Helping Wildlife in Summer
© Darren Phillips
We can help by providing the right habitats and food plants in our local environment.
Summer brings its own problems of survival for wildlife. Finding nest sites and areas of shade becomes increasingly important and adequate water supplies are vital.
Adults must find food both for their growing young and to build up their own body stores to help them survive the harsher winter months.
SMALL GARDEN HABITATS
Walls especially old constructions with gaps between the bricks - provide hibernation sites and shelter from the sun. Climbing plants, such as ivy and honeysuckle, provide useful cover for insects such as the holly blue butterfly which lays its eggs on the leaves of ivy. The crumbling stone of old walls is often investigated by the flower bee and the mining bee which tunnel their homes in the loose mortar.
A compost heap is home to frogs, earthworms, potworms and many species of slug and snail which feed on the decaying matter. Bumblebees often nest in abandoned mouse holes in the heap.
LOCAL HABITATS
Wild habitats are constantly being destroyed to make way for urban developments or agriculture. We can, however, help to offset some of these losses by looking at our local surroundings for opportunities to make them a better place for wildlife.
Even a small pond can provide drinking water for mammals and birds and an important breeding site for amphibians and water insects. A muddy edge provides nest-building materials for house martins. However, ponds need careful management - left alone they may be used as litter dumps and can easily become overgrown with pondweeds or reeds which cause the pond to dry out.
Graveyards and cemeteries often provide a glimpse of the old countryside. If they are kept too neat and tidy with constantly mown grass many species are discouraged. By leaving the less visited parts of a churchyard to become overgrown - perhaps mowing only once a year - a wealth of wildflowers can be encouraged, which in turn attract butterflies and other insects. Noctule bats thrive in enclosed spaces which they can roost in during the day and fly from at night. An undisturbed belfry provides them with an ideal home.
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
Even the smallest garden can provide food and shelter for wildlife. Part of a lawn can be turned into a wildflower meadow by removing the fertile topsoil and raking in a wildflower seed mixture, or by introducing plants grown from seed, such as cowslip and oxeye daisy.
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