You can help in the in the garden by:

 

  • Sparrow by Paul RobertsPlanting locally-sourced native plants and shrubs and avoiding planting species that are known to be invasive. Native plants are preferred to exotic species by bees and butterflies, and will attract a wider range of wildlife to your garden. To find species native to your area visit the Postcode Plants Database which also has a database of native seed suppliers.
  • Planting nectar rich flowers to attract bees and butterflies.
  • Stopping the use of slug pellets and pesticides that are killing beneficial insects and affecting the birds which eat them e.g. song thrushes which are becoming increasingly scarce. Instead use environmentally friendly methods. For example, placing old plastic bottles over young plants, putting seaweed around your plants or using beer traps. For more information visit HDRA, an organisation devoted to organic gardening.
  • Installing bird and bat boxes and putting up bird feeders, especially in winter when birds may struggle to find food. Remember to keep them away from squirrels and cats.
  • Growing plants and shrubs which produce lots berries or seeds for birds to feed on, such as teasel, sunflower, berberis or cotoneaster.
  • Creating a garden pond and designing it with wildlife in mind. It could become home to species of national importance such as the Great Crested Newt.
  • Buying or making your own compost bin. Visit Home Composting for advice on home composting. Using your own home-made compost rather than peat helps save peat bogs which are a threatened habitat that has been adversely affected by extraction of peat for garden use.
  • Providing places in your garden for creatures to shelter. Stones, for example, or dead wood and leaves can become home to hedgehogs, fungi and insects. Hibernating toads, frogs and newts like log piles in dark damp corners of your garden.
  • Creating a window box to encourage bees and butterflies if you don't have a garden.

 

For further details and ideas visit the Make Space for Wildlife page or read this article on Gardening for wildlife. (PDF 1MB)