What species do you see around the most? Observing what plants, animals, and insects live around your space is a great way to begin making your yard or neighborhood into a wildlife friendly environment. Providing refuge and habitat is different than feeding and providing water, which can cause dangerous situations and even be harmful to the wildlife trying to survive in an urban environment.
Provide an urban refuge:
Water drainage: where does the water collect or drain out of your yard, what plants grow in dry vs. wet areas
Visit local nurseries: establish native plants in your yard
Keep it wild: It is important that you do not feed, handle, or keep wildlife. However, there are ways to provide aid to animals living in and around the city and enjoy respectful co-existence.
Providing water to wildlife:
Butterfly dishes: Use a shallow dish, fill with sand and some larger rocks to use as perches, then fill with water, enough to moisten the soil.
Megafauna:
Providing water/food to birds:
Keep bird baths in shaded areas
Use wide shallow dished and add several rocks for perches
Refresh often to prevent mosquito larvae
Keeping native plants that provide pollen/nectar/seeds and host insects will be a source of food for birds
Avoidable fatalities:
Birds and windows: Close window blinds when you are out, reduce reflectivity by installing outer screens or using decals on the exterior of the glass.
Ponds/Pools: Provide escape possibilities for wildlife that may fall in: floating aid or stick propped against the rim.
There are many desert creatures that have become iconic to the Tucson area. Several species, including the desert tortoise, horned lizard, and the Gila monster, are particularly charismatic, represented in much of Tucson’s advertising as well as in murals all across the city. As urban development increases, many of our desert neighbors have struggled to find refuge, especially in the heart of Tucson. Saguaro National Park encourages those living around the borders of the park, and all the way across town, to help our wildlife by learning to co-exist respectfully alongside creatures of all shapes and sizes.
Desert Tortoise
Left image
Close-up on Tortoise face
Credit: NPS
Right image
Tortoise walking around in the desert.
Credit: NPS
Desert tortoises occur all over the southwestern region of the United States. Saguaro National Park has been studying their health, habits, and home ranges for years. Like many other native desert species, tortoises face threats from urban development, especially roads.
Help them across busy roads if they are in immediate need
Do not handle them
Do not release pet tortoises into the wild. They will not have the necessary survival skills, and may carry diseases
Leave them in the area you found them. Transporting them can put them at risk in unfamiliar territory.
Participate in desert conservation efforts
Rattlesnakes
Left image
Rattlesnake crossing the road.
Credit: NPS
Right image
Close up on Diamondback Rattlesnake tail.
Credit: NPS
Snakes in general, but especially rattlesnakes are often misunderstood and feared in the community. Misconceptions about snakes seriously impede conservation efforts due to brutal treatment and purposeful harm to them in urban areas. Seeing snakes in their natural habitat can be an incredible experience as long as we remember how to keep them and ourselves safe. Learn their habits, take care when recreating outdoors, and observe them respectfully from a distance.
Dealing with snakes in your yard:
Wait for them to move first. If you need the snake to move, use a long-handled broom or snake hook if you have one, to gently encourage it.
If you call a wildlife professional to move it, do not transport it too far from its home area.
Avoid using glue traps
Watch your pets when they are outside, especially in the summer. Additionally, you can take your dog to a snake avoidance class.
Avoid keeping water on the ground, this will attract them to your yard
Adult rattlesnakes have been observed staying in the dens with neonates as well as supervising them outside as they explored. It has also been observed that the adults will stay with young even ones that are not their own offspring.
Rattlesnakes will curl into cup shapes and collect water in their coils to drink. Researchers have observed neonates learning this behavior from their mothers.
Horned Lizards
Left image
A Horned Lizard lays on the desert floor.
Credit: NPS
Right image
A young Horned Lizard up on the Rincon Mountains.
Credit: NPS
The horned lizard has been well known and loved in Tucson for many years. Many older residents remember seeing them often in their childhood, but now sightings are rare, especially in the city limits. Numbers of horned lizards have certainly declined and there are multiple reasons for this:
Pesticide use on harvester ants. Harvester ants are a main food source for horned lizards but commonly eradicated as a “household pest.”
Habitat fragmentation: Horned lizards only need small patches of desert and the ability to move among them in the city. Urban and agricultural development are chipping away habitat in the city and expanding further outward.
Gila Monster
Left image
Gila Monster crawling around under brush
Credit: NPS
Right image
Gila monster making its way across the desert
Credit: NPS
Gila monsters are well known in the park but are rarely seen. Their distinct beaded pattern is unique to each individual and reflects a similar texture on their skeleton. The species is listed as “near threatened,” which means their populations are decreasing. As urban development pushes further into their native habitat, Gila monsters face similar issues to horned lizards and desert tortoises. The best way to support conservation efforts of the Gila monster is to educate yourself and keep your distance from them if you encounter one in the wild. If you do see one, enjoy it!
Do not handle them
If you see one at the park, take a photo and contribute it to our ongoing Gila monster photo identification project.
Keep your dog on a leash, especially on the park’s pet-friendly trails
Bobcats
Left image
Close-up on Bobcat's face.
Credit: NPS
Right image
Wildlife cam footage of Bobcat at night.
Credit: NPS
Bobcats are seen in and around Tucson, even in developed areas. They are often seen alone but will also travel in pairs or as families. Despite shrinking habitat, their populations are stable. Bobcats are elusive, so if you see one in an urban area, it is likely there seeking food. Here are some tips for keeping Bobcats safe in your neighborhood:
Avoid leaving seeds out that attract birds and small mammals to your yard, Bobcats will more likely enter your yard if prey is readily available
Remove uneaten pet food from your yard as it also may attract
Keep small pets leashed. If leaving them unsupervised, keep them indoors. Domestic birds should be kept in an enclosure with a sturdy roof.
If there are kittens in your area or yard and the mother is present, consider leaving them alone until they are big enough to travel.
If you are concerned about possible rabies risk, contact Arizona Game and Fish
Left image
Javelina cuddling next to the Visitor Center.
Credit: NPS
Right image
A Javelina walking through Sonoran foliage
Credit: K.Hooper
Javelinas are part of the peccary family, originating in South America. They are found throughout most of southern Arizona and commonly seen in Tucson. Javelinas eat mostly plants, but they also feed on insects and garbage if accessible. Unfortunately, if they need to be removed from an area, they will most likely not survive, so it is best to take preemptive measures to deter them from coming into your space. If you often see Javelina in your neighborhood, here are some ways to keep them, your pets, and yourself safe:
Keep your garbage cans contained in a way they cannot be knocked over
Keep your dogs on a leash, especially when walking in the evening, when Javelinas become active
Maintain your fences, especially if you have a garden or water sources in your yard such as a pool, pond, or bird bath
Do not feed them. It is best to feed your pets indoors, so scents and scraps do not tempt javelinas into your yard.
