Wildlife Garden Ideas

Worrying statistics show a rapid decline in UK wildlife since the late nineteen hundreds. The State of Nature report, conducted by the NBN, found that our most important wildlife have plummeted by an average of 60% since 1970, and that the area inhibited by “priority species” has shrunk by 27% - these are deemed the most important and threatened, including hedgehogs, hares, bats, many species of bird, and even insects such as the butterfly.

In fact, did you know that the British hedgehog is now officially classified as vulnerable to extinction?

Thankfully though, it’s not all bad news. With just a few small adjustments to your back garden, you can make a big difference to the wildlife that surrounds your home. Read on as we explore five ways to encourage wildlife into your back garden.

1. Let nature take its course
In the modern era we live in, it’s becoming more and more common amongst homeowners to rip up everything natural in their garden and replace it with artificial grass, paving, and decking.

While this may be ideal for some due to the reduction in maintenance required, doing this will destroy what were previously natural environments and important food sources for wildlife.

So, if you’d like to encourage the welfare of surrounding birds, bugs, and bees, avoid this trend. Instead, let nature takes it course, create a more attractive environment for all things wild and you’ll notice an arrival of friendly visitors soon after.

That’s not to say you should leave your garden to grow like a forest – wildlife will thank you for just a small corner, border, or planter.

2. Plant trees and shrubs
Not only will trees and shrubs help to encourage more wildlife into your garden, but bring a host of other benefits too. From reducing noise and flooding, to flighting climate change, and even improving your garden’s soil – you really can’t go wrong.

Silver birch trees provide food and habitat for more than 300 insect species! And Birds can eat its seeds. While the flowers, fruits and leaves of wild cherry feed a variety of caterpillars, bees, and birds.

3. Provide a water resource
Just like us humans depend on water for survival, so does wildlife. Making some available in your garden could be a lifeline for some, especially during the hot summer months.

If your outdoor space is tight, just a small dish can supply enough water for birds and mammals to drink and bathe in. On a larger scale, a full-sized pond would give insects and amphibians a place to live and breed.

4. Serve a buffet of nuts and seeds
For the same reason as water, another great way to encourage wildlife into your garden is through the serving of food. Start by providing a selection of nuts and seeds that are easy for birds to access.

This can be done using a bird feeder, which will likely attract common birds such as goldfinch, blue tit, sparrow, blackbird, and robin - and if it interests you, you can even do some birdwatching. Create a list of all the different birds that visit your garden!

5. Create a highway for hedgehogs
As we previously mentioned, hedgehogs are now classed as vulnerable to extinction, so this point is by far our favourite.

Hedgehogs tend to travel around one mile every night through parks and gardens in their quest to find enough food and a mate. If your garden is fully enclosed, you might be getting in the way of their plans.

However, we can make their lives easier, and chance of survival greater, by removing the barriers within our control. A quick and easy way to do this is by making holes at the bottom of your garden fence, allowing them to pass through with ease.

With a DuraPost® Hedgehog Hole in your fencing gravel board you can lay out the welcome mat inviting hedgehogs and other wildlife into your garden.

It doesn’t take long and is extremely simple to do. If you’d like to do your part and help the local hedgehogs find their way, our step-by-step video on how to create a hedgehog highway will help.