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Invasive wetland plants purple
loosestrife

Rapid suburban development has changed the landscape, resulting in habitat fragmentation and in some cases habitat destruction, that in turn displaces or changes wildlife populations.

Wildscaping is a relatively new concept much like Xeriscaping. It is about planting native plant species in the garden or yard to create a habitat that encourage native wildlife--bees, birds, butterflies, small mammals, and the like--to live in or frequent that habitat. Wildscaping is similar to the federal and state programs for wildlife habitat restoration, but is carried out by individuals and not governmental entities.

Wildscaping is more than planting native plants though. It's about understanding what the original plant communities were that thrived on your property. For example, if you live in the Midwest, it's likely that your property was once a native prairie. Or perhaps you've retired to Arizona and now live in the desert, but have a yard that looks exactly like the one you left behind on the east coast.

Wildscaping doesn't necessarily mean that you need to replicate the original ecosystem plant for plant, have a yard full of tumbleweeds, or a yard filled with overgrown shrubs to attract rabbits and dead trees to attract woodpeckers. You can still have a tidy garden and flowers too as long as they're native to the region. Plant it and they will come.

Recommended reading:
Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn

Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden: Creating Backyard and Balcony Habitats for Wildlife

Heleigh Bostwick, Making Gardens Greener

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