Out of a love for nature and wildlife, there comes a concern, for we all know that it is not doing well. So, in today's post, I offer a list of things that we can do, to give back to the nature and wildlife that give us so much.
1. Put up your bird boxes. But, just before you do, be sure of where they are best situated. You can find a useful guide on the RSPB website; make sure that you have the right nest box for the right species, and that you buy a box suitable for the space you have.
2. Bat boxes. It isn't just the birds that will appreciate boxes. You can make your own - the Wildlife Trusts website has this handy guide - or you can purchase one. Bear in mind, when purchasing nest boxes, to make sure the wood is responsibly sourced. Look out for the FSC label.
3. Create a pond. A pond doesn't have to be a large thing, dug out in the garden. A pond can be made from an old washing up bowl. I intend to make one using a storage box, some sand, pebbles and stones, plant pots, and some oxygenating plants this year. Get creative!
4. Bird feeders and bird baths. There are a great many different kinds of bird feeder out there, for different species of bird, and for the different spaces in which they might be placed. From window feeders to standing feeding stations. And bird baths do not have be big expensive things, they can be easily made with inexpensive items.
My inexpensive, makeshift bird bath, made from a planter dish, bricks, and stones. Just add water. (Photo from personal collection)
5. Support a conservation charity. If you can, give a monthly donation. Or, if you are able to do so, lend your time and volunteer on a nature reserve. Perhaps, if you are on the lookout for nest boxes, binoculars, books, gifts, etc., a favourite charity is selling what you are looking for in their online shop. And, don't forget all the citizen science projects run by these organisations throughout the year. There are a great number of ways to support their hard work!
6. Rewild your garden. In the UK, when you take together all of our gardens, they account for more land area than all the nature reserves we have combined. They can be a vital oasis or connection for the wildlife with which we share our spaces. So, leave the lawn a while or, better yet, turn it into a mini meadow. Perfectly manicured lawns are really just a dead monoculture; why not a sea of waving flower heads and life instead?
7. Practice a little self sufficiency. No need to start living in the woods and making compost out of your own waste just yet. But, maybe we can start growing some of our own food. Just a little. Some fruit plants can easily be grown in pots. We know that the less distance our food has to travel the better it is for the planet. So, if it's just outside our doors . . . Remember to buy peat-free compost.
8. Spaces for the little lives. Just as we put up boxes for the bats and birds, we can provide spaces for insects, arachnids, and mollusca. A log pile is a great space for little lives, with all the dark spaces that they can crawl into for shelter and protection. Then there are bee hotels and bug hotels! You can find the RSPB guide to building a bug hotel here, and their guide to building a bee hotel here.
9. Don't forget the night flyers. As we plan our garden for wildlife, considering the pollinators and the birds, it can be easy to forget the night-flying moths and other nocturnal little lives. I mean, they come out when we're tucked up in bed. But, there are things you can do to support the night time lives too. I wrote more about this last year, and you can read about it here.
I believe this is a Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria), which has landed on my leg here. (Photo from personal collection)
10. Share your passion through your skills. As I have joined a number of different nature and wildlife focused groups across social media, I have noticed that people explore their passion in different ways. There are photographers, painters, poets, writers . . . There are a number of ways in which we can make our memories something tangible or physical, something that others can carry with them too. And, hopefully, if we can pass that passion on, it might inspire someone else to get involved.
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