WILDLIFE NEEDS GOOD NEIGHBOURS
| Published: 11th December 2006 12:14 |
Devon Wildlife Trust is calling for gardeners to employ more joined up thinking when managing their patch, following the results of the Wild About Gardens Discovery Survey conducted in September by The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in partnership with Ribena.
According to the findings, garden owners are responding to wildlife gardening advice and taking action but there is still considerable room for improvement, even among the most wildlife-friendly gardeners. The survey’s findings that mini-habitats are spread between different gardens emphasises the importance of making it easier for wildlife to move within a connected network of ‘green corridors’ by using trees, ponds and hedgerows, and providing a greater variety of food sources from nectar, berry and seed-producing plants.
John Hayward, DWT’s Community Biodiversity Officer explains, “it’s great to put out food and nest boxes for creatures like birds, but many species need belts of habitat before they can even get into your garden. This means that gardeners should be looking at the land around them and connecting to existing green networks to bring wildlife into the garden. Having a chat with your neighbours over the garden fence could have a whole new meaning – now you can discuss where the hedgehogs are going at night, or which seeds your local goldfinches are going for.”
Over 1,500 garden owners responded nationally to the survey between 2 and 17 September to help investigate links between garden habitats, gardening practices and key garden species. Participants were asked to complete an inventory of types of plants and features in their garden including the garden’s location, their gardening practices, and whether the following species visited their garden within the two-week survey period: Hedgehog, Goldfinch, Common frog, Toad, Bumblebee, and specifically the Brown Bumblebee. The data is being analysed in depth with more comprehensive findings to be released next year.
Other preliminary findings from Devon include:
• Gardens with seed or nut-producing plants were over three times more likely to attract goldfinches than those with none (72% compared to 22%).
• Nearly twice as many participants who owned a garden pond spotted frogs during the survey period than those without.
• Gardens with a larger area of long grass (over foursquare metres) were more likely to attract brown bumblebees.
• Devon gardens were less likely than other parts of the country to provide a home for hedgehogs, but much more likely to have toads.
• Toads were found to be in gardens frequented by frogs but seldom in gardens without frogs.
(All five key species were chosen due to their decline or fluctuation in number over the past few years.)
For more information and hints and tips on creating a wildlife-friendly garden, visit www.wildaboutgardens.org.
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