Providing wildlife habitat

 

Returning to the scene, May 2023

I've seen the hedgehog a couple of times recently in this bed, and it has retreated to the far leafy corner both times, leading me to suspect it has a nest.  Perhaps it has a nest of hoglets?  Recall we lost a week old duckling to a marauding hedgehog--maybe even the same hedgehog.  I can't blame it however, and am still glad to see it.

Unlike most of our neighbours, our garden has a mixture of all kinds of plants;  and instead of an open lawn with just one or two levels of plantings in perimeter flower beds, it almost resembles a slice of forest with a mature horse chestnut tree to a variety of smaller trees (hawthorns, laurels, fruit trees), shrubs from very tall to very small, a small bit of meadow (aka lawn) and lots of layers in between.  

All this provides good habitat for birds especially, who love our garden.  Mostly I love them back, although I'm not 100% about the pair of wood pigeons who keep trying to eat my lettuces--luckily they are foiled fairly easily with some loosely draped netting.  All the different leafy layers means there are a lot of places for birds to quickly fly to in case of danger (which is usually us, or one of the neighbourhood cats), and the different plantings provide lots of food, particularly bugs.

It's an excellent space for creepy crawlies with lots of habitat everywhere, for worms and woodlice to bees and beyond.  The birds are constantly feeding; I see the same male sparrow every day picking aphids off my plum tree (I think he has a bunch of hungry kids in the eaves).  In fact, it's the prime time of year to see parents teaching their chicks to find food, and what better place than our garden?  Soon we will have ripe berberis berries, and after that a steady stream of berries and seeds all over.

The wildlife that live and visit here rarely make trouble, and are either harmless or positively beneficial (like Mr Sparrow);  any drawbacks are small compared to the advantages.  They help me grow better food by eating pests and I love their feathery antics and songs.  I encourage them, the bugs, and even that bloodthirsty hedgehog with my garden design.