There may be certain nuisance mammals that you don’t want to see near your garden, but the presence of small mammals such as squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits in your yard indicates a healthy, thriving ecosystem.
Attract small mammals to your yard by providing shelter for them. Planting hedges such as chokeberry or viburnums provides important shelter for mammals to raise their young or hide from predators. Dead trees or shelters made from logs and branches (“brush piles”) provides cover for small mammals.
Providing some kind of water source in your garden such as a bird bath will also benefit small mammals, as well as birds and insects. While squirrels and chipmunks may grab a snack from your bird feeders, it is not recommended to feed mammals specifically because they can become pests when they are accustomed to being fed. As part of the ecosystem, small mammals can be an important food source for larger predators such as birds of prey, which help keep the populations in your yard in check.
Learn more about Ohio’s small mammals in our Mammals of Ohio Field Guide: http://ow.ly/vtWI30oNwi0