2. Creating wildlife friendly gardens and allotments

Why?

Much of the loss of wildlife in the UK is due to habitat destruction resulting from recent changes in land-use and land management.The scale of the loss makes it all the more important to look after gardens and allotments in a wildlife friendly way.

How?

Let at least some of your lawn remain uncut in the spring and summer to allow wildflowers togrow, flower and set seed and thereby provide pollen and nectar for pollinating insects and food for birds
Keep bird feeders clean to avoid spreading disease
Favour perennial garden plants, with different flower types blooming through the year, to attract different kinds of pollinators, especially bees, moths, hoverflies and butterflies
If you have enough space leavean area of garden with a woodpile to attract insects (especially beetles), provide food for birds and a day nest for hedgehogs
Make sure your garden boundaries allow small animals to come and go. Hedgehogs can roam over two kilometres at night. They need an opening at least 13 cm in diameter
Think about replacing a boundary fence with a native species hedge
If you have room plant a small tree, such as a rowan, birch, hawthorn or a fruit tree
Dig a wildlife pond to encourage insect and amphibian populations. Do not introduce non-native species, and use only rainwater
Avoid using herbicides and pesticides. Where “weeds” and “pests” are deemed to be a problem use environmentally friendly control methods, share your crops with nature or grow different crops!
Use garden cuttings and uncooked food waste to create a compost heap for mulching and nutrient addition
Find out about thenative plants and animals in your garden. Take part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place in January each year. Here are the results for 2024. Also send your results to the AEG (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Our Addingham garden bird sightings over the last few years can be seen here
For more advice and information, check out the AEG website here