Making a Wildlife Garden
There has been a lot of talk about the GARDENWATCH survey on Springwatch. Here are a few ideas to help you on your way. Please look at the page about our new Wildlife Garden for more ideas.
The Wildlife Pond
This is certainly the most important part of any wildlife garden. The pond should be as deep as possible in the centre: up to two meters is recommended to avoid the whole pond freezing in the winter. Ours will be much shallower than suggested on Halton Council’s advice. The sides should be gently sloping to allow creatures easy access to and from the water. Hedgehogs can drown if they cannot get out of a pond and amphibians need easy access to lay their eggs in the pond.
Vegetation is vital both in and around the pond and always try to keep to native plants, wherever possible. The pond plants are essential for keeping the pond oxygenated and varying heights are important too. Different insects and amphibians like to lay their eggs in and around the pond or to bask on floating leaves. Dragonflies and damselflies climb up plants to dry their wings before taking flight. A patch near the edge without vegetation is also important for birds, such as house martins, and solitary bees to find mud for their nests.
The Wildlife Pond
This is certainly the most important part of any wildlife garden. The pond should be as deep as possible in the centre: up to two meters is recommended to avoid the whole pond freezing in the winter. Ours will be much shallower than suggested on Halton Council’s advice. The sides should be gently sloping to allow creatures easy access to and from the water. Hedgehogs can drown if they cannot get out of a pond and amphibians need easy access to lay their eggs in the pond.
Vegetation is vital both in and around the pond and always try to keep to native plants, wherever possible. The pond plants are essential for keeping the pond oxygenated and varying heights are important too. Different insects and amphibians like to lay their eggs in and around the pond or to bask on floating leaves. Dragonflies and damselflies climb up plants to dry their wings before taking flight. A patch near the edge without vegetation is also important for birds, such as house martins, and solitary bees to find mud for their nests.
Insects soon colonise your pond. These are backswimmers.
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Great diving beetles can be found both in and around the pond.
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Brown hawker drying out its wings.
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A grey wagtail is attracted to the pond to feed on insects.
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This great tit is bathing in the drinking pool near the hide.
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Frogs spawning.
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The Wildlife Garden
The garden itself should be planned for year round interest for both yourselves and for the creatures that will use it. Native plants are usually best, or choose plants that have visiting bees on them in the garden centre. Many plants these days are “improved” so much that they have lost their ability to attract insects and provide pollen!! Some shrubs are important (alder buckthorn attracts brimstone butterflies, for instance) and even hedges and trees if your garden is big enough. And don’t forget to provide bare patches for animals to bask upon or a small woodpile to rot and attract insects and invertebrates.
The garden itself should be planned for year round interest for both yourselves and for the creatures that will use it. Native plants are usually best, or choose plants that have visiting bees on them in the garden centre. Many plants these days are “improved” so much that they have lost their ability to attract insects and provide pollen!! Some shrubs are important (alder buckthorn attracts brimstone butterflies, for instance) and even hedges and trees if your garden is big enough. And don’t forget to provide bare patches for animals to bask upon or a small woodpile to rot and attract insects and invertebrates.
A bee nectaring on clover in the meadow.
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Brimstone laying on an alder buckthorn.
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A buddleia in the wildlife garden attracts many varieties of nectaring insects: here the humming-bird hawk moth.
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A Wildflower Meadow
Think about a flower meadow: not one on the scale of Pickerings Pasture, just an area of the garden where the grass is allowed to grow longer and has some wildflowers in it. Many companies these days provide seed selections for this purpose and give instructions on how to proceed, some even send them out free of charge! At home, we cut the meadow once a year around September – what a time saver… And don’t make lack of space spoil your enjoyment – plant the wildflowers in a tub, if necessary. |
Thankfully, this vole escaped from the meadow when we were cutting it. Take care.
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A young goldfinch feeding in our meadow.
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Bird Feeding
Autumn and Winter is the time for seeds and berries, from both your shrubs and flowering plants, but needs to be planned into your scheme. Like the Friends of Pickerings Pasture you may want to supplement the food supply during this time by setting up feeders nearby. Don’t forget the small invertebrates, small mammals and insects that feed on the things you have provided in your wildlife patch will attract the birds. Even seed-eating birds often feed their young on insects to begin with. Living in a rural area makes this very important, because farmland birds are the ones suffering most from pesticide overuse.
Autumn and Winter is the time for seeds and berries, from both your shrubs and flowering plants, but needs to be planned into your scheme. Like the Friends of Pickerings Pasture you may want to supplement the food supply during this time by setting up feeders nearby. Don’t forget the small invertebrates, small mammals and insects that feed on the things you have provided in your wildlife patch will attract the birds. Even seed-eating birds often feed their young on insects to begin with. Living in a rural area makes this very important, because farmland birds are the ones suffering most from pesticide overuse.
A newt making its way to the pond.
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We also put food out for the hedgehogs.
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Grey herons are not always welcome beside formal ponds! We usually flush them to avoid them taking too many frogs.
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This delightful little vole was found in the pear tree.
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