Make a plot to attract animals to your garden
FOLLOWING on from last week’s feature, here’s how to further enhance your gardens for wildlife. Somewhere to breed and shelter Wildlife requires two fundamental things: somewhere safe to breed and shelter and somewhere to forage throughout the year. Grow climbers against walls to provide shelter and roosting and breeding sites for birds. A thick, welldeveloped, thorny shrub bed or hedge provides nest sites and shelter for wildlife.
A bat box provides roosting sites for bats, a pile of leaves may be used by a hibernating hedgehog and a bird box provides somewhere for house sparrows to raise their broods.
Leave tidying of borders and shrubs until late winter or early spring to provide shelter for insects through winter.
Honesty and hedge garlic provides somewhere for orange tip butterflies to breed. Brimstone butterflies breed on buckthorn bushes.
Short lengths of drinking straws, hollow canes or plant stems, tied in bundles are excellent nesting sites for beneficial lacewings and ladybirds.
Dead wood is good for beetles and other specialist beneficial insects, fungi and mosses. Somewhere to forage and feed Creating a range of habitat niches provides different areas and opportunities for wildlife to feed at different times of year.
Early and late flowering plants provide nectar for insects at critical times - just after emergence or prior to hibernation.
Tidy borders and cut shrubs in late winter and early spring to help retain seeds and fruit for birds and small mammals throughout winter.
Ivy is a late source of autumn nectar for insects and late winter fruit for birds.
Fruiting bushes are a good source of food for birds and mammals during the autumn and part of the winter.
Annual plants that produce many seeds in late summer are a good source of seed for birds through autumn into winter.
Many baby birds need insects - a good source of protein - if they are to grow strong and healthy and survive the winter.
A variety of garden plants encourages these insects. Sustainable gardening MANY of our actions have an impact on wildlife beyond our gardens. Consider this when choosing or using your materials when creating your wildlife garden.
Save rainwater for watering your garden and only top up your pond when necessary.
Avoid using peat and use alternative forms of compost – peat extraction destroys vital wildlife habitats.
When planting native plants, ensure they are of genuine native stock and not of continental origin. Also, ensure ‘wild flowers’ have been cultivated from legally-collected seed and not dug-up from the wild.
Buy FSC accredited garden furniture and charcoal for barbecues. Check out The RSPB for more information.