As I was pondering what to write about on cooling off and beating the heat in Texas...it dawned on me that wildlife and pets really have it tough! We have had some days at 105 degrees already this summer and with high humidity. Not many animals have the luxury of being able to just go inside when they are pooped from the heat like we can.  Well at least most can't. I know there are lots of Flluffys and Puffy's out there that never have stepped over the threshold to leave the air conditioned castles they live in, but many pets do stay outside a lot, and many more don't even know what A.C. is. They are full time outsiders. We have tried to remember to make sure both our 3 dogs and 4 cats have plenty of shade, and water at all times. And we have tried to provide for our wildlife to the best of our ability also.

Some of the things you can do for the birds are easy and relatively inexpensive...birdbaths and hummingbird feeders. Most birds enjoy a bird bath or garden sprinkler to just cleanup a little. But they also water from these sources. We have placed 4 bird baths around our home. They usually have to be filled every couple of days. Also they need to be cleaned once a week to keep growth down from algae.

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Butterflies and Bees need water to , so by simply adding a few stones in a fountain, you can create miniature islands for the insects to ease down to the water's edge. They love it.

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Hummingbirdsare like  miniature rockets and burn up lots of energy and need both sugar and water. Hummingbird feeders provide this. We use two types. One simply hangs . They other mounts on windows so you can observethe birds feeding close up.This one is suspended from a small potatoe vine covered arbor. A  cool spot for hummers to feed.

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This feeder is one foot away from the kitchen sink and really makes doing dishes a lot easier as Hummers are great entertainers with their aerial acrobatics.

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Birds have to eat......so if possible place feeders in a shady spot.We enjoy watching numerous species feed off the feeders hanging in this small trumpeter vine covered arbor. The birds consume so much we keep two feeders in this location.

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Now you know there are all kinds of creatures and they all require H2Oin order to live .....including toads. Now toads are great and eat all kinds of insects in the garden. At night they enjoy a quick dip ...the only problem is if they jump in and if they can't get out...well they die. We got tired of fishing dead toads out of the water bowls so we place rocks whetre they could exit easier after a dip. It works! :o)

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The little Budda   has a small lap that holds water that garden lizards and chameleons drink from. This little garden space has ferns, ivy, and Banana plants that offer shade for the lizards, toads and tree frogs, our insect pest control specialists! 

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And Finally the larger animals both wild and domestic need a combination watering hole and swimming pool .....so we built a small lake for them and are still waiting on the rain to fill it up. Don't worry once it is full the mud will settle out and it will be clear...but do you think the deer and the dogs care in the mean time? We doubt it!

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So this summer please remember all your feathered, furry, and scaly friends need to cool off too!  No you don't have to invite everybody inside, just give them a break by making sure they can drink all they want , and  can even get wet now and again too !

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