Wildlife Gardening Works !!!

[Wobbly]

I love starlings, when I was a kid they used to nest in our chimney and every year we'd have one fall down behind the gas fire and I'd have to reach in and rescue it.

They mostly died of shock, but we managed to raise a couple to adulthood and release them.

[Jennywrenny]

Susie - your pond is great - I can tell you have done this before

Obviously we still need more plants around ours - it looks a bit bare doesn't it

I can't believe how much the birds love the pond though - all our regular visitors have had a bath or a drink from it now - starlings, blackbirds, goldfinch, greenfinch, sparrows, dunnock, collared dove and pigeon - there's always someone in or around it

Haven't spotted any legs on the taddies yet. There's loads of flies and small beetle type things in and around the plants and water.

The other day we had a wasp? that kept coming to exactly the same spot on the banking - not sure what it was doing but it was determined to go to the same place.

Jenny

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Jennywrenny

Susie - your pond is great - I can tell you have done this before

Obviously we still need more plants around ours - it looks a bit bare doesn't it

I can't believe how much the birds love the pond though - all our regular visitors have had a bath or a drink from it now - starlings, blackbirds, goldfinch, greenfinch, sparrows, dunnock, collared dove and pigeon - there's always someone in or around it

Haven't spotted any legs on the taddies yet. There's loads of flies and small beetle type things in and around the plants and water.

The other day we had a wasp? that kept coming to exactly the same spot on the banking - not sure what it was doing but it was determined to go to the same place.

Jenny

We get wasps taking water on hot days .They have a sort of air conditioning system. They take water back to the nest and fan the air using their wings to keep the nest cool..

[Lords and Ladies]

Originally Posted by Jennywrenny

The other day we had a wasp? that kept coming to exactly the same spot on the banking - not sure what it was doing but it was determined to go to the same place.

Jenny

I get a fair few wasps visiting my bog garden to take a drink from the damp soil. I presume they are after water and perhaps minerals, as opposed to collecting building materials(?). They do, as you say, seem to noticeably return to the exact same spot. Not an easy feat of memory and navigation!

They seem to 'pump' their abdomens too while filling up.

[Susie]

Your pond is gorgeous, Jennywrenny, I think the logs are a particularly good idea.

You should see my pond now, it is even more crowded! I am afraid that I am just a compulsive plant buyer at the moment. I got two more for the pond margins yesterday, purple loosestrife and yellow loosestrife. I have just one more on my list to get now, hemp agrimony, and that is my lot.

I get wasps coming down to drink as well. I also get bees and birds taking the mud. It is wonderful to watch, isn't it?

I must say I am very pleased with how my little garden is coming along generally. The plants are starting to grow and I think it is going to look very nice in time as well as providing year round nectar, water and shelter for all sorts of wildlife.

Those are lovely photos, Hornbeam.

[Hornbeam]

Thrilled to see a grass snake swimming around in my garden pond this lunch time! It was about two feet long and was happily hoovering up the tadpoles. My garden is quite large and is managed to attract wildlife, but it is on a main road and close to the town centre. An interesting study that we townies could do in our local areas would be to map the wildlife corridors that allow non flying animals to reach our urban and suburban gardens.

[nightshade]

Hi Hornbeam I have been trying to map the wildlife corridors here
in particular for bats it is good ammunition to use to persuade people
how important their garden trees and shrubs are as way-points

[Susie]

With the benefit of hindsight and looking through this thread I wish I had taken Smartie's advice on a couple of points. The waterlily was far too big for my pond but I can't get it out now despite trying to. I have to cut back the plants every year because otherwise it would turn into a bog and no trace of water would be available from the surface. Despite those failings it has done very well and is a draw to the surrounding wildlife.