CREATURE COMFORTS
KEEP YOUR GARDEN SCRUFFY AROUND THE EDGES, PLANT WISELY, AND WATCH AS THE WILDLIFE COMES HOPPING AND BUZZING IN, SAYS JIM ASHTON
There’s never been a better time to do your bit to help Britain’s declining wildlife. My brother and I have been passionate about nature since childhood, which was spent totally immersed in it. Countless hours were lost beside the family pond, catching newts and frogs, feeding the birds and cycling to the woods to watch badgers and listen to owls. These days, however, those haunts look very different. There are no grass snakes or water voles in the local park, for example – the waterways have been tidied away and no longer provide a home for these threatened species. And it’s a story that repeats itself across the country.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. If you have access to outdoor space, no matter how small, a few simple steps will make a difference to the wildlife in your immediate area. A tiny plot full of nectar-rich plants looks good, benefits pollinating insects and is much better for wildlife than a sterile mown lawn. Here’s how to do it.
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
The aptly named butterfly bush ( buddleia) encourages these beautiful insects into your garden to feed on nectar and lay their eggs. Our favourite variety is
Buddleia davidii, with its prolific lilac/purple honeyscented flowers. Prune it back hard as late as April to ensure a supply of late-summer flowers when other buddleias have finished flowering and butterflies are numerous. Also try red valerian, marjoram, Verbena
bonariensis, devil’s-bit scabious and tansy. For food plants (where butterflies lay their eggs), plant a buckthorn or alder buckthorn, if you have damper or clay soil, as these will attract brimstones. An area of longer grass will encourage meadow browns, speckled woods, gatekeepers and skippers to lay their eggs. Hops, grown up a fence or a trellis, attract the comma, while ivy and holly are favoured by the holly blue. If you have room for one plant only, make it bird’s-foot-trefoil, which attracts common blues ( plus many other insects) with its vibrant yellow summer-long flowers.
To attract moths, plant highly scented Nicotiana alata (tobacco plant), or cover fences with honeysuckle to pull in hawk moths. Take a torch out on a warm evening and you’ll see how popular the buddleia nectar is, too.
BATS
One of the easiest ways to attract bats is with flowering plants that bring in pollinating insects, including moths, which in turn attract bats. Bats like to follow linear features, such as avenues of trees, woodland edges and hedgerows. If you have the space, plant a native hedge, of hawthorn, guelder rose and field maple, for instance. A pond is also an ideal habitat for hatching insects, including mosquitoes, which all make tasty bat snacks. A bat box under the eaves on a south- or west-facing wall is the ideal habitat, or try a Kent bat box (find out how to make one at bats.org.uk), which pipistrelles love.
FROGS AND TOADS
Probably the best single lure for wildlife is a garden pond. It doesn’t have to be huge – an old sink or mini bath tub will do – as long as visiting frogs and toads are able to get in and out. Make a shallow gravel beach at one end or place rotting logs and bark around the edge to
help them hop in and out. Newts will love this, too – in my tiny back garden I had a smooth newt visit an old porcelain sink in less than a fortnight of me putting it in. If you don’t have space for a pond, encourage frogs and toads by making sure there’s access under fences (this will help hedgehogs, too), and placing logs and rocks in damp corners and letting grass grow. This will give the amphibians somewhere to rest and plenty of slugs to eat.
BEES AND POLLINATORS
It’s common knowledge that honeybees are in trouble, but bumblebees, solitary bees and other insects rarely get a mention. The key is to provide nectar throughout the season: in late winter/early spring, try hellebores, crocus and mahonia (a prickly shrub with scented yellow flowers). In spring, fruit trees such as crab apples or Victoria plums have blossom, plus there’s fruit to follow. Let the dandelions grow in your lawn – they’re a wonderful splash of colour and give queen bumblebees a boost when they need it most. In summer, try viper’s bugloss, a tall native biennial with blue flowers adored by bees, or their other favourite, lavender (‘Hidcote’ is excellent). Sowing a strip of annuals such as cornflowers and poppies will give your plot a meadow feel, especially when it comes alive with pollinators. For autumn,
Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ and ivy will provide bees, hoverflies, butterflies and others with valuable rich nectar before winter’s cold grip takes hold.
BIRDS
Provide year-round good-quality seed mixtures from a feeder placed near a sheltering bush or tree. Clean feeders regularly and move them around the garden to stop bacteria and leftover food building up. Fat/suet products are great, too, and, if you don’t have a pond, remember to put out clean water in a shallow bath or container for them to drink from and bathe in.
Bird boxes are important, too. Put a robin box 1–2m off the ground in dense climbers on a fence or wall. If you have a north- or east-facing wall or a tree, try a tit box at least 2.5m above ground. A 25mm hole attracts blue tits; a 28mm hole great tits, and a 32mm hole will encourage sparrows – particularly several boxes under the eaves.