How to Encourage Wildlife into Your Garden

As green spaces and natural habitats continue to decrease all over the country this makes gardens all the more important for wildlife. No matter the size of your outdoor space there are loads of ways to provide food and shelter to all sorts of wildlife. These range from tiny changes or a few extra plants to big design features you can introduce during landscaping projects. Here are some simple ways to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

PONDS

A pond is the easiest single way to introduce wildlife into your garden. It doesn’t have to be a huge dug pond, even a bucket filled with water will become a habitat for a range of species. As well as forming a home for ponds, newts and water invertebrates ponds are also a breeding ground for mayflies and dragonflies. They also provide drinking water for animals and birds but remember to leave a ramp so any animals that fall in can get out again!

INSECT HOTELS

A pile of dried logs is a great way to encourage new species into a garden as decaying wood is becoming increasingly uncommon in urban areas. These don’t have to be fancy pre-built hotels, a stack of logs tucked away in a corner of the garden will work just as well. Add various sized sticks and trimmings with different sized holes and gaps and you’ll create a home for insects, grubs, rarer beetles and certain types of fungi. These in turn will invite other creatures into the garden seeking food!

PLANTING

There are a range of things to consider when choosing plants and so many options that will encourage wildlife. Consider native wildflowers as well as fruiting trees and early and late blooming flowers to encourage birds and butterflies. As well as a source of food plants can offer shelter for mammals and birds so include trees and hedges wherever possible.

KEEP BIRDS HAPPY

As well as making sure planting provides shelter and food for birds there are loads of other things you can do to encourage birds into your garden. You can buy feeders in all shapes and sizes and keeping these topped up during the winter can be a lifeline to many birds. Lots of birds will nest in man-made bird boxes and these are especially important for birds whose natural nesting spots are becoming scarcer in gardens. A specially made bird bath or even a bowl of water will provide a way for birds to keep clean which they like to do every day, in in the middle of winter. Make sure you keep all these away from cats!

COMPOST AND MULCH

Making your own compost is a great idea even without the wildlife aspect for a range of green reasons plus ensuring you get great quality compost for free! A compost bin provides a home for a loads of microorganisms which are then kept within the garden. Mulch has many benefits including keeping beds tidy, soil moist and weeds down. It also forms food and shelter for a range of creatures, from tiny microbes to centipedes, beetles and worms. Compost and mulch will not only improve your beds but will act as the first link in a growing food chain!

DON’T BE TOO TIDY!

Keeping your lawn a little longer in places provides food, shelter and breeding spots for a range of animals. If you can leave your spring tidy up a little later to make sure any sheltering animals or insects have a chance to move on. Heaps of cuttings can be left as a habitat pile or piles of stones can form a rockery.