It’s Wild about Gardens Week this week – your chance to do your bit for the wild creatures which share your outside space with you.
Wild About Gardens Week
The week-long celebration of wildlife-friendly gardening is led by the Royal Horticultural Society and the Wildlife Trusts, who set it up four years ago after research showed about two-thirds of Britain’s plant and animal species including common garden species like bats, hedgehogs, house sparrows and frogs are in decline, largely through loss of habitat.
Gardeners look after an estimated 15 million patches of land, covering a greater area than all the National Nature Reserves put together – so we have a unique ability to halt the slide. There are lots of things you can do to help the wildlife in your garden, from building an insect hotel to letting the lawn grow long to encourage wildflowers.
Wild About Bats!
This year bats are the focus of attention: normally shy and difficult to spot, you’ll sometimes see their spectacular acrobatics as they cartwheel at dusk. Plant a ‘bat border’ full of nectar-rich flowers and you’ll attract the insects bats love to eat. Once you’re done, take a photo and submit it to the Wild About Gardens website (www.wildaboutgardensweek.org.uk). Who knows, you might win a prize!