Habitat Creation

Your May Wildlife Gardening Guide

Introduction

Spring is in full swing, and it’s the perfect time to make your garden a haven for wildlife. By providing the right plants, food, and shelter, you can attract a variety of birds, insects, and other animals to your backyard.

Plants for Wildlife

• Half-hardy annuals: These plants, such as black-eyed Susan and Cosmos, are easy to grow and provide a wealth of nectar and pollen for pollinators.
• Trees and shrubs: Many trees and shrubs, such as willow, birch, and hawthorn, provide food and shelter for caterpillars, which are a vital food source for birds.
• Fruit trees and bushes: Fruit trees and bushes, such as apple trees and raspberry bushes, provide food for both birds and butterflies.
• Native grasses: Native grasses, such as marbled white and gatekeeper, support a variety of butterfly and moth larvae.

Feeding Wildlife

• Insects: Birds rely on insects for food, especially during the nesting season. You can attract insects to your garden by planting flowers that bloom throughout the year, avoiding pesticide use, and creating areas of long grass.
• Bats: Bats are also important insect predators. You can attract bats to your garden by providing a source of water, such as a pond, and by avoiding the use of artificial light sources.

Creating a Wildlife Habitat

• Pond plants: Pond plants provide food and shelter for a variety of aquatic creatures, including frogs, tadpoles, and dragonflies.
• Long grass: Leaving some areas of your lawn unmown allows wildflowers to bloom and provides shelter and nesting sites for animals like grasshoppers and field voles.
• Deadwood: Deadwood provides habitat for a variety of insects and fungi, which are an important part of the food chain.
• Nesting boxes: Nesting boxes provide a safe place for birds to raise their young.

Look Out for… Warblers

May is a great time to listen for the songs of migratory warblers, such as the chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, and garden warbler. These birds have returned from their wintering grounds and are busy establishing their territories and finding mates.

Thrifty Tip

Border sedums are a great plant for attracting pollinators in late summer and autumn. They are easy to propagate by taking stem and leaf cuttings, so you can create a mass of new plants for free to feed the bees and butterflies later in the year.

Conclusion

By following these tips, you can create a wildlife-friendly garden that will be enjoyed by both you and the animals that visit it. Remember, every little bit helps, so even small changes can make a big difference for wildlife.