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Every day, more and more wildlife habitat is lost to the spread of development. Give a little back by building your own humane backyard! It doesn't matter whether you have a small apartment balcony, a townhouse with a sliver of ground, a suburban yard, a sprawling corporate property or a community...

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fat caterpillar curled on a leaf stalk

As my beloved seedlings languished untouched on the display table, I improved my sales pitch: “Would you like a late-flowering thoroughwort to help migrating butterflies refuel? What about an aster that’s the only pollen source for some bee species?” But unlike the animals who would devour these...

Article
By Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener
hummingbirds sipping nectar from bright red flowers

It’s a peculiar rite of modern homeownership: Plant a tulip bulb in autumn, cage or spray it to deter nibblers, admire its fleeting blooms a few months later, let it rot in soil ill-suited to its needs and repeat the whole cycle again the following year.

Article
By Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener

A symbol of beauty transformed from humble beginnings, butterflies are one of the few insects who garner near universal appreciation.

Animal

With the right information and supplies, you may be able to solve some conflicts with wildlife by yourself. But when it’s time to call in a professional, here's how to find a humane, effective and ethical company. Ask for an inspection and written estimate It will be difficult for any company to...

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woodpecker on persimmon tree

As my neighbors and I stood 10 feet apart and swapped tips for scavenging kitchen staples this spring, the wilder residents of our community shared no such concerns. Squirrels twirled maple seed clusters like bouquets to reach every tidbit. Bumblebees made a mockery of social distancing in their...

Article
BY NANCY LAWSON, AUTHOR OF THE HUMANE GARDENER

More and more retailers, designers and brands are going fur-free. The companies listed below have announced that they don't sell animal fur or are phasing in a fur-free policy. This list was last updated on November 15, 2019. If you know of a company that does not sell fur but is not listed here...

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brown rabbit in the grass

Somewhere between childhood and middle age, people’s natural affinity for wildlife often melts away, overtaken by exaggerated fears of of marauding armies of deer, insects and raccoons intent on invading our gardens and homes. Scorn for rabbits, the sensitive stars of many a bedtime story, is...

Article
By Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener

With their distinctive honks and propensity to graze on roadside grass, Canada geese are among the most ubiquitous of our wild neighbors.

Animal
Photo illustration of a dim light bulb with illustrated butterflies

On summer evenings, my husband and I head to the darkest spot of our property to look for the light—in the form of fireflies rising from meadow grasses and twinkling their way into the trees. As the tulip poplars behind this spectacular display settle in for slumber, white yucca flowers open their...

Article
BY NANCY LAWSON, AUTHOR OF THE HUMANE GARDENER

If you find a wild animal in distress while you're out for a hike, traveling or even in your own backyard, get them the help they need. Find a wildlife rehabilitator in the alphabetical list below. IMPORTANT! Before you "rescue" any wild animal, make sure the animal really needs your help. Determine...

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closeup of a bee on a large yellow flower

In a few short months, the sweet scent of thawing soil will have me searching under trees, by streams and in gardens for new life peeking into the frosty air. During winter’s dark days, it’s hard to imagine anyone more excited about spring’s brave first blooms. But just below ground, creatures on a...

Article
By Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener

Some ways to scare geese away work better than others. All work better where the landscaping makes geese wary and much better where you have also addled or used contraception so geese are not tending flightless goslings. Until their young can fly at the end of summer, these aversive conditioning...

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Wild Neighbors (adapted from the book)

The most lasting way to avoid Canada geese problems (and often the most cost-effective in the long run) is to change the habitat so it doesn't appeal to them. You can do this by taking away their preferred foods and creating a landscape where the birds don't feel safe. Habitat changes will work...

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Wild Neighbors (adapted from the book)
a bluebird sits on a tree with a loud weed whacker in background

Sitting on her porch in the desert one afternoon while recovering from surgery, Christine Hass closed her eyes. The operation to fix her detached retina had been difficult, and she sought respite from the lingering pain. “Suddenly I could hear all the birds singing. It was March—the migrants were...

Article
BY NANCY LAWSON, AUTHOR OF THE HUMANE GARDENER

Poultry (Each report is available as a downloadable PDF.) CHICKENS AND TURKEYS About Chickens [PDF] About Turkeys [PDF] Animal Welfare in the Chicken Industry [PDF] Animal Welfare in the Turkey Industry [PDF] Caponizing Chickens [PDF] Manual Catching of Poultry [PDF] Transport of Day-Old Chicks [PDF...

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The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for cruelly beheading and killing a Canada goose at Green Lake Park in Seattle. The Case: According to the Seattle Animal...

Press Release
overhead view of a woman tending her garden

Walk into a roadside restaurant after a long day on the highway, and you can practically taste your meal before sitting down. The familiar smells of fresh-baked pie and salty fries need little introduction en route to your belly. That sensory experience is similar for wildlife coming upon lush...

Article
By Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener

In some communities, Canada geese are rounded up and killed because people find them to be a nuisance, particularly when goose droppings accumulate. This is wrong. It is not ethical to kill wild birds merely because their mess bothers us or we find them a nuisance and it’s not necessary to kill...

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