Go Wild! Encouraging wildlife and biodiversity into your green space benefits everyone. Here is an easy introduction and a few tips to get you started.
We are all keen to be doing our bit for the environment, and the green spaces around the home or workplace can be a real contribution. Imagine a pond, buzzing with life, dragonflies, frogs, toads, and newts, or a patch of native wildflowers, shrubs and bulbs, alive with birds and butterflies.
Turning your greenspace into a haven for wildlife is easy when you know how. In fact, all it takes to encourage these creatures into your patch is to make sure there is the food, water, and shelter they need to thrive.
There are often concerns about ‘wild’ areas looking a bit messy, but this doesn’t have to be the case. With a little thought during the planning, realisation and maintenance stages, it really is possible to have the benefits of both.
Here’s three ideas to get you started;
SHELTER
• Overwintering insects, such as ladybirds, are often beneficial to the garden, being natural aphid predators. Hollow, died back stems from perennials can be a haven for such over wintering beneficial insects, so it’s a good idea to create a little pile somewhere tucked away, when cutting back rather than be tempted to over tidy. Alternatively put up a ‘bug hotel’.
FOOD
• Think beneficial berries and seeds when putting together your planting scheme. Leave some seed-heads standing in autumn rather than cutting back. These can be quite beautiful in shape, looking fabulous covered in Winter frost. Winter seed-heads also provide precious food for birds and other wildlife when pickings are thin.
WATER
• Ponds offer very important habitats for wildlife, but it doesn’t need to be a lake. Small or even tiny ponds, such as cut down water butts can be a wildlife haven, attracting all sorts of visitors like frogs and toads, hedgehogs etc. Be sure to pop in a couple of stones or make a little ramp so pond visitors can get out again.
