Our “On the Verge” partnership is supporting the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s campaign for a “Wilder Sussex” and encourages us all to make the most of our gardens and outdoor spaces, and to work with our neighbours to create wildlife habitats and corridors. Visit the Sussex Wildlife Trust website.
The SWT website has lots of ideas on how to build habitats for our wildlife. One of the easiest ways is to make a log pile. This will be used by insects such as beetles and woodlice. As the logs rot down, you may get frogs and newts too.
You could also make an insect house which may be used by solitary bees and other insects such as lacewings and ladybirds.
I was delighted to get given the one pictured as a birthday gift! My brother made it from wood, with leftover roofing felt, and his children enjoyed finding tubes, sticks and pinecones to put inside it. I made sure I placed it in a warm sheltered spot, with insect friendly plants nearby. Last year I had sweet rocket, poppies and a towering fennel plant a few feet away from the box. Some instructions for a similar one can be found from The National Trust here
If you have the space, you can even use recycled materials to build a bigger bug hotel, which will encourage all sorts of crawling insects, and maybe even hedgehogs and toads! There are some instructions from Sussex Wildlife Trust here. If you are looking for inspiration, there is a fantastic bug hotel in Seaford Community Garden in the Crouch. Not only does it have lots of nooks and crannies for insects, but it is topped by a fantastic display of plants on a “green roof”
The garden normally opens for visitors on Wednesday mornings (and often Saturdays during the Summer). Visit their Facebook page here.
If you have been making your garden friendly for wildlife, don’t forget to log your “metre square” or more on the Seaford “Metre Square for Wildlife” map here. There have already been over a thousand square metres being logged, and creating corridors for wildlife in the town! Let’s see if we can get that to 5000!
Do let us know what you have done to help wildlife, and your sightings!