The "ugly" brush pile in your corner is saving lives.
Right now — late February — here's who's using it:
🐰 RABBITS
Building nests for babies due in 2-3 weeks.
The pile is predator-proof shelter.
🐦 SPARROWS & WRENS
Roosting inside at night.
Surviving single-digit temps because of your "mess."
🦨 SKUNKS
Maybe denning at the base.
Yes, that's why you smell them.
🐿️ CHIPMUNKS
Still in torpor, but the pile protects their burrow entrance.
🐛 INSECTS
Overwintering in the decay.
These become bird food in spring.
🐍 SNAKES (in a few weeks)
Will emerge from hibernation and shelter here.
WHAT YOU SEE: A pile of sticks and branches that looks messy.
WHAT WILDLIFE SEES: An apartment complex with security.
IF YOU REMOVE IT NOW:
- You evict pregnant rabbits
- You expose roosting birds to predators
- You destroy overwintering insects
- You eliminate spring shelter for emerging reptiles
LEAVE IT UNTIL LATE MAY.
Or better yet — leave it forever.
Brush piles are habitat.
Not mess.
#BrushPile #WildlifeHabitat #LeaveTheMess #BackyardEcosystem
