On this week’s Good Growing podcast we sit down once again with Energy and Environment educator Peggy Doty. We catch up from our last meeting as we ponder what happened to Bruno the Bear who wandered throughout Illinois this past summer. Peggy also talks about wildlife and some of the problems humans may encounter when an animal happens in to our yards. Peggy says with more people working from home we are noticing more wild animals in our yards, but they were always there, we just weren’t looking. We talk about what is the most destructive wild animal and ways to minimize their efforts to eat our landscapes. We talk conservation efforts that can be done in the backyard, habitat loss, and if animal bridges over busy roads really work. Plus, your questions:

1. Does feeding wildlife disrupt natural patterns?

2. Do raccoons hibernate?

3. How can we stop deer from rubbing on our trees and eating our shrubs?

4. Is it possible to feed the birds, but not the mice?

5. What can be done to stop raccoons from using a backyard as a latrine?

6. Will a mouse live trapped in the house and freed outside come back inside?

7. Should you pass on a doe to bag a buck?

Check out Illinois Extension’s Living with Wildlife webpage https://www.wildlifeillinois.org/

Want to watch the Good Growing podcast? Head over to our YouTube channel to see us in person! https://youtu.be/dnUGXhLm1vA