Caring For Local Wildlife In Your Garden

WhatHouse? Award-winning housing association Bromford is sharing its top tips for caring for the creatures and critters that visit residents’ gardens, as the season changes and the hibernating period grows nearer. 

Catherine Jarrett, director of sales and marketing at Bromford, says: “We at Bromford care deeply for the communities in which we build, and that care extends to the local wildlife. As summer is coming to an end and the dark nights are beginning to draw closer, much of our local wildlife is preparing for hibernation. A variety of UK species start hibernating in October and November, so until then there’s lots we can do to help. We hope that sharing these tips will allow homeowners to provide safer and more welcoming environments for the wildlife in their area.”

Leave food out for visiting creatures

In preparation for the hibernating season, local wildlife feasts on the autumn harvest in order to maximise their body fat and store up energy, which will help them to survive the winter months.

Why not help these creatures by leaving food out, such as fruit and seeds. For hedgehogs, leave a dish of dog or cat food in your garden to help boost their fat reserves. 

Start a compost heap

Composting is a no-brainer as it reduces food waste, whilst also creating an excellent environment for bugs and insects which are a vital part of any eco-system, providing food for larger animals, pollination and contributing to biodiversity.

It is best to start the process when you have a lot of scraps, so save them up before adding them to the heap. It is also important to know what can and cannot be composted. For instance, cooked goods cannot be added to a compost heap, but things like paper, tea leaves, and fruit and vegetable peels can.

Build shelters

An excellent way to ensure that your garden is a haven for wildlife is to build spaces that the bugs and animals can use.

In larger gardens, this can take the form of structures such as a hedgehog home, which can be made out of wood and covered with soil and leaves to create a cosy space where hedgehogs can rest and hide from predators. In smaller spaces, such as balconies, this can take the form of a container garden, which creates a small ecosystem for bugs and insects to enjoy. 

Let parts of your garden grow wild

Leaving sections of your garden to grow untidy will help to provide spaces for wildlife to hibernate amongst long grass and vegetation. Creating log piles, compost heaps and shelters will help a variety of creatures to survive the winter months, and offer them safe and warm places to temporarily call home. 

If you do let your garden overgrow, make sure you check for hedgehogs and other species before lighting any garden bonfires. 

Cut back on chemicals

Some of the products most commonly used in gardening contain chemicals that can be harmful to wildlife. For instance, sprays that target insects that like to eat certain plants can end up poisoning the animals that eat those insects. So, trying to use less chemicals in your garden can be a great step.

In order for your garden to thrive without the help of chemicals, it is best to have lots of variety so that no one species takes over the space. You can also take steps to make your garden welcoming to natural predators of the critters that like to feed on plants and flowers.

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