ReNature tips – advice on helping wildlife thrive at home
March 29, 2023
Whatever your outdoor space is, be it a window box, a patio, a bit of grass or a huge garden, there are lots of little and free things you can do to help nature flourish.
Not only will these ideas help nature, being outside has been proven to help both your mental and physical wellbeing, by reducing stress, improving confidence and helping you feel more connected to nature.
Add water. Insects, birds, amphibians and mammals are always on the hunt for somewhere to drink or bathe. You don’t need to build a pond, just adding a container of water and a way for animals to get in and out will be enough.
Embrace sticks and leaves. We often like things to look tidy but leaving a corner of your outdoors messy with piles of sticks and leaves will give shelter to lots of wildlife.
Feed the birds. Make your own bird feeders using pine cones smothered in fat/lard and covered in seeds. Or put out nuts and suet pellets in feeders – them away from fences where squirrels or cats can’t reach them.
Build a bee and bug hotel. Give insects a place to live by providing hidey-holes in natural materials such as wood, stones, leaves and sticks. There are lots of easy to follow guides online for making five-star accommodation from recycled materials.
Pick Native Species. Plant native flowers which will appeal to wildlife such as lavender for bees or jasmine for moths. By researching which flowers different creatures are attracted to you can create a garden full of smells and nectar to entice the critters you want to see.
Hang fruit for butterflies. Give our fluttery friends a sugary treat by hanging up bananas or slices of orange. Wasps and hornets might like these treats too so place them somewhere away from where you are sitting.
Disguise your walls with climbers. Bring more colour and life to bare fences and walls by planting climbing plants such as a flowering ivy. Insects will love the shade and nectar this extra foliage brings and you’re outdoor space will look less sparse.
Install a bat box. Cheap to buy and easy to make, a box gives space for native bats to roost and raise their pups. Bats feast on insects so they might just help keep biting midges at bay while they swoop and dart across the darkening dusky sky.
Fill your lawn with flowers. Scrap the nature depleted grass and create a wildflower meadow. Simply lift the turf and sow native wildflower mix. You can do this in spring or autumn and within six months you’ll be rewarded with a stunning array of colourful flowers.