Spend less time mowing and more time enjoying nature It’s got round to the grass cutting season again and if your lawn is like mine, it’s romping away. Instead of mowing it all, have you ever considered leaving a bit for wildlife. Less mowing in the name of wildlife conservation – talk about a win – win! In the UK we have lost a staggering 95% of our species rich meadows. As farming became more professional, the relatively unproductive meadows made way for intensive cropping. Gains in productivity have led to losses in wild flowers, insects and birds that depend on the traditional... read more
Who doesn’t love a hedgehog? They’re almost part of what it means to be British aren’t they? Ever since our childhood we had this image of Beatrix Potter’s Mrs Tiggy-Winkle helping out her local community. The real hedgehog is just as helpful in our gardens, hoovering up garden pests like slugs and snails. Their scarceness and nocturnal nature makes it an absolute treat to find one. Even more rewarding if it’s out snuffling about, rather than curled up in a defensive tight ball. Regrettably the odds are stacked against the hedgehog, coping with predators and being squished on our roads... read more
What’s a bug Hotel? A bug hotel is a really cool little home full of nooks and crannies for insects to burrow into. Things like wood boring beetles, solitary bees, ladybirds, earwigs and all sorts of spectacular fiendish predatory insects like ichneumon wasps. Lots of these minibeasts are good for controlling garden pests, but over and above that, insects are on the bottom rungs of a massive ecosystem. A healthy population of insects supports so many animals up the food chain. Some insects will use your hotel as a home; others will lay eggs in it and rear their young; some... read more
If you go down to the woods today….. First find your gnarly old tree stump, the more character it has the better. Windblown trees are ideal as there is likely to be some nice rooty buttresses that look great. Try and find a tree that’s been dead for a while and lost its sapwood, (the bark and the soft stuff beneath it) so it looks hard, gnarled and bony without too much rot. Oak is great for this, and it’s durable so it’ll last. When you cut your stump from the rest of the tree, keep as much buttress as... read more