The National Wildlife Federation has guidelines about making a backyard habitat. Our backyard satisfies the "messy" requirement! I recently had to take down a tree; instead of disposing it, I broke it up and piled it in the back of the yard. I hope, if it gets a family of rats, they are well-behaved.
I have robins, finches, scrub jays, hummingbirds, and the occasional bird-of-prey, too. Our arthropods are amazing; several species of centipedes, hunting and orb spiders, and lots of sap-sucking insects. We're weak on butterflies. At night we get raccoons and possums. I keep a low-edged water bucket filled for them. It smells nasty after they've used it a couple of days.
"I don't like the yard," say the children. "It's scary, unless I'm standing right in the middle." I've got to teach them how to get dirty, I suppose.
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