Making A Wildlife Friendly Garden

RRA Architects > Making A Wildlife Friendly Garden

September 26, 2023 / By harvey

September sees the close of the season for many construction related ecology surveys. Of course, this means some planning applications cannot be submitted until next year if they have been delayed. At the same time lots of our local wildlife is preparing for the colder months and we can all help by making our gardens wildlife friendly. One thing the RRA folk will be doing is preparing our hedgehog house and positioning under a leaf pile. If we are very lucky a little hedgehog may choose us to overwinter with us.

Here’s our list of our top ten tips and our downloadable guide to building a hedgehog house:

Click here to download your free ‘How to build a hedgehog home.pdf

1. Our hedgehog population is dwindling rapidly so they need lots of help. if you install a hedgehog house you might find you get a resident hedgehog or even a family. If you want to feed them use cat or dog biscuits and always ensure there is fresh water for them. Needless to say, if you are encouraging hedgehogs – don’t use slug pellets or poisons of any kind.

2. Create wildlife highways by making sure there are gaps in your fence for hedgehogs and frogs to get through.

 

Gaps in fences create wildlife highways for finding food, water and mates.

 

3. Do rake the leaves off your lawn, but instead of throwing them in the bin, build a leaf pile in a corner of your garden as a refuge for lots of little animals. Even better make a log pile too.

4. Keep a compost heap – great for the garden, great for not wasting vegetable peelings and great for hibernating animals like Queen Bees. If you have a compost heap avoid disturbing it between September and April when the animals are hibernating.

 

If you have room for a log piles these are great long term wildlife housing solutions.

5. Provide a variety of smalls shelters for insects and animals too – flower pots on their sides filled with twigs, bird houses and bat houses, are all ideal. Remember to position these out of strong winds.

6. Leave the seedheads on the flowers to provide an energy rich snack for birds in the cold weather. Encourage more feathered visitors by putting out fat-balls too.

 

Instead of deadheading flowers, let them go to seed and leave for the birds over winter.

 

7. Provide fresh water, especially when the weather turns icy as many animals suffer when the ponds freeze over.

8. Keep your bird feeders and water baths clean to prevent disease. The RSPB recommends washing them with a 5% disinfectant solution regularly.

 

Feeding birds through Winter is a great way to help nature and in the summer they will return the favour by reduce the insects in your garden.

 

9. Frozen ponds are not just a problem for animals wanting to drink, decaying plant materials release poisonous gas and the ice prevents this escaping which can be fatal for animals in the pond.
If you have a pond floating a tennis ball or similar helps keep the surface moving and stop it freezing.

10. Above all – throw away the pesticides and pellets, we need to nurture our nature.

One final note, healthy hedgehogs are usually only active at night. If you see a hedgehog out in the daylight it is probably not well, do rescue it and contact your local wildlife centre for help.

 

If you see a hedgehog in the daylight it is probably ill or injured, please call your local wildlife center or hedgehog hospital.

Newsletter

January & February 2024 Newsletter

December 2023 Newsletter

November 2023 Newsletter

October 2023 Newsletter

September 2023 Newsletter

August 2023 Newsletter

July 2023 Newsletter

June 2023 Newsletter

May 2023 Newsletter

April 2023 Newsletter

March 2023 Newsletter

February 2023 Newsletter

January 2023 Newsletter

December 2022 Newsletter

November 2022 Newsletter

October 2022 Newsletter

September 2022 Newsletter

August 2022 Newsletter

July 2022 Newsletter

June 2022 Newsletter

May 2022 Newsletter

April 2022 Newsletter

March 2022 Newsletter

February 2022 Newsletter

January 2022 Newsletter

December 2021 Newsletter

November 2021 Newsletter

October 2021 Newsletter

September 2021 Newsletter

August 2021 Newsletter

July 2021 Newsletter

June 2021 Newsletter

May 2021 Newsletter

April 2021 Newsletter

March 2021 Newsletter

February 2021 Newsletter

January 2021 Newsletter

December Newsletter 2020

November Newsletter 2020

October Newsletter 2020

September Newsletter 2020

August Newsletter 2020

July Newsletter 2020

June Newsletter 2020

May Newsletter 2020

April Newsletter 2020

March Newsletter 2020

February Newsletter 2020

January Newsletter 2020

December Newsletter 2019

November Newsletter 2019

October Newsletter 2019

September Newsletter 2019

August Newsletter 2019

July Newsletter 2019

June Newsletter 2019

May Newsletter 2019

April Newsletter 2019

March Newsletter 2019

February Newsletter 2019

January Newsletter 2019

December Newsletter 2018

November Newsletter 2018

October Newsletter 2018

September Newsletter 2018

Search articles

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors