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Frogs
 The Wild side of the garden. When we hear of so much of a decline to our wildlife, it’s good for a change to note that some things are the opposite. It’s found that London is proving a safe haven for the frog and newt population,and it has been noted by Nicholas Meade, ‘The pond doctor’, there are now 50% more frogs and newts in the suburbs of the capital than 20 years ago, but unfortunately there is a down side to it as well. Froglife, a registered charity, said there are now more than 150,000 pond owners in London, although this was helping the amphibians in town, ponds in the countryside were disappearing so quickly that the number of these animals is bound to be affected. They are also concerned that this is because chemicals, pesticides and road developments have damaged their natural habitat. In some ponds in London there were found more then 200 frogs - well in excess of normal expectations. After being alarmed by the declining number of frogs and toads in the UK they said that pond owners in London have a special role to play in their conservation. They can’t breed without ponds and 90% of rural ponds have disappeared over the last few decades. But with the rise in popularity of garden ponds, urban areas have become frog strongholds. |
Feeding the birds
 I get as much from my garden watching the birds as growing my plants. I feed them all the year round, but I don’t expect that from everybody. But as weather conditions become colder and naturally occurring food supplies for birds become shorter, don't forget to spare a thought for our feathered friends and leave them a meal or two. Obviously each type of bird has different food preferences and needs, Broadly speaking you, should always avoid giving or offering them anything which is spiced or salty, and the more natural the food you supply the better. If any apples or other fruits start to go off in your fruit bowl, pop these onto your bird table or an other suitable site and blackbirds and thrushes are sure to cluster around and enjoy the softening fruit. Things good to eat are Wholemeal bread, and meat scraps are also potentially attractive, although you need to be careful that the meat does not attract unwanted vermin. Grain (such as that you might feed to poultry) always goes down well and, of course, the birds will really appreciate it if you invest in some grain-encrusted fat balls, peanut dispensers and wild bird food mixtures. Some companies supply grubs and maggots which are an excellent, high protein meal for many birds. They will repay you by coming back in the summer to get rid of a lot of those pests that plague us.
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Give birds the brush off
 While most gardeners encourage wildlife into their garden, those who have them don't feel quite the same up at the allotment. most don’t mind them visiting, but they would prefer it if they didn't stay for dinner. The trouble is, because the allotment is often deserted, they have plenty of time to tuck in, without the fear of being interrupted. Birds, especially pigeons and sparrows, can be a particular problem at this time of the year. They love a summer salad, followed by a few peas and brassicas and a few tasty fruits for afters. The end result can be a long row of stalks. And with fruit they may attack both the buds in the spring. (bullfinches are especially notorious for this), and pick out the berries in summer and autumn. With birds, unlike insect pests, what we should try to do is to discourage them without harming them. So what can we do? First have a good look around the allotment to see what other gardeners do, you will be amazed at the range of solutions. Netting seems to be one of the favourites, with a wide range of different types available. You can stretch it between canes or poles and others fasten it over hoops, although its probably best if held over the crops, otherwise pigeons will simply land on it and eat the veg through it. Fruit bushes can be protected with soft plastic netting or large areas can be enclosed in a fruit cage. Chicken wire made into a tunnel maybe another option which is useful when the plants are young, and it can be moved around the crops as needed. Polythene along with fleece could be used for fruit bushes. There are also lots of different bird scarers. These seem to fall into two categories: those that work with a visual deterrent and those that emit sound, but they do seem rather expensive. There is of course the old fashioned scarecrow, but these seem to have been replaced by plastic owls, hawks and cats, although the owl I bought is just used as a resting site by starlings. As with all visual scarers, they work best when moved around the plot. And some say that being fastened with fishing line is best, as the birds think it's really flying around. Other home made visual scarers include plastic bottles, CDs on strings, strips of material and children’s windmills. |
Beneficial Insects
 What we must try to do is encourage as many beneficial insects to the garden as possible by planting nectar-rich flowers. Hoverflies, bees and even wasps are useful in the garden. Hoverflies and wasps because their larvae will eat insects pests, and bees which are useful for pollination. But I suppose it is the butterflies which are the most colourful and notable. If you want to attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to your garden, then there are plenty of flowers which are nice for you to look at as well as being full of nectar. Probably best known are the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) and Sedum spectabile. They're both covered with bees and butterflies in July and August. But other good sources of nectar are herbs such as thyme, marjoram, lavender and rosemary. You don't even need a garden as they are ideal to grow in pots and containers where the insects will be just as enthusiastic to visit the flowers for a feed. Summer-flowering heathers are also favourites of bees and butterflies, as well as herbaceous perennials such as achillea, limonium, scabious and catmint. And there are also plenty of annual flowers that will bring the nectar feeders in, including anchusa, mignonette, salvia, verbena and candytuft. Bees will need a good source of nectar from March through until late September and even October. And the main season for butterflies is June to September, although you may find a few outside these times and, depending on the species, you could see some in March and as late as November. |
The good, the bad and the ugly
 I think the creepy, crawlies in the garden are divided into three groups, the good, the bad and the ugly, because that’s how it is in the garden, but many insects have a worse reputation with gardeners than they deserve, they're not all bad guys! Most of the insects you find in the garden are actually helpful. Bees and hoverflies are useful pollinators, while lacewings and beetles eat unwanted pests such as aphids, thrips and red spider mite. Then there are things that start off as badies and turn to goodies later. For instance caterpillars will munch your leaves, but, who doesn't enjoy the sight of colourful butterflies when they change? But how do you tell a good guy from a bad guy? again, it depends on your attitude to garden pests and how you view your garden. Most people don't like wasps, but they are superb natural predators and will clear a rosebed of greenfly in no time. And most people find earthworms beneficial, but you wouldn’t if you were a greenkeeper looking after a bowling green. When it comes to looks things can become difficult as looks can be deceiving. Millipedes and centipedes look similar, but while centipedes are helpful and eat soil pests, millipedes can damage bulbs and seedlings. Lily beetles are every bit as pretty as ladybirds, but are real pests attacking fritillaries and Solomon’s seal as well as lilies. One of the best ways of dealing with this is to attract as many beneficial insects as possible and after a while, a balanced eco-system will set itself up with the beneficial insects hopefully keeping the troublemakers under control. You can buy insect hotels to encourage helpful bugs, or make your own. Put together a bug hotel made out of logs and hollow canes. If you have the space, keep a log pile, or grow a patch of nettles for caterpillar food. And attract pollinating insects by including plants such as sedum. These are especially important for bees, which are in decline in the UK. Pick insects off plants rather than spraying with chemicals. If you really need to get rid of wasps, use special wasp-traps. And as for millipedes, the best thing to do is to cultivate the soil, to bring them to the surface, and let the birds do the rest. If you can’t face squashing them, then sadly, the only way to control vine weevils and lily beetles is to use a chemical such as Provado Ultimate Bug Killer. For those that look alike the rule of thumb is, predators move fast while pest are slow moving, so those that run away, let them run and those that hide or roll up in a ball squash. Some similar looking bugs can be told apart with careful examination. The Ground beetle moves quickly while the vine weevil rolls up and pretends it’s dead. The centipede is fast moving and is golden brown but the millipede is black and slow moving. The ladybird is a goodie with a round head and spots. The red lily beetle on the other hand has an elongated head and no spots and should be dispatched as soon as possible. Finally the hoverfly has only one pair of wings and hovers when flying while the wasp has two pairs of wings and rarely hovers. Well I hope this article answers a few of your problems which ever they are, good, bad or just ugly. |
Help them survive the winter.
 | British wildlife is under pressure from so many directions in today's modern world that gardens, are havens for their survival. And, while the countryside has traditionally been the place to see birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, they are all regular visitors and, in some cases, residents, in our gardens. Autumn is time for some of this wildlife to hibernate, while others remain active right through the winter and need food to fuel them through. The hibernators will have spent the summer laying down as much body reserves as possible, and now they're looking for a snug place to get through the cold weather. Take the slow worm, for example. It makes its winter home in the holes in old walls and in dry leaves under sheds and other garden buildings. They are pretty drowsy as their mobility depends on daytime warmth, and their name is particularly apt at this time of the year. It can be tempting to patch up crumbling walls and to clear leaves which collect under the edges of garden buildings, but these places are a matter of life and death for such unusual animals. Amphibians are also slowing down and although they may emerge from hibernation during the warmest weather, their safest option is to remain in a cool place where the temperature is fairly constant. Toads often take up residence in unusual places; outside lavatories, garages, sheds and under manhole covers. More usually, they squeeze their way into crevices between rocks or cracks at the base of walls. You can encourage toads to stay in your garden with small piles of logs or even terracotta flowers stacked against a north-facing wait or fence. Sparrows seem to be on the decline in our gardens as well as in the countryside, so they certainly could do with a bit of help. They tend to remain active through the winter, like many resident birds, but they need somewhere warm to roost. Sparrows can even be encouraged to eaves-mounted boxes of straw, where they will be kept dry and sheltered from cold winds. All these garden inhabitants will repay your kindness by keeping plant pests at bay throughout the year. Many bird species rely on insects and larvae to feed their young in spring, while toads like nothing more than the odd slug.
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