Garden Wildlife Week

The Spring Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday in May. It’s also known as the late May bank holiday, Pentecost or Whitsun. This makes it the perfect time to kick off National Garden Wildlife Week, as most schools and work places are closed, allowing more of us to get outside and enjoy our gardens. The week serves as a reminder that gardens are not only spaces for human enjoyment, but also crucial habitats for a variety of creatures.

During National Garden Wildlife Week, conservation organisations, community groups, schools, local authorities and voluntary groups are encouraged to organise various activities. Events include creating wildlife-friendly habitats, planting native trees and wildflowers, and building bird nest boxes, bee hotels, bat boxes, and ponds. Gardeners are encouraged to offer open days, guided walks, talks, and hands-on sessions that provide practical tips and ideas for transforming their outdoor spaces into havens for wildlife.

One of the central themes of National Garden Wildlife Week is biodiversity. In a world dominated by mono-culture agricultural practices, gardens offer a much needed refuge. Parks and gardens can provide opportunities to plant different and diverse plants. These support wider eco-systems, attracting more wildlife. They offer food and habitat for a multitude of mini beast, birds, hedgehogs and other animals. We have lost over 90% of natural wild meadows in the UK and birds and animals are all in steep decline. By choosing a diverse range of plants that flower over many months, we start improving the environment and help nature recover.

Top 10 idea for the week ;

1. Make a wildlife garden quiz. Here’s some ideas to get you started:
   a) How many different birds can you hear?
   b) Collect as many different leaves as you can.
   c) Can you find a tree with flowers?
   d) Try and identify as many flowers in the garden as you can.
   e) Can you find an ants nest?
2. Take sheets of paper and crayons outside and take as many bark rubbings as you can.
3. With an adult’s help design and build your very own bird nest box.
4. Make home made bird food. Try different ingredients and watch and learn which birds like which type of food. Some eat seeds, others fruit and even more eat insects and fat.
5. Create a water feature for wildlife. It can be as small as a bowl or as large as a pond. Make sure there is a shallow end (for birds to bathe, animals to escape and mini beasts to come and go). It will need plants and native British water plants are best. Choose plants that grow under water (oxygenators), plants that grow on the surface, like water lilies and plants that like roots in the water but grow out and upward. These are called marginal plants.
6. Create a bug house or mini beast habitat. Collect lots of sticks, logs, stones, bricks and other items. Broken short lengths of bamboo shoots (and other hollow stemmed plants) are ideal. These can be made into a simple heap in a quiet spot, or bundled together and hung from trees. Many people make a stack of pallets and insert all the assembled goodies in the gaps. Try to have one side facing south in full sun, and the other facing north in shade. Notice the different animals attracted to the different habitats.
7. Make a gap for hedgehogs. Modern gardens often have strong impenetrable fences and hedgehogs need lots of gardens for their habitat. By creating a ‘gap’ (about 13cm x 13cm is ideal) in your fence and encouraging neighbours to do the same, helps hedgehogs travel and flourish.
8. Plant a tree. There is something wonderful about planting a small seed, such as an acorn and watching it grow throughout your life. Try collecting different seeds and nuts and see what grows. Plant an acorn in a pot and grow it until it is 60cm tall and then plant it in a place where it can grow to 30m or more!
9. Go for a night walk. These days we tend to retreat indoors or live under artificial lights. Look for a place, like a wood, and go out after dark. No torches! You’ll be amazed at how well your eyes adjust and your hearing becomes even more attuned to all the night creatures roaming. Please do not go alone and children should always be accompanied by an adult during night walks.
10. Nature is proven to be beneficial for our mental, emotional and physical health. Simply get outdoors and do as much as you are able or happy to do. Stand, sit or lay quietly and simply absorb all the wonder of the natural world we all share.