Quick Tricks?

[theincrediblesmiffy]

Hello people, wondering if I could pick your (rather excellent) brains?
I'm just doing a newspaper article for my school about the little things we can do in our gardens to help wildlife. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas, that take an hour or so, (or no time at all) that can help the wildlife in our gardens?
For example I know someone who buried a washing up bowl and made a mini-pond, filling it with rocks, and within a few weeks it had its own little residents.
Any other neat little ideas that are easy and quick?

Thanks a bundle!
Mike

[Kayleigh]

I made this mini pond with a half barrel from the garden centre..A few weeks later there were frogs laying spawn in it..

I also made a log pile..I got the logs from the local garden centre £5 for a big..I put them at the back of the border and now I have woodmice living in it.

[theincrediblesmiffy]

Oh thanks Kayleigh, nice ideas!

[m1.carson]

Hi,

There was a post about a bugs hotel several months ago, included frogs/toads and newts, can't exactly remember the name, something like "I must have one".

It was half a dozen pallets laid on top of each other with the holes filled with allsorts, rolled corrugated paper, logs with holes drilled in them etc.

Will try and find it tomorrow morning, but bugs hotel might work.

Max.

[Bullseye]

Leave the corners of your garden untidy,make some nestboxes,make a small pile of logs,the smallest of ponds will get amazing amounts of wildlife,if you have panel fencing make sure there are gaps in it (otherwise no badgers or foxes !),just small "commonsense" stuff.Best of luck with your article.

[tony a]

Don't use pesticides, insect (pests) attract predetors such as birds, frogs and toads.

[Paul mabbott]

There have been several lengthy threads (in the Treehouse possibly).

Start with insects and other invertebrates then everything else will follow from that!
A few things, briefly:

A woodpile - any old logs.
If you have a grassy area keep some of it 'low-mow' - leave it long for much of the year (particularly in the winter).
Keep some areas absolutely undisturbed.
Cover any bare walls or fences with ivy or other plants.
Leave flowering plants to go to seed.
Do not trim hedges until August and leave the trimmings nearby for a week or two to allow invertebrates to escape.
Burn or bin nothing - compost all garden trimmings.
That's a start!

[Kayleigh]

I found frog spawn in my barrel this morning..Now I have just got to stop the blackbirds eating it all



There seems to be a lot more this time than last year. There were two sets of frogs last year that spawned two small blobs..