By Danish Architecture Center

July 1, 2025

With a few simple changes, you can create a haven for bees, birds, hedgehogs, fungi, and butterflies. Put away the lawnmower and embrace imperfection. Here are nine practical tips for inviting more nature into your outdoor space – and giving biodiversity a gentle boost.

1. Create Wild Corners

Leave parts of your yard untouched: don’t till the soil, weed, or prune, and consider letting a pile of branches and twigs lie. This kind of wild corner can become a thriving habitat for fungi, plants, and animals that won’t survive in more manicured areas.

2. Avoid Pesticides

Skip the chemical treatments for unwanted plants and insects. If you feel pesticides are necessary, apply them only to the specific plant or pest you want to remove. For instance, using pesticides on aphids may also kill helpful insects like hoverfly larvae or the seven-spot ladybug – natural predators of aphids.

3. Create a Pond

Even a small pond can become home to various insect species and a breeding ground for amphibians. Don’t dig it too deep – it’s beneficial if it dries up during the summer, as some amphibians rely on temporary ponds to reproduce. During dry spells, you can also leave out water for birds, hedgehogs, insects, and other wildlife.

Photo: Palle Knudsen – Unsplash

4. Plant Flowering Plants

Grow flowering shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Aim for a continuous bloom throughout the warmer months. Bees, butterflies, and hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen from flowers, while butterfly larvae may feed on the plants’ leaves.

5. Make Soil and Stone Piles

Create small piles of soil, stones, or sand in sunny spots. These piles warm up more than the surrounding ground, making them ideal nesting places for ground-dwelling bees. Reptiles like lizards can also use the warmth to regulate their body temperature.

6. Put Up Nesting Boxes

Nesting boxes for different bird species are widely available, or you can build your own. Mount them on walls, fences, posts, or trees. Many birds readily use them, including common species like great tits, blue tits, house sparrows, and starlings.

Photo: Sue Thomas – Unsplash

7. Leave Old Trees Standing

Old trees with trunk cavities and large branches can be vital nesting sites for cavity-nesting birds and bats. Bats may also find shelter under loose bark or in small hollows. Tits, woodpeckers, and nuthatches are among the birds that nest in old trees.

8. Build Piles of Branches and Twigs

A pile of twigs and branches creates a sheltered maze where birds can nest, and other animals can hide. Hedgehogs may use it as a safe, shaded resting spot during the day. Insects and fungi can feed on the decaying wood in thicker branches.

Photo: Tania Malrechauffe – Unsplash

9. Build an Insect Hotel

Buy or build an insect hotel and place it in a dry, sunny location. Insect hotels may contain holes for overwintering ladybugs or compartments suited for butterflies like the small tortoiseshell. Solitary bees, lacewings, and earwigs may also take up residence.

Source: The Danish Environmental Protection Agency