Home » Plants & Animals » English Gardening » Web of Life

Web of Life

© Graham Leatherbarrow

Not so long ago as a kid in the 1950's, I can clearly remember the scarlet fields of wild red poppies and the burbling song of skylarks overhead, the many colourful butterflies that danced around on hot, lazy summer afternoons, the frogs, toads and newts which lived in the many ponds that were still around, and the mile upon mile of ancient hedgerows that provided food and shelter for many animals and birds.

Things have changed enormously since then; modern agriculture and the onward march of urbanisation has changed the face of the countryside and the once common plants and animals are common no more. Depressing as this is, gardeners the world over can help struggling wildlife and compensate for this loss. As gardeners we can't help but notice all the other living things that share our lives and contribute to the colour, interest and movement within our gardens. You have only to look at all the greenfly, blackfly, weavils, slugs, snails and other wildlife that appear in any garden to realise how irrepressible nature really is! As gardeners we are in a wonderful position of being landowner and wildlife ranger rolled into one. You are the referee in this very dynamic piece of land called the garden. You decide what is planted and when, how tidy or undisturbed an area is, where to create more light and so on.

So, having accepted our role as final arbiter in this garden of ours, what practical steps can we take to encourage a wide a range of wildlife as possible, not only to delight our eyes and help keep our garden in ecological balance, but also to provide shelter, food and living quarters for wildlife itself?

The first important consideration is the use of pesticides and herbicides within the garden. Most gardeners these days favour organic methods, but when using these substances, it is essential to choose those that break down quickly into the soil, that don't directly harm pollinating insects or other animals within the garden.

The second consideration for garden wildlife is undisturbed areas. Perhaps we should be less tidy; don't be in a rush to cut down those seed heads. After all they are part of the autumn and winter scene.

Those of you with larger gardens could experiment by allowing parts of the sacred green sward to have its head. Just let parts of it grow and you might be surprised what wild flowers come up! Having said that, whole lawns allowed to go back to nature have a look of neglect about them; mow a path or two through them and they look different again.

The copyright of the article Web of Life in English Gardening is owned by . Permission to republish Web of Life in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.