Three Utah Landscaping Favorites Are Inadvertently Welcoming Mice, Ticks, And Snakes

A yard with thriving plants can be beautiful and at the same time provide the perfect conditions for mice and other small mammals. With the mice come ticks and snakes. Here's the plants that create a good habitat for these rodents.

Creating Ideal Conditions: What Mice Want for a Den

Mice are looking for a place to live that is shaded from the sun, cool and damp, and spot close to a food source. You can probably guess what parts of your yard might be provide the perfect place to build a den.

If it doesn't bother you that you have a mouse family living in your backyard, you should be aware they also bring ticks and other bugs with them. They also attract snakes that don't care about the plants, just the animals living in them.

Here's three plants you will find in Utah yards that offer a good environment for mice and chipmunks.

Boxwood

Green bushes in a garden with shallow depth of field

These are a popular plant to line landscaping. The problem is when they cover long stretches of your yard, it makes a good cover for small animals to move about. When they grow in thick, it is place a good place for a mouse family to burrow down.

Mulberry Trees

a close up of some berries

These trees were planted all over Utah at one time when people were trying to grow silkworms to make silk. The fruit falls to the ground and also attracts small animals. This is especially true if the branches reach to the ground and give shelter with the food.

Pampas Grass

a bush with lots of brown and white flowers

This was a popular grass to plant during the 90s. It creates a large clump of dense cover at its base. This is a good spot for mice to dig a den. Snakes also like it for the small animals and the cover as well.

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There are other plants that attract small animals for the cover. Take a critical look at your yard with this new perspective and you can probably see the places that might attract these small animals and the bugs and reptiles that come with them.