Top Tip Tuesday | Posted on April 6th, 2021 | return to news
Top tips for attracting wildlife to your garden
With sunny days and lighter evenings upon us, many of us are turning our mind to creating an attractive garden to enjoy with our family and friends. Avid gardeners will no doubt have this in hand, but it’s still not too late to get started. And when you’re planning, why not consider options to encourage wildlife into your greenspace? You don’t need a large garden – a balcony or even a window box offers a perfect space to make your home more attractive.
The RSPB shares their top five tips for attracting wildlife to your doorstep:
1. Plant wildflowers for bees, butterflies and more
Wildflower meadows have been in sharp decline since the 1930s, with the UK having lost 99 per cent of this precious habitat. Wildflowers such as cornflowers, birds-foot trefoil and field poppies planted in your garden or window boxes can benefit a range of wildlife including birds, bees and butterflies as well as bats this summer.
2. Less work means more for nature
Leave your lawn long for longer to spot wildflowers such as ox-eye daisies, white clover and selfheal. The nectar produced by flowers like these is estimated to support around 400 bees a day, so your lawn could fast become a hive of activity.
Now is not the time to prune hedges or shrubs either, as these could be home to nesting birds such as house sparrows. It is also illegal to disturb nesting birds – nesting season lasts from April to September.
3. Keep an eye out for fledglings
Garden favourites like blue tits certainly benefit from nestboxes and other cosy spots in hedges and shrubs. Keep your eyes peeled and you may see fledglings start to emerge for the first time – they’ll no doubt look a little less coordinated to start with but they soon master the art of flying.
4. Leave out mud for house martins
House martins have returned to our shores from Africa and are likley to be looking to build or repair their nests. In dry summers, leaving out a dish of mud (simply soil and water) can give these birds a helping hand, as they make their intricate mud-built nests.
5. Keeping it cool for amphibians
This year’s amphibians will be leaving garden ponds for the first time, seeking cool, damp shelter. Half bury a pile of logs and fill any gaps with fallen leaves and moss to give frogs and other amphibians the perfect spot to hide in.
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