By Rob Bullock robbullockauthor.blogspot.com
Welcoming wildlife into our gardens can be rewarding for many reasons, need not cost the Earth and can help the planet.
Starting your wildlife friendly garden plan begins by researching and monitoring what is currently visiting your garden and what you might expect with a few changes. Starting small can make a huge difference to wildlife.
Welcoming wildlife
It has been proved that spending time in nature is mood enhancing, it lowers our stress levels and reduces fear and anxiety. Added to that the satisfaction you feel when you welcome wildlife into your garden is not to be underestimated.
Small changes
By making small thoughtful changes to how you garden, you can have a big impact on wildlife. Simply by mowing your lawn less, or parts of your lawn less, you can encourage wildflowers that attract pollinators and birds. By weeding your borders less you encourage insects and small mammals to come into your garden and by not rushing to trim your hedges you give birds welcoming places to seek refuge from predators and to nest.
Get messy
Many of us love a neat and tidy garden, when we’ve cut or pruned a tree our instinct is to clear up the sticks and branches, but these could form a shelter for many different species of creatures. A dead log could offer an amazing home for insects and invertebrates and a food source for birds and small mammals.
Big changes
One of the biggest things you can do to encourage wildlife to come into your garden is to build a pond. This can be a big undertaking and often it is best to get some professional help. Ponds can be an oasis for wildlife attracting reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Plant for wildlife
Wildlife friendly flowers can add wonderful colour and scents and feed bees and butterflies. Try and select native plants including the bright yellow Corn Marigold, the purple Viper’s Burgloss or the vivid blue of the Cornflower. These three can all be sown from seed or bought as established plants from garden centres or nurseries.
Homes for wildlife
Installing boxes for wildlife in your garden could offer vital nesting places for many species who have lost their natural habitat over recent years. Do your homework and build or buy nest boxes for different kinds of birds. Bat boxes will attract one of nature’s best pest controllers and your late evenings in summer and autumn will be full of delight watching as these diurnal creatures swoop and soar. Bug hotels are easy to make but deluxe ones can be bought that will encourage all manner of tiny creatures to move into your garden.
Encouraging wildlife into your garden requires patience, some things you try might not work straight away whilst others will, small changes can have a big effect and some big changes might take time until wildlife notices, but bit by bit you could have a wildlife friendly, rewarding outside space.
