owls to your … Barn owls hunt from trees and they need a tree nearby or you can put the nest box on a tree branch. They can be valuable as control against the rodents that inevitably show up to scavenge dropped seed or patronize your vegetable and fruit plants too. When making gardens owl friendly, it’s wise to consider the type of owl you want to attract. Inspired by gardens from the suburbs and farmlands around Cape Town, we’ve rounded up 11 garden ideas to steal to refresh your personal botanical hideaway: Only the species already occurring in your area may be attracted by the box. Attracting butterflies to your garden can be quite a conundrum at times. Attracting butterflies to your garden is a particularly lovely way to ‘go green’.The plants that attract these insects usually bear gorgeous flowers and the resulting influx of delicate, flitting wings brings a new dimension of beauty to your garden. It’s easy to attract birds to your garden, however small and close it is to a city, but the variety of species will increase with its size, how bird-friendly it is and its proximity to countryside or well-wooded parks. Birds appreciate these items during the nesting and migration seasons, which can just … 11 Garden Ideas to Steal from South Africa Marie Viljoen June 23, 2015 South Africans love the outdoors and are as at home out as they they are in.