Nature based solutions to our biodiversity and climate emergency
LAST week we celebrated Kerry Biodiversity Week differently from other years.
Instead of public events, talks and nature walks, we hosted it online. We shared information about local organisations, which are working together with local communities to explore, learn about, and protect our precious nature and biological diversity. As we have had to stay closer to home, we are spending more time in our gardens and getting to know our local areas better with our 2- 5km walks.
The theme for this year’s UN International Day of Biological Diversity is ‘ Our Solutions are in Nature’.
If we are gardening for biodiversity, this is a good mantra to use. If we plant mainly native species in our hedges and make some changes in how me manage and interact with our green spaces, the nature will come back.
There are some excellent resources recently published which will inspire us to do more ( or less!) in our gardens, so that they too can become little biodiversity hotspots. The more of these we have, the more spaces there is for all of the creatures to feed, breed, hide and hang out.
When you plant and allow the habitats and ecosystems develop, the nature will come back very quickly!
The creature in the photo is of a Narrow Bordered Bee Hawk Moth, found resting on a strawberry leaf in a polytunnel outside Tralee.
This moth mimics a bee, but cannot sting – this is how it defends itself against being eaten by birds and other predators. It feeds on the flowers of Bugle, Mouse Ear, Lousewort, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Ragged Robin and other wild native plants. She lays her eggs on Devil’s Bit Scabious and this is the plant that the caterpillars feed on when they emerge in the summer.
This is a simple example of how our native grass meadows support so many species of bees, butterflies, spiders, moths, dragonflies, damselflies, birds, bats and so many other creatures.
If you do some of the following, you are likely to attract a range of butterflies and other wildlife into your garden:
- Plant a mixed native hedge, with Hawthorn, Crab Apple, Holly, Guelder Rose, Spindle, Elder, etc.
- Leave some of your grass un- mown and see what wild plants come up – many of these will either feed the butterfly as an adult or the caterpillars as they emerge
- If you find after a year or two that your lawn/meadow has low plant diversity, consider introducing some native plants. You will have to get plugs, as seeds will not be able to compete with the grass to germinate. Make sure they are native sourced seeds.
- Create a small pond, which butterflies and other creatures will visit, as they all need water to survive
- Remember that butterflies feed and breed on a wide range of native plants. They also feed on many cultivated herbs and garden plants. So the more plants you have in your garden that flower over a period of time ( Early April – October), you are likely to have many visit your garden
- Knapweed is a purple wild flower that butterflies and bees love
- Holly and Ivy: The Holly Blue butterfly will lay her first brood on the holly early in the summer and will lay another brood on ivy later in the autumn, so they need both of these plants to be close together
- Wild Grasses: Many butterfly species lay their eggs on wild grasses, so that is why it is good to have more than the usual perennial rye grass in your lawn. If you change how you mow and rake away any grass cuttings, they will come by themselves over time
- Cuckoo Flower/ Lady’s Smock: The Orange Tip butterfly will feed and lay her eggs on this meadow plant. It grows in damp lawns and is flowering in April/ May. This butterfly also likes to feed on Hedge Garlic.
- Some butterflies lay their eggs on very specific plants and when their caterpillars emerge, they feed on this plant:
- Nettles are the main food plant for the following butterflies - Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral. So it is really important to have a nettle patch in the corner of your garden.
You can cut it back later in the summer to stop it going to seed, or even better - collect the seeds as they are edible and really good for your skin and hair!
- Grow a Butterfly Nursery
- Local Groups – Plan/ Seed Shares and Swops:
Transition Kerry recently produced a leaflet with links to groups that are doing plant and seed shares and swaps around the county.