Appeal to help wildlife thrive
Washington gardeners and allotment holders are being urged to create wildlifefriendly plots to help some of our smaller garden visitors thrive.
To help Durham Wildlife Trust has shared some tips in the hope that gardeners will answer its call for help.
Abigayle Osguthorpe, Communications Assistant at Durham Wildlife Trust, said: “With so much pressure on wildlife in rural areas, urban sites are increasingly important and by employing a little commonsense and sensitivity, gardeners can help a range of species from insects and birds to mammals and butterflies.”
To attract wildlife try to include a variety of habitats such as hedgehog homes, bug hotels and bee-boxes. The greater the variety of habitats you provide, the more wildlife you will attract, so try to provide both structural variety and different features at different times of year.
Pesticides can be harmful to fish, birds, insects and plants but you can still have a productive patch without using harmful chemicals and pesticides, which damage the environment.
You can encourage pests away from your prize blooms and produce by providing them with suitable habitats and food. Create a pile of logs or dead wood in a corner, which will shelter animals such as frogs, toads, hedgehogs and slow-worms.
Be messy because as tempting as it may be to tidy up and get rid of those piles of leaves, leaving them gives valuable shelter to amphibians, insects, spiders and small mammals.
Water is also a very important part of any wildlife friendly area.
Ponds are home to a range of creatures but by providing a small amount of water in a dog bowl can help many birds and small mammals when they are struggling to find something to drink.
Another tip is to turn a blind eye to those weeds.
Carefully look at the plants that you would normally pull up thinking they are weeds. Many of them are beautiful wild flowers and are a very important source of food for butterflies and other insects.