How to attract wildlife to your garden this Spring
With Spring approaching, March is the month when spring flowers burst into bloom, chilly mornings are warmed by vibrant bird song and you will soon start to see the first signs of our summer visitors arriving. With this, activity will increase in our gardens and open spaces, both for us and our local wildlife! Whilst animals are also emerging from their winter hibernations and deep slumbers, there is no better time to consider what we can do to further help these delicate transactions for our wonderful wildlife.
We have come up with some easy ideas to help you improve your outdoor spaces to create and make room for wildlife.
Planting different trees, shrubs and flowers
This will be a great time to start some nature-friendly gardening, planting native trees and shrubs for nature generations to come and this will help you to create a safe haven for future years too. Try to avoid cutting winter back, some tiny wildlife that your birds will rely on for feeding may still be finishing off their hideaway in lots of your deadheads etc, so try to avoid cutting these until the weather warms a little.
Early bloomers such as Primroses can offer not only an early burst of colour in spring, but the nectar also gives a boost to bumble bees and butterflies emerging from hibernation. You may even spot or hear the buzz of a Queen Bee as she will start looking for her next hive spot on those crisps but sunny mornings as winters foothold starts to loosen. These wonderful bugs and insects will even be attracted to those weeds you’ve let grow throughout the winter. Hold off on getting rid of these too until some of your other flowers start to bloom. Always remember, the more insects and bugs, the more birds you’ll attract!
Photo by Angela Starling
Encouraging birds into your garden with food and water
You will no doubt be hearing the bird’s excitement for the start of Spring and the weather warming, this is such an important time, but also an incredibly busy time for our feathered friends as they may be finishing their nests, looking for partners and some will getting ready to start their egg making. With the weather still reaching freezing some nights, it’s still so important to keep offering food and water; whilst early signs of spring are showing there still isn’t enough natural food/ food a day to just give them the energy they need to stay warm and survive the night. At the same time, the energy needed for egg making is also critical and providing high-quality food will aid this process hugely.
You will start to hear the return of the Chiffchaff, who does stay around in winter but will now be out in larger numbers in gardens looking for food – they will sing up high, but nest much lower in trees and shrubs. You may even start to see the very first of the Sand Martins appearing from Africa as they look for nesting sites, usually burrowing into sandy riverbanks and coastal cliffs to build tunnels to nest in (they can be spotted at certain points along our River Wye!) And keep an ear out for the fabulous sound of the song thrush as they create a wonderful melody from some 100 different phrases – you’ll hear them first but look up to spot them, they will usually perch at the very top of trees.
Grow a wild area in your garden
Another great way you can help wildlife of all varieties is by creating a ‘wild area’ in a small corner, border or planter. By dedicating an area, it means you can still keep your main garden area tidy, but you are still keeping some space for nature.
Creating a wild area doesn’t mean just leaving it to grow, you can still sow native meadow flowers which are loved by ladybirds, lacewing and other insects which are even predators to unwanted guests on other plants and vegetables – thus avoiding the use of pestisides. Allowing a small are for this could provide much benefit throughout your garden.
You can take your wild area further by adding in some form of fresh flowing water, a great idea our Kat has is an old wooden barrel filled up with fresh water and a filtration system to keep it fresh – you can add some water Lillies to aid this and a stick poking out the surface makes a great perch for your birds and it will also help any other animals, that may get stuck and help them to climb out to safety. Add in some decent size rocks for the likes of woodlice or even pick up a frog and toad bunker and place it in a shady corner. Theres so much you can do in just a small space!
Photos by Angela Starling
Photo by Angela Starling
Providing homes for wildlife
Other homes you can provide are hedgehog houses, these little hogs will soon be emerging from their winter sleep, where they can lose up to a third of their body weight! They will be looking for food, water and somewhere safe to shelter away. Whilst you may spot some out in early March, the weather can go up and down which leaves them vulnerable if the temperatures drop too much, so having a shelter is imperative for them. Clean drinking water and hedgehog specific food is important for these guys as they have very delicate digestive systems.
There are also insect-specific habitats you can hang in your gardens from small bee habitats and ladybird homes to insect hotels catering for a huge number of bugs. These are also great for young ones who love to learn about these creepy crawlies!
Serve an extra meal to larger animals
There are also larger animals that still need help. Habitats are changing so rapidly for all of our wildlife, it is becoming increasingly hard for larger animals to find their natural feeding sites. So much so they are venturing further and further into gardens to help them sustain their necessary eating habits. Animals such as squirrels, although we know they also like to get at your bird food, providing them with their own feeder full of peanuts could keep them away from the bird food as well as providing them with an extra meal.
Another favourite we often hear about is our badgers! These guys will love peanuts, fruit and mealworms, so try leaving some out near a large enough hole in a hedgerow they can get to. Make sure to only leave a small amount, enough for them to eat on the spot and then move on to more natural foraging. Again, water is hugely important for them – you may find that having badgers around can help you with other unwanted mammals such as rats, as they are partial to these, being omnivorous!
Photo by Angela Starling
Photo by Angela Starling
Feeding and protecting wildlife in your garden is one of those simple pleasures that fills you with joy. By doing it responsibly, you can ensure you are helping nature thrive, but you can also enjoy these wonderful creatures living in their natural habitats. These are just some ideas to get you started on attracting and caring for many varieties of wildlife in your garden this coming Spring.