Creating a wildlife garden

We want to encourage gardeners to create wildlife friendly gardens. To find out how to attract wildlife to your garden read on.

Gardening for a dawn chorus
There is no better way to start a day than by listening to the delicate chirping and tweeting of the morning chorus. By turning your plot into a perfect stage for these morning stars you can welcome some of the 30 species which make regular use of gardens all over the UK.

Make a nest. The dawn chorus is often about nesting territory. Therefore, the more nesting opportunities that are provided, the more birds will flock to your garden. Shrubbery and climbers will provide excellent nesting areas, but if you want to provide even more nesting territory then it would be a good idea to install some nest boxes about your garden. See the Basically boxes 1 fact sheet.

Food glorious food! The next step to attract these feathery friends is to lay on a delicious feast. Well away from all the nest boxes (to avoid any territorial behaviour) you can scatter anything from mealworms and waxworms, peanuts, seed mixtures and fat balls to cooked vegetable (especially potatoes), fruit, and old bits of bread and cake. This array of nibbles will be sure to attract a feeding frenzy. However, be sure that it doesn’t attract too many mischievous squirrels; if this is the case you can always use a bird feeder to try to keep the roguish paws at bay. See the fact sheets Bird furniture and Feeding garden birds.

Attracting bats
Bats usually like to roost in old, hollow trees, but with woodlands being cut down and parklands being tidied there are fewer roost sites available. By putting up bat boxes in your garden you are not only providing much-needed homes but also welcoming one of the most helpful predators into your garden as in one night a bat can eat up to 3500 insects! If you would like to make a box yourself then refer to our Basically Boxes 2 fact sheet for instructions.

Butterfly gardening
In a changing landscape, where natural habitats and food plants are being destroyed, the vibrant and colourful butterfly is becoming extremely vulnerable. But some butterflies thrive in gardens and gardeners can do a lot to help. It is relatively simple to create a welcoming butterfly garden and the reward of watching these delicate beauties fluttering about the garden is endlessly enjoyable. Butterflies drink the sweet, energy-rich nectar produced by flowers to attract pollinators. By providing more nectar in the garden, you will not only attract more butterflies but also all the bees, moths, beetles, hoverflies and birds and bats that are never far behind. To find out which plants attract which butterflies, read the Butterfly gardening fact sheet.

Garden pests and guests
Before you condemn your pests to a blast of artificial pesticide, spare a thought for those garden 'guests' that you want to encourage. Those pests may be their food source. Garden wildlife exists in a web of interactions and the best approach is a ‘live and let live’ philosophy which allows a mixture of 'good' and 'bad' insects to exist for their mutual benefit. To find out more take a look at the Pest or Guest? fact sheet.

Watery worlds
Over the past 100 years the UK countryside has lost over 70% of its ponds. The creation of new ponds has never been more important for wildlife. By creating a new watery world in your own garden you can really make a difference to the wealth of animals which rely heavily on ponds for their success. A wildlife pond is one of the single best features for attracting new wildlife to the garden. Before long you could be helping to preserve our natural biodiversity and also enjoying a lively, attractive garden feature. To find out how to make your pond more wildlife friendly, read Pond troubleshooting.

Select a fact sheet from the feature box on the right for more information on how to attract other types of wildlife to your garden.

BBC Breathing Places has some brilliant ideas for rolling up your sleeves and making your very own place for nature – right on your doorstep. You don’t need a lot of space or time, just get outside with your kids, friends, family, neighbours or on your own, and have fun sharing a space with nature. A Breathing Place gives you time out. It’s never boring, and if you’re good to nature then nature will be good for you. So where’s your Breathing Place going to be? www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces