Welcome to our INSIGHT extra article on How to take care of wildlife this Spring/Summer season.
Here our wildlife expert, Charlotte Owen, Wild Call Officer at the Sussex Wildlife Trust, shares her tips on looking after nature in your back garden.
Spring
- Create hedgehog highways: Hedgehogs need to roam far and wide in search of food, mates and nesting sites. Make a 13cm x 13cm hole at the base of your fence, or dig a channel underneath it to provide a way through. This is not only a safe for Hedgehogs but for frogs and toads too.
- Install a water butt: Collecting rainwater is a great way to minimise water use in the garden and can be used to top up garden ponds.
- Build a bug hotel: The average garden can be home to more than 2,000 species of insect, many of which help to control pests like aphids, and in turn attract birds, bats and other wildlife. To build your bug hotel, stack pallets to create an initial framework – or use logs or other recycled materials – and fill the gaps. You can use dry leaves, grass, pinecones, twigs, hollow stems, pebbles and broken flowerpots to create a multitude of minibeast microhabitats.
- Avoid cutting back trees or hedges during bird breeding season (March to August) and put out seed feeders and mealworms for the hardworking parents
Summer
- Let your lawn grow wild: Give the mower a rest and create your own ‘mini meadow’. Dandelions are a rich source of early nectar, and most lawns are full of daisies, clover and other wildflowers that will attract bees and butterflies.
- Start a compost heap: Rotting garden and kitchen waste is broken down by worms and beetles, providing free fertiliser for your flowerbeds and a feast for hungry hedgehogs, frogs, toads and slow worms.
- Provide fresh water: During hot, dry weather a dish of clean water can be a lifesaver for thirsty wildlife, and birds will appreciate a bath as well as a drink.
- Avoid using chemicals in the garden: Weed killers can be bad for bees and other insects, and slug pellets can be dangerous to hedgehogs.
Images used:
Hedgehog ©Hugh Clark FRPS Sussex Wildlife Trust.
Charlotte Owen, © Miles Davies Sussex Wildlife Trust.
Frog ©Dave Kilbey