
How to provide bushes for nesting birds
In the spring, birds choose the best locations to build nests, so why not offer them a safe place to settle?
All animals need water to survive. By providing a water source in your garden, you can invite in a whole menagerie!
Water is essential for wildlife to thrive, but it isn’t just for drinking. Amphibians like newts, frogs and toads use water as shelter and breeding grounds. Butterflies get valuable minerals and salts from slightly muddy water, and birds use water to bathe and remove parasites.
Just about any stand of water in your yard, from a tiny puddle to a pond, will be used by one kind of animal or another. To make it as appropriate as possible, ensure your water source is shallow with gradual and rough-textured edges, so that anything that climbs in can get out again
Water is essential for wildlife to thrive, but it isn’t just for drinking!
During hot summer weather, it is important to have plenty of water for animals and birds to drink and bathe in. But don’t stop there! It is also important to keep the water topped up during the chilly winter months as sources of water can become frozen and more difficult to find. If you install a bird bath, make sure it has gradual edges and is roughly textured. If you want to go the extra mile, hanging a drip jug above your bird bath will attract more birds as they hear the dripping water.
Remember: When temperatures drop, water freezes, making it difficult for wildlife to find fresh water to drink. Break the water on bird baths daily or replace with tepid water.
Most butterflies feed on nectar, but did you know they also need water and minerals to stay hydrated and healthy? Butterflies can't land on open water, so some rely on shallow puddles and wet sand or soil to get the water, salts and minerals that they need.
You can help out at home by creating a simple butterfly 'puddling station':
In the spring, birds choose the best locations to build nests, so why not offer them a safe place to settle?
The best plants for bumblebees! Bees are important pollinating insects, but they are under threat. You can help them by planting bumblebee-friendly flowers.
With food, water and shelter scarce over the winter months, give your garden birds a treat with an edible Christmas wreath.
By writing to your MP or meeting them in person, you can help them to understand more about a local nature issue you care passionately about.
Instead of sending your green waste to landfill, create your own compost.
Planting herbs will attract important pollinators into your garden, which will, in turn, attract birds and small mammals looking for a meal.