What's the secret to attracting wildlife and inviting nature to your backyard? Just keep it natural.

That was the advice given by Mack and Catherine Phinney during their wildlife presentation at the Wareham Library Saturday morning, February 21. The Phinneys discussed how they manage their property in West Wareham to best attract wildlife and help maintain a healthy and diverse environment.

"If it's green and growing I leave it there," Mack said of his yard.

More than 50 people came out to the Wareham Land Trust event to see and hear how the Phinneys share their yard with nature.

On lawns, Mack said to mow as few times as possible and to mulch as you mow. He said he never waters his lawn, never use fertilizers or pesticides and mulches with fallen leaves in the fall.

He said the crabgrass, dandelions, clover and other flora growing in his yard makes his lawn more diverse and healthier than the traditional short, green pesticide/fertilized lawns.

Mack explained how the diversity in plants in his yard, adjacent forest, and vegetable and flower gardens, help to attract a diverse range of wildlife to his property.

The Phinneys grow a wide range of flowers and vegetables in their gardens, use no pesticides and keep the planting process as natural as possible.

Mack showed photos of the various bird, mammals, reptiles and insects he has seen in his yard over the years. The photos ranged from dragonflies, frogs and toads to box turtles and snakes. He showed photos of the nearly two dozen types of birds he has seen, from hummingbirds, finches and bluebirds to woodpeckers, turkeys and hawks.

He also listed off animals such as deer, coyotes, skunks and even an otter he saw in his yard one winter.

"You could see his footprints in the snow and his tail dragging behind," Mack said of the telltale signs of the otter.

He ended the presentation with one last word of advice: "Manage your property in a way that is not offensive to other living things."