SMART OUTDOOR LIVING

CREATING A HAVEN FOR YOUR FAVORITE POLLINATORS & PEOPLE

- SARAH KINGSBURY

One of my favorite things since I moved to Las Vegas is starting my day by sipping coffee on my patio as the sun rises, surrounded by thriving flowers and herbs, while a small fountain burbles in the background, and hummingbirds whizz to and from the feeder so quickly they’re gone before I can even catch a good look. My second favorite thing is sitting on the patio enjoying the evening breeze sipping wine with my husband or friends with the perfect lighting and background music to set the mood. The only thing that could make it better is if it all happened with little to no effort from me. That’s why this spring, I decided to extend my smart home to the outdoors and turn my patio into a tech-powered haven for pollinators and people alike.

Just like people, if you want them to stick around, pollinators need food, water, and shelter. While nearby trees and shrubs provide a place to roost, it’s up to me to provide the rest. I started by setting up a shallow bird bath with small stones placed in the water for butterflies and hummingbirds to perch on while they drink and a bubbling fountain that would both prevent mosquitoes from breeding and hopefully attract more desirable winged friends with its sound. I plugged the pump into the EP40A Kasa Smart WiFi Outdoor Plug ($29.99) and set up a schedule in the Kasa app for the fountain to turn on and off when the sun rises and sets, so all I need to worry about is topping up the water and cleaning as needed.

Next, I replaced my hummingbird feeder with the