My Wildlife Garden

[NigelT]

Our garden backs onto some uphill woodland but is in the middle of a terrace of dwellings in an otherwise residential area.
Presently we get a pair of foxes and four Badgers in every night at dusk and they come right up to the patio doors. We feed them all the left overs from the table each day (recycled waste). to watch the foxes and Badgers sometimes together is great. These animals take no notice of us watching them even though the lights are on the curtains open and they are within a metre of the glass.

Sometimes the Fox looks right into the glass at us with its nose nearly touching the pane.

The compost bins are home to a family of Slow Worms which slide away when we add to their warm home.

We get woodpeckers in the garden after peanuts and insects on the cherry tree and a diverse selection of other birds call all day.

I have been trying to increase the number of insects in the garden by planting and this is working well except for the butterflies which I cannot seem to get going despite planting specific shrubs and saving a patch of nettles.

What calls in your urban garden?

[Ann2]

Sounds delightful. I'd love to have foxes and Badgers visiting my garden.

There are certainly foxes in the area here but the main stumbling block I have is my three resident dogs (and the fact that I have a six foot fence round the garden).

I'm still lucky enough to get some visitors though. Numerous goldfinches cost me an absolute fortune in sunflower hearts and I also get visits from greenfinches, robins, blue tits, sparrows, collared doves and wood pigeons.

Occasionally a Hedgehog manages to squeeze under the gate but I worry when the dogs find them before I do, even though the dogs tend to come off worse.

One visitor that surprisingly I don't get is a grey squirrel. Threre are plenty around but not one has visited my garden.

Ann

[cat72uk]

i get a lot of butterflies on my budlia
and bumble bees
i have bug houses and a lot of bees have used them
i get lots starlings and blackbirds
i put meal worms out for them they are also enjoying my rowen berries at the moment
i wish i could get Hedgehogs as my hostas are hole ridden
i have seen them pass in the street at night but they dont come in
loads of frogs and a few toads use my pond
and i get lots of dragonflys

[djackso]

I wish I had half of what you lot have!

But I do have Goldcrest They breed in the trees at the back.

I have newts (probably smooth), frogs and grasshoppers too.

I made a "structure", grew ivy up it and had wrens nesting last year

There are no parks or anything for 1 km, but I found a Speckled Wood caterpillar in one of my long grass areas. It's parent (probably) was fluttering around a while ago.

Resident butterflies include Holly Blues, Peacocks and Gatekeepers.

I've never had a problem with bees - there are lots.

I'm happy that I do my best with what I've got.

[shei111]

Hello the more wildlife we get the happier we all seem to be, everyone seems to be doing everything they can to attract wildlife , which I think is brilliant ,we are now being told to feed garden birds daily winter and summer to help them get through the long winter ahead. I always have fed 12 months of the year I do like to see the different birds that come to our feeders daily thats one of my pleasures in life, I couldnt imagine a garden without wildlife shei

[NigelT]

Perhaps the dogs keep the squirrels away?
The scent of the dogs might linger around the garden and put them off.
I get them a lot and they eat all the nuts unless I go out and retreave them!
I then take them back out so the family of jays can get some. The antics of the woodpidgeons make me laugh as they dont seem to comprehend how to manage the nut hanger and nearly fall off.

I have seen a woodpecker today (friday) pecking around a telegraph pole at the rear of the house (pied type not green) Lovely.

Originally Posted by Ann2

Sounds delightful. I'd love to have foxes and Badgers visiting my garden.

There are certainly foxes in the area here but the main stumbling block I have is my three resident dogs (and the fact that I have a six foot fence round the garden).

I'm still lucky enough to get some visitors though. Numerous goldfinches cost me an absolute fortune in sunflower hearts and I also get visits from greenfinches, robins, blue tits, sparrows, collared doves and wood pigeons.

Occasionally a Hedgehog manages to squeeze under the gate but I worry when the dogs find them before I do, even though the dogs tend to come off worse.

One visitor that surprisingly I don't get is a grey squirrel. Threre are plenty around but not one has visited my garden. I understand what you are going through with the cost!!!! We get through 2lb. nuts and wild bird mix every fortnight plus the fat balls etc. etc.!!!

Ann

[NigelT]

Originally Posted by shei111

Hello the more wildlife we get the happier we all seem to be, everyone seems to be doing everything they can to attract wildlife , which I think is brilliant ,we are now being told to feed garden birds daily winter and summer to help them get through the long winter ahead. I always have fed 12 months of the year I do like to see the different birds that come to our feeders daily thats one of my pleasures in life, I couldnt imagine a garden without wildlife shei

Here - here.

Such wonder in the garden whatever it is even the little sparrows give so much pleasure.

[ron1863]

I wouldn't worry too much about the Butterflies as they seem to be fairly scarce this year.

[shirl]

We have lots of wildlife areas in the garden including what you might call unwanted wild flowers such as ragwort, I have resisted pulling it up yet as the butterflies love it, the flower heads have been covered in Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and Gatekeepers. We also have loads of buddleia shrubs which are visited by Gatekeepers, Small Skipper, peacock, Red Admiral, large white, green veined white, comma and a couple of days ago a southern hawker dragonfly.

There are areas of long meadow grass again perfect for butterflies, and in the veg garden I always leave some leeks from the previous year, the large flowers are covered in butterflies, bees , hoverflies etc. We are in a rural location so maybe meadow grass won't be an option in urban areas, but leeks certainly would be to attract the insects.

Shirl

[schlocky]

Regarding attracting insects to the garden; I maintain about 100 diff kinds of wild flower plus a few shrubs such as native elder, hawthorn, dogwood and culvates such as skimmia, buddleia and vibernum in a garden 50 foot by 30 and we get a great variety of invertebrates especially hover and other flies, bees and bugs. There is a vastly greater diversity of insects since I planted the wild flowers (about 5 years ago).

Having lots of different plants means there are always at least a few different kinds of flower open at any one time providing pollen & nectar. Areas in which grasses are allowed to flower may be important as long grass provides shelter.

Different habitats such as wooden logs, a pond, hedgerow, a sunny spot, small shady stagnant pools for midges & mosquitos etc all contribute to provide good places for insects to breed, court, feed and survive.

We also have a golf course with flowery and shrubby borders nearby from which insects may constantly spread outward and a nature reserve about a mile away so this probably helps too.

This time of year seems to be the richest for insects with flowers blooming such as scabious, knapweed, water mint, umbellifers and marjoram that are all 'insect magnets'.

I wonder if having lots of smaller flowers is important too for attracting the tiny insects on which larger ones predate; Plants such as lady's bedstraw, crosswort, germander speedwell, birds foot trefoil black medick etc.

Good luck!

[shei111]

Originally Posted by ron1863

I wouldn't worry too much about the Butterflies as they seem to be fairly scarce this year.

Hello ron couldnt agree more about the butterflies , we only seem to have whites about and we do have plenty of those. shei.