life
COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
Dormouse with berries
by Phil Mclean
Photo Above: Bumble Bee by Darin Smith
are voracious predators and help keep
populations of some problem species in
check.
Try more natural forms of pest control.
Instead of throwing chemicals at problems
try encouraging beneficial insects into your
garden. Lacewings and hoverflies will keep
aphid numbers under control and can be
encouraged into your garden by installing
nest boxes and reducing use of chemicals.
Leave some seed heads uncut. Many
insects over winter in the dead seed heads
and stems of flowering plants. Try leaving
some uncut this autumn, birds such as
the goldfinch and house sparrow will also
benefit. An un-mown area of lawn will also
provide an excellent winter home.
Create a native wildflower meadow.
Not an easy option, meadows require lots of
work but the benefits of native wildflower
meadow for insect life are huge. Once
established a meadow full of knapweed and
scabious will be buzzing with life throughout
the summer.
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Living in the shadows. If your garden is
very hot many small creatures will struggle
to survive, use your planting scheme to
create a shady corner. Many creatures will
be helped by something as small as a broken
plant pot or an old roof tile positioned to
provide shade.
Compost. Compost heaps are warm and
moist ideal conditions for invertebrates to
thrive. If you don’t fancy making a compost
heap allow fallen leaves to breakdown
naturally, they’re all food and homes for
something.
Leave Ivy intact. Take a look at Ivy at the
end of the summer and it will be covered
with insects. Ivy is an excellent late season
nectar source and provides cover for birds
and bats as well as invertebrates. Ivy is also
the food plant for the second brood of the
Holly Blue, a butterfly whose populations are
susceptible to massive annual fluctuations.
We also know that some invertebrates
arrive unaided and more due to careless
importation, especially of garden plants and
agricultural produce. They survive either
because they out compete native species or
occupy new niches, perhaps provided by us
or due to changing climate. Some examples
are:
Harlequin Ladybird
Truly an invader, described as “the world’s
most invasive ladybird” it has been
introduced from its native area in E. Asia to
much of the world. It arrived in N. America
in 1988 and is now the most widespread
species there! It got to the UK in 2004
and has already spread across SE England,
including the Island. It is a predator and
competitor for our native species and
definitely not a positive addition to our
fauna. They could turn up anywhere and
probably will, the spread is being monitored
and new records are always wanted.
Forget about wind blown fruit. If you
have a few fruit trees in the garden leave
the windblown apples to rot, great food for
birds as well as bugs.
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