{"id":47915,"date":"2026-07-10T13:23:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T17:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=47915"},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:01:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:01:04","slug":"no-place-like-home-diy-wildlife-houses-for-home-habitats-gardeners-and-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/07\/10\/no-place-like-home-diy-wildlife-houses-for-home-habitats-gardeners-and-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"No Place Like Home: DIY Wildlife Houses for Home Habitats, Gardeners, and Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Katy Gorsuch<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, you spent much more time as a kid carefully constructing homes for rolly pollies (aka isopods) than you did playing sports. And there\u2019s no reason that should stop! Below are a selection of houses you can build for our wildlife neighbors, each with a difficulty rating based on the time and materials needed to put them together (Note: if you need to change the size, you can use the same scale).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Toad Abode<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Create<\/a>

Entry submitted to Maryland DNR’s 2020 “Create Your Own State Park” program.<\/p><\/div>\n

Rating: Easy, 1 out of 5 Slugs<\/b><\/p>\n

Materials: a flower pot <\/b>or<\/i><\/b> a bowl <\/b>or<\/i><\/b> some rocks <\/b>or<\/i><\/b> an old birdhouse (or anything else that works where you are and with what you have)<\/b><\/p>\n

A home for a toad, or a \u201ctoad abode\u201d is one of the simplest wildlife homes you can put together! The goal is to create a spot that is cool, shaded, and on the ground, in whatever form that takes. If this is going to go in a sunny spot in your space, choose materials that don\u2019t heat up much, like ceramic, or tuck the house back underneath bushes or shrubs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some ideas:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n