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| Trailcam caught a grey squirrel trying to get at some tulip bulbs |
My garden began by being 'organic', ie no chemicals and no peat. Then it became 'bee-friendly'. Now it is trying to be an insect-friendly garden because if there are plenty of insects, then there's food for all, whereas if we lose our insects there'll be no food for anybody. This means providing not just pretty flowers for pollinating insects, but plants that will provide homes for their offspring (e.g. caterpillars). So things like nettles, native wildflowers and clover become important.
Eyebright among the grass
I don't want my urban garden to become a runaway wilderness. I have a patch of nettles which nourish caterpillars of the red admiral, comma, peacock and small tortoiseshell. I have a comfrey patch which attracts lacewings, parasitoid wasps and spiders.
I allow certain wild flowers such as the Spanish bluebell and actively encourage others such as pink campion. But the lawn is the obvious place for a wider variety of native wildflowers. I've decided to join No Mow May so that the lawn is mown only as a path round the flower beds and the rest is left uncut.
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| I'm trying to keep a path cut round the flower beds |
I have sown yellow rattle which is a partial parasite and weakens the grass so that other flowers can grow among it. This year it has seeded itself all over the lawn and there are already wild geraniums, white clover, eyebright and daisies.
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| The yellow rattle on the right is making space for the wild geranium on he left. Too early for flowers. |
I've also sown bird's-foot trefoil which is important for the caterpillars of at least three butterflies including the common blue.
Snake's head fritillary and lawn daisy among the grass
It's a start and I look forward in future to welcoming a wider variety of insects and therefore a wider variety of other wild creatures into the garden.
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