Warmer months means creating backyard landscapes with larger plants like bushes and trees. When picking new plants from the garden center, consider evergreen plants. Not only do they keep their beautiful green color all year round, they are favored by wildlife for myriad reasons: The evergreen branches provide cover for small animals in addition to giving shelter during the cold winter months. And many evergreens provide nourishment like berries, pinecones, seeds, needles and even sticky sap for wild birds and mammals.

Having an in-ground swimming pool involves a lot of maintenance and responsibility, and it also can be a death trap for wild animals that accidentally get into the water and have no means to escape. One way to help small critters like frogs get to safety is to install a buoyant water-exit device. It's sloped on the sides and lets them leap, hop or climb their way to freedom. If you do find a wild animal in the pool, the Humane Society of the United States recommends using a skimmer to help lift it out, then release it back into the wild.

Many of us will use a backyard fire pit to warm up a chilly night or roast marshmallows. And many of us will use balled up newspapers and magazines or even paperboard boxes as firestarters. But it's best to avoid using paper products in your fire pit. There are chemicals in printed paper products; when burned, they are released into the air. Even worse, paper products can easily turn into flying ash, which drifts into the air and can cause problems like brush fires and other fire dangers.