Actions to help wildlife in the summer.
Hi, this is Jenny from the Wild Bunch.
With the increasingly hot weather we are experiencing, our wildlife can suffer. However, there are things we can all do to help our wildlife in the hot weather. Whether you have a garden or not, we can all help local wildlife. Below are some suggestions of things we can all do:
Put out water in shallow dishes for birds, mammals and insects. Keep it fresh and change the water daily. Place stones in the water containers, so that bees and other insects can have a drink without drowning.
If you have a bird bath, keep the water clean. Birds need to bathe to help keep their feathers in good nick.
Keep bird feeders topped up and scatter cut up apples for ground feeding birds, like thrushes.
Provide shelter from the sun, like log piles, shady undisturbed areas. Tall grass for frogs, toads and newts.
If you have a pond, keep it topped up with water, not from the tap but rainwater or water from the tap that has been left for 24 hours so that chlorine etc can disperse before it’s added to the pond.
Leave seed heads on plants for seed eating birds.
Leave areas messy and wild to provide habitats for lots of different wildlife.
Share some of your produce with wildlife too, leave fruit on bushes. It’s nice to share!
As we are having to adapt to increasing hot temperatures our wildlife is trying to adapt too but they are not used to these extremes and are suffering. Taking a few steps to help can save wildlife in the short term. The long term is another issue.
The Wild Bunch offer monthly gatherings for anyone interested in wildlife in Frome – anyone is welcome along with offers of help or ideas. We are a small but growing group and link up to other local wildlife-friendly groups. To join our discussions and gatherings about wildlife friendly gardening contact us via Frome Town Hall or join our mailing list at https://bit.ly/wild-bunch-frome.
