Looking after the Wildlife in your Garden…..

But an increasing amount of garden space is being lost to hard surfacing, and some of the wildlife that typically visits is struggling.

Even small changes can help. Here are seven easy ways to make your garden a haven for wildlife.

5 steps to make your garden m ore wildlife friendly.

1. Grow butterfly-friendly plants

Adult butterflies and moths on almost any flower’s nectar – as will most other pollinators – but their caterpillars are choosy and may only have one or two plant species they’ll live on. For example, brimstone butterflies will only feed and lay its eggs on buckthorn bushes.

Planting an array of plant species that flower at different stages of the year will maximise the chances of a variety of butterflies and other insects visiting your garden. 

Blackthorn and fruit trees such as plum and apple are good additions to the garden for animals that are active earlier in the year. Species that appear or are still active later in the year might be drawn to ling or ivy. Rotting fruit is also an excellent food source for butterflies.

The different shapes of flowers will attract different insects. The long, thin tubes of honeysuckle are particularly popular with butterflies, and bellflowers and foxgloves are great for bees. Flat flowers such as daisies and wild carrots will also attract these and a number of other insects.

Try to find out what butterfly and moth species are active in your area, and plant what their caterpillar’s food plants are to maximise your chances of attracting them.

2. Feed the birds

A seed feeder is a quick and simple way to make your garden more attractive to birds. If you’re up for some DIY, you could try making a bird feeder out of a reused plastic bottle.if squirrels are a problem in your area, it might be better to purchase a squirrel-proof feeder instead. These only allow smaller birds access to the food.

The type of food you put in feeders will affect the species visiting your garden. For example, meal worms are popular with insect eaters like sparrows, whereas goldfinches are partial to niger seeds. If you set up a feeder, remember to clean it regularly.

Alternatively, fat balls are a particularly good option for winter, when they need food packed with energy.

3. Get the most from compost

Creating a compost heap in your garden from kitchen waste is a great way to reduce what goes to landfill and will create a minibeast haven. Minibeasts are small invertebrates such as millipedes, woodlice and spiders. These are an excellent source of food for other wildlife.

Worms help to create compost out of leaves and other organic material, and will likely wriggle their way into your compost heap. Spreading home-made compost on your garden will encourage worms wherever it spreads.  Worms improve soil drainage and transfer important nutrients to the surface.

Slugs and snails may also be drawn to a compost heap. They are important recyclers, so if you spot them elsewhere in your garden, you can add them to the heap.

Slugs are also a food source for ground beetles and toads, and thrushes will eat snails. Avoid using slug and snail pesticides as these are also poisonous to other wildlife and can cause big problems in drinking water sources.

If you start a compost heap rather than using a bin, be aware that it is a warm spot that animals, including hedgehogs, will choose to hibernate in. If possible, avoid moving compost about during the winter months.

4. Help the creatures of the night

Plenty of wildlife is out at night in your garden, even if you’re not awake to see it.

Honeysuckle and evening primrose are night-blooming flowers that release their scents after dark, attracting pollinating insects. There are 18 species of bat living in the UK and night-flying insects are an attractive meal for the insectivores.

You can also help bats by reducing or removing artificial lighting from your garden and around your property. 

Artificial lighting can prevent bats from seeing objects in their path, potentially leading to impacts with obstacles

Hedgehogs are mostly night-time visitors that keep the garden ecosystem balanced. Coordinating with your neighbours to add a hedgehog hole – a gap in garden-dividing fences and walls – will help them get in.

Another way to help hedgehogs is to make them a house for nesting and hibernation.

5. Add water

There are six amphibians native to the UK, including common frogs, smooth newts and common toads. All of them are good pest controllers, feeding on a variety of invertebrates. 

Adding a small pond to your garden is a great way to keep these animals happy and may even attract dragonflies in summer when they’re active. The insects that gather by water will also be popular with bats.

Ponds don’t have to be big, but if you do set one up, make sure it has sloping sides so if other animals fall in, they can get out.

Adding plants such as hornwort will help oxygenate a pond and keep it and its inhabitants healthy. You should avoid including plants that are invasive or not native to the UK.

Instead of a pond, you could keep a shallow, sloping-sided dish filled with water in the garden for birds. This offers both fresh drinking water and a bath. You will need to keep the water topped up and refill the dish every so often to keep it fresh.