Top tips

Hi everyone. Where did that weekend go? We’re all very excited here as our little owls have finally fledged!
I thought I’d just do a brief piece on how to make your garden wildlife friendly with a few simple tips.
1- Water. This is the single most important thing in attracting birds into your garden. A simple bird bath will do or even an upturned dustbin lid!
2- Bird feeders. This goes without saying. Feed them and they will come. Please do NOT put white bread out or anything with salt in. It does more harm than good!
3-Wildlife friendly plants. Train your climbing plants against bare walls, fences or trellises. These plants are brilliant for small birds to roost in and wrens will even nest in them! Plant buddleia for butterflies and ground geranium (pictured) for bees.
4- Put up bird boxes, bat boxes, hedgehog boxes and insect hotels. Make sure there’s a small hole in your fence for hedgehogs to squeeze through.
5-Leave part of your lawn uncut. This is vital for a healthy insect and worm population, which in turn feeds birds and small mammals.
6- Please avoid using chemicals in your garden. These are really detrimental to wildlife.
7- Put dead wood in your garden. Again this is brilliant for a healthy bug population.
8. And finally, if you have a cat, think about putting a bell on its collar to warn it’s intended victims that it’s time to scarper!
That’s it. Enjoy our wildlife. Bye for now.