How to Attract Wildlife to your Garden
OM Magazine, Issue 144, May 2021
26th April 2021
Staying Healthy After Lockdown
26th April 2021
From the 31st May to the 6th June, it is Garden Wildlife Week here in the UK, so what better time to embrace the natural world than right now. Whether you have a spacious garden, small balcony or a window ledge, there are plenty of ways to be a part of the larger network connecting urban green spaces with the unrefined countryside; enriching a wilder future.
Bird Feeders
Hanging bird feeders or fat balls around your garden or balcony not only helps the birds to gain easy access to nutritious food but also allows you to see the birds up close and you may even be lucky enough to see breeds of birds that you haven’t seen before. Make sure you place the bird feed as far away from the house as possible to encourage the birds to feel comfortable eating in your garden.
Birdbaths
Having a source of water is critical for birds, especially in the summer. Streams and puddles have dried up and if it has been an extremely hot summer, ponds can also dry up which means birds are left with a very rationed water source. Birds not only use water to drink out of but they also wash themselves to cool off and keep their feathers in good condition. There are many birdbaths on the market to choose from or you can make your own! Use a shallow, watertight dish that has sloping sides and no bigger than 10cm in depth.
Bee’s favourite flowers
In the summer months, the best flowers to attract bees are Allium’s, borage, catmint, Cirsium rivulare, lavender, poppies, foxglove and most herbs. You can buy all of these plants, already grown in most garden centres or nurseries or you can get green-fingered and sow seeds.
“Bees like a banquet, not a snack”
– RSPB.
So, make sure to plant the flowers close together and lots of them! Don’t forget to plant them in a sunny spot and water them frequently in hot weather.
Best window box flowers for bees & butterflies
Herbs such as basil thyme and mint thrive in window boxes however, if you leave them be after a while they will begin to bloom flowers. Bees and butterflies love these flowers! You can buy the herbs from your local supermarket in pots or you can plant them yourself from seed.
Hedgehog Homes
Create a safe home for hedgehogs in your garden can be relatively simple and you may only need to adjust a few things in your garden as it is. By all means, you can purchase a hedgehog house however, the hedgehogs’ surroundings must be safe and accessible first.
Firstly, clear away litter and tie up any netting and make sure it is stored correctly away from reach of wild animals. Ponds are a great attribute to a garden home to hedgehogs however, although they are capable swimmers, if the sides of the pond are too steep, the hedgehog won’t be able to get out. Think about installing a ramp or add in some stones around the edge of the pond.
Allow a section of grass to grow wild! This is not only beneficial to hedgehogs but all kinds of wild animals, bugs and insects. Welcome hedgehogs into your garden by cutting a 13cm square hole for them to pass easily from garden to garden. If your fence backs onto your neighbours, make sure you ask them first!
Plant some fruit trees such as cherry trees as this will give the hedgehog something to forage when the cherries drop to the floor. If you already have a veg patch and are having trouble getting rid of those pesky slugs, have no fear because hedgehogs love to eat all kinds of slugs, beetles and caterpillars, leaving your vegetables untouched.
