![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01632392-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Grey")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01371586-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Common")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652178-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Organic")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652188-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Wood")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nCan you tell us more about the garden and how it has developed over the years?<\/h3>\n
“The property is part of a rambling 300 year old complex that was run as an asylum\/nursing home for over 200 years. It sits on a Wiltshire hilltop, surrounded by meadows and woods, with quite large gardens. The rather wild garden below the house was one of the things that led us to buy it 25 years ago, despite the holes in the roof and collapsing floors!\u00a0 Over the years we’ve encouraged more wildlife by planting lots of wildlife-friendly plants, installing insect hotels, a pond and most recently boxes for owls and bats.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01649777.jpg\" "\\"Insect")
<\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01649778.jpg\" "\\"Insect")
<\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01528091.jpg\" "\\"Red")
<\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01649768.jpg\" "\\"Bat")
<\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01575823.jpg\" "\\"Common")
<\/div>How has your garden photography evolved during lockdown?<\/h3>\n
“My portfolio has grown a lot lately, as I\u2019ve used the lockdown period to try things I haven\u2019t before. For instance, I have been doing a lot of hide work, and also waiting as long as it takes for bumblebees, mining and mason bees to return to their nests. The time I have invested has paid dividends in more unusual behavioural images. Many nocturnal mammals visit the garden and I’ve managed to photograph them using camera traps and remotely triggered cameras. Where possible I try to frame the shot to include some elements of the domestic setting. It seems the local visitors have become very habituated to clicks and flashes at night and have become bolder than ever.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652189-360x240.jpg\" "\\"European")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01649804-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Buff-tailed")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nYou have captured some great badger and deer images in your garden. How do you work out where to set the camera traps?<\/h3>\n
“I often simply watch for signs like small excavations in the lawn that badgers make\u00a0while foraging and flattened grass and enlarged gaps in our hedges where they’ve walked many times. They’re creatures of habit and use the\u00a0same\u00a0routes repeatedly. \u00a0I also look for the\u00a0tiny\u00a0footprints or \u201cslots” left by Muntjacs around\u00a0the garden and larger ones of Roe deer and for signs of browsed plants. For the last 3 years or so, though, I\u2019ve also been using a cheap video trailcam most\u00a0nights of the year to monitor what animals are visiting the garden and when, usually setting it where I’ve seen some field signs of badgers or deer. ”<\/p>\n
“The footage\u00a0isn\u2019t very high\u00a0quality, but it\u2019s\u00a0perfect for helping me know where to set up the stills camera\u00a0trap\u00a0which involves a good DSLR camera and lens, an infra-red trigger\u00a0mechanism\u00a0and up to 4 flashguns, all carefully waterproofed. \u00a0This approach has really paid off this year as the trailcam told me that both Roe and Muntjac deer were grazing a sloping\u00a0section of\u00a0our lawn and led to some clear camera trap photos of both. \u00a0The trailcam also told me that badgers started using our garden steps regularly from late April, on\u00a0their way to forage\u00a0for insect grubs on the upper section of the lawn and that they started to drink from the pond as the weather became very dry in May. I then set the\u00a0camera trap in good\u00a0positions to capture both\u00a0behaviours in\u00a0stills.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01652096-360x240.jpg\" "\\"European")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01651711-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Alert")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652106-360x240.jpg\" "\\"European")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nDo you know how many individual animals visit the garden?<\/h3>\n
“I can only guess at the number of badgers that visit our garden, as they are\u00a0rarely distinctive to me in shots except by size, but I think around 6 or 7 visit in total from at least 2 families. We think they all come from\u00a0setts in some\u00a0private woodland not far below our garden, and they\u00a0often forage in a large meadow grazed by horses nearby. The badgers, Roe and\u00a0Muntjac deer and foxes all use a well-worn path they’ve made that runs\u00a0along\u00a0below our garden and enters a\u00a0neighbour’s garden as well. \u00a0There used to be a rather\u00a0flimsy\u00a0chicken wire fence in one\u00a0corner of the\u00a0garden, but the badgers and deer\u00a0have\u00a0completely\u00a0flattened it over the years and we\u00a0haven\u2019t repaired it. Some of our neighbours who have well-tended gardens and\u00a0vegetable\u00a0plots\u00a0work hard to try and keep them all out, but don’t always succeed!”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01513904-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Female")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01649779-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Reeve's")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01652102-360x240.jpg\" "\\"European")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01652123-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Red")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nWhat attracts the badgers into your garden?<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652109-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Badger digging in garden lawn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
“I think the badgers mostly visit our garden to hunt for worms, sniffed out by their sensitive noses. Worms are their\u00a0staple food and they can really\u00a0feast on\u00a0them on very wet\u00a0nights when more come to the surface. They also hunt for\u00a0slugs, snails\u00a0and beetle grubs in the lawn. We get a lot of cockchafers flying to\u00a0the\u00a0lights from our\u00a0windows on early summer nights and\u00a0their big grubs are a real favourite for badgers who also dig for leatherjackets (Cranefly\u00a0larvae) and for bumblebee larvae.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What particularly attracts roe deer into the garden?<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01651706-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>Roe deer browsing on honeysuckle leaves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n“Roe deer are the ultimate\u00a0browsers and like to nibble a bit of this and a bit of that. They keep moving around\u00a0trying\u00a0everything\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0edible and some\u00a0things that\u00a0aren\u2019t meant to be!\u00a0 In our garden they\u00a0especially like ivy leaves (no problem), rose leaves (major\u00a0problem as the bushes are\u00a0often left\u00a0completely bare), laurel leaves (poisonous to\u00a0humans, but the deer eat a few) and they seem to\u00a0try\u00a0everything else that\u00a0grows that\u00a0isn\u2019t extremely spiny or toxic.”<\/p>\n
“They\u00a0sometimes sneak\u00a0right\u00a0up\u00a0onto\u00a0the patio to nibble the \u00a0leaves of Begonias and other flowers in pots, so living\u00a0with deer is a mixed\u00a0blessing. \u00a0We love\u00a0watching them,\u00a0though,\u00a0and\u00a0tolerate a fair bit of destructive nibbling and never chase them off, even if we catch them in\u00a0the\u00a0act!”<\/p>\n
Deer are usually quite timid. Did you use a hide to get the daytime shots, or were they taken from inside the house?<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01368952-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Roe")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652118-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Roe")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01651710-1-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Reeve's")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Most of my daytime roe deer photos were taken from either the\u00a0sash window of our bathroom on the first\u00a0floor,\u00a0which I have to raise very\u00a0quietly not to\u00a0alert them, or through the double\u00a0glazed\u00a0windows of our\u00a0front room. A hide at ground level would likely not work for deer, as they\u2019d\u00a0probably\u00a0smell me and their visits in daytime are also too intermittent to make hide use\u00a0effective.\u00a0 They\u2019re\u00a0also quite wary of the camera trap set-up. However, I\u2019ve found ways to get\u00a0shots of\u00a0them and the\u00a0even shyer Muntjac.\u00a0 I try to see where they’ve been grazing, set up the trap\u00a0nearby\u00a0and\u00a0often catch them\u00a0with it\u00a0before they realise it\u2019s in place.”<\/p>\n
“Even that never worked for Muntjac, as they are so shy and observant and always managed to avoid the camera trap, \u00a0but I found a way to get some shots this year. \u00a0Once the trailcam told me they were grazing a patch of grass on our lawn this spring, I set the camera box and light stands out for a couple of weeks for them to get used to before slipping the camera and flash guns in, and then immediately had some success.”<\/p>\n
How important is it to have a pond in a garden to attract wildlife?<\/h3>\n
“Ponds are really good for attracting more wildlife to a garden. Birds and mammals may well come to drink from them and birds can bathe in them. Frogs, toads and perhaps even newts may come to breed. And a wide variety of invertebrates, such as damselflies, dragonflies, pond skaters and water boatmen, soon colonise. So garden ponds\u00a0 create thriving wildlife habitats, with lots for us to enjoy\u00a0watching.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01650653.jpg\" "\\"Water")
<\/div>Garden pond with aquatic plants<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652114.jpg\" "\\"Wood")
<\/div>Woodpigeon drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01652112.jpg\" "\\"Azure")
<\/div>Azure damselflies mating<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652128.jpg\" "\\"Broad-bodied")
<\/div>Broad-bodied chaser emerged from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nHow large is the pond in your garden and how did you construct it?<\/h3>\n
“Our circular pond is quite small, just 2 metres across and about half a metre deep, built of concrete and stone and lined with a thick plastic sheet.\u00a0We had it built 2 years ago at the same time as\u00a0some new\u00a0garden steps were constructed on a steep slope, and it\u2019s been a\u00a0huge bonus for us and many kinds of wildlife.\u00a0\u00a0Before we filled it\u00a0with water, I built a rubble slope in one side of the pond to give plants a good place to root in, for aquatic wildlife to find safe crevices in and for any creatures that might fall in to be able to climb out again. I\u2019m sure that has helped many kinds of\u00a0wildlife to use it so\u00a0quickly. \u00a0 We planted it with\u00a0native wild plants such as Spiked water milfoil, Water mint, Marsh\u00a0woundwort, Yellow flags, Water forget-me-not,\u00a0Bog bean, Water speedwell and Yellow water lily. They all established really fast and have proved a magnet for lots of insects as they\u00a0flower in turn across the warmer months.”<\/p>\n
Which new species were attracted by the pond?<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01651713.jpg\" "\\"Young")
<\/div>Roe deer drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01652125.jpg\" "\\"Emperor")
<\/div>Emperor dragonfly egg-laying<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01652099.jpg\" "\\"European")
<\/div>Badger by garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01630505.jpg\" "\\"Frogspawn")
<\/div>Frogspawn in pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01371590.jpg\" "\\"Large")
<\/div>Large red damselfly<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01638079.jpg\" "\\"Great")
<\/div>Great pond snail<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Almost as soon as the pond\u00a0was built and filled in May 2018, many kinds of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0began\u00a0to\u00a0appear\u00a0in it\u00a0with a mass of water fleas, pond\u00a0skaters, pond snails and water boatmen appearing\u00a0within\u00a0weeks.\u00a0 Some were\u00a0introduced with\u00a0 plants we got from garden\u00a0centres and a\u00a0neighbour’s pond, but others have flown in.\u00a0Large red and azure damelsflies and\u00a0Broad-bodied chaser Dragonflies\u00a0came to lay\u00a0egg\u00a0within weeks, and lots of\u00a0adults\u00a0now emerge in summer. \u00a0More species have been coming to lay this\u00a0year\u00a0including large, colourful Emperor\u00a0dragonflies. ”<\/p>\n
“Frogs began breeding in the pond last year and\u00a0lots of\u00a0honeybees and hoverflies come to drink. \u00a0The badgers learnt\u00a0during the dry spell in May that they could climb up onto the edge to drink and the Roe deer have started to visit for a drink too. \u00a0Wood\u00a0pigeons drink from and bathe it in a lot (a mixed blessing as they leave an oily scum on the surface!) and\u00a0blackbirds and\u00a0other small birds often come to drink as well.”<\/p>\n
How many species of bee do you have in your garden?<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01614651-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Ivy")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01371564-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Queen")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01371625-1-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Honey")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“We get masses of honeybees in the garden and at least three kinds of bumblebee. We have early, red-tailed \u00a0and buff-tailed with the last two often nesting in the lawn or under old tree stumps. It\u2019s hard to be sure how many kinds of solitary bee we get as there are so many kinds that look similar, but I\u2019ve definitely identified red mason bees, two kinds of leafcutter bee, and five kinds of mining bee, while the ivy bee, a\u00a0new species to the UK in 2001, now\u00a0visits our ivy flowers in big\u00a0numbers in\u00a0autumn. . We also have common furrow bees\u00a0nesting in the the\u00a0lawn, and\u00a0 several species of\u00a0solitary bee and wasp use the two insect hotels we have in the garden.”<\/p>\n
Which species act as natural pest control, eating aphids and other garden pests?<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01572931.jpg\" "\\"Common")
<\/div>Common toad in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01371605.jpg\" "\\"Black")
<\/div>Black slug on patio<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01352311.jpg\" "\\"Harlequin")
<\/div>Ladybird feeding on aphids<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01649798.jpg\" "\\"Seven-spot")
<\/div>Seven-spot ladybird in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01371616.jpg\" "\\"Group")
<\/div>Sawfly larvae on rose<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
\n- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/01586689-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Hedgehog")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01652173-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Honey")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01495992-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Slow")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
<\/a><\/p>\n
“I think the badgers mostly visit our garden to hunt for worms, sniffed out by their sensitive noses. Worms are their\u00a0staple food and they can really\u00a0feast on\u00a0them on very wet\u00a0nights when more come to the surface. They also hunt for\u00a0slugs, snails\u00a0and beetle grubs in the lawn. We get a lot of cockchafers flying to\u00a0the\u00a0lights from our\u00a0windows on early summer nights and\u00a0their big grubs are a real favourite for badgers who also dig for leatherjackets (Cranefly\u00a0larvae) and for bumblebee larvae.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What particularly attracts roe deer into the garden?<\/h3>\n<\/a>Roe deer browsing on honeysuckle leaves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n“Roe deer are the ultimate\u00a0browsers and like to nibble a bit of this and a bit of that. They keep moving around\u00a0trying\u00a0everything\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0edible and some\u00a0things that\u00a0aren\u2019t meant to be!\u00a0 In our garden they\u00a0especially like ivy leaves (no problem), rose leaves (major\u00a0problem as the bushes are\u00a0often left\u00a0completely bare), laurel leaves (poisonous to\u00a0humans, but the deer eat a few) and they seem to\u00a0try\u00a0everything else that\u00a0grows that\u00a0isn\u2019t extremely spiny or toxic.”<\/p>\n
“They\u00a0sometimes sneak\u00a0right\u00a0up\u00a0onto\u00a0the patio to nibble the \u00a0leaves of Begonias and other flowers in pots, so living\u00a0with deer is a mixed\u00a0blessing. \u00a0We love\u00a0watching them,\u00a0though,\u00a0and\u00a0tolerate a fair bit of destructive nibbling and never chase them off, even if we catch them in\u00a0the\u00a0act!”<\/p>\n
Deer are usually quite timid. Did you use a hide to get the daytime shots, or were they taken from inside the house?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Most of my daytime roe deer photos were taken from either the\u00a0sash window of our bathroom on the first\u00a0floor,\u00a0which I have to raise very\u00a0quietly not to\u00a0alert them, or through the double\u00a0glazed\u00a0windows of our\u00a0front room. A hide at ground level would likely not work for deer, as they\u2019d\u00a0probably\u00a0smell me and their visits in daytime are also too intermittent to make hide use\u00a0effective.\u00a0 They\u2019re\u00a0also quite wary of the camera trap set-up. However, I\u2019ve found ways to get\u00a0shots of\u00a0them and the\u00a0even shyer Muntjac.\u00a0 I try to see where they’ve been grazing, set up the trap\u00a0nearby\u00a0and\u00a0often catch them\u00a0with it\u00a0before they realise it\u2019s in place.”<\/p>\n
“Even that never worked for Muntjac, as they are so shy and observant and always managed to avoid the camera trap, \u00a0but I found a way to get some shots this year. \u00a0Once the trailcam told me they were grazing a patch of grass on our lawn this spring, I set the camera box and light stands out for a couple of weeks for them to get used to before slipping the camera and flash guns in, and then immediately had some success.”<\/p>\n
How important is it to have a pond in a garden to attract wildlife?<\/h3>\n
“Ponds are really good for attracting more wildlife to a garden. Birds and mammals may well come to drink from them and birds can bathe in them. Frogs, toads and perhaps even newts may come to breed. And a wide variety of invertebrates, such as damselflies, dragonflies, pond skaters and water boatmen, soon colonise. So garden ponds\u00a0 create thriving wildlife habitats, with lots for us to enjoy\u00a0watching.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>Garden pond with aquatic plants<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Woodpigeon drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Azure damselflies mating<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Broad-bodied chaser emerged from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nHow large is the pond in your garden and how did you construct it?<\/h3>\n
“Our circular pond is quite small, just 2 metres across and about half a metre deep, built of concrete and stone and lined with a thick plastic sheet.\u00a0We had it built 2 years ago at the same time as\u00a0some new\u00a0garden steps were constructed on a steep slope, and it\u2019s been a\u00a0huge bonus for us and many kinds of wildlife.\u00a0\u00a0Before we filled it\u00a0with water, I built a rubble slope in one side of the pond to give plants a good place to root in, for aquatic wildlife to find safe crevices in and for any creatures that might fall in to be able to climb out again. I\u2019m sure that has helped many kinds of\u00a0wildlife to use it so\u00a0quickly. \u00a0 We planted it with\u00a0native wild plants such as Spiked water milfoil, Water mint, Marsh\u00a0woundwort, Yellow flags, Water forget-me-not,\u00a0Bog bean, Water speedwell and Yellow water lily. They all established really fast and have proved a magnet for lots of insects as they\u00a0flower in turn across the warmer months.”<\/p>\n
Which new species were attracted by the pond?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Roe deer drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Emperor dragonfly egg-laying<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Badger by garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Frogspawn in pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Large red damselfly<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Great pond snail<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Almost as soon as the pond\u00a0was built and filled in May 2018, many kinds of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0began\u00a0to\u00a0appear\u00a0in it\u00a0with a mass of water fleas, pond\u00a0skaters, pond snails and water boatmen appearing\u00a0within\u00a0weeks.\u00a0 Some were\u00a0introduced with\u00a0 plants we got from garden\u00a0centres and a\u00a0neighbour’s pond, but others have flown in.\u00a0Large red and azure damelsflies and\u00a0Broad-bodied chaser Dragonflies\u00a0came to lay\u00a0egg\u00a0within weeks, and lots of\u00a0adults\u00a0now emerge in summer. \u00a0More species have been coming to lay this\u00a0year\u00a0including large, colourful Emperor\u00a0dragonflies. ”<\/p>\n
“Frogs began breeding in the pond last year and\u00a0lots of\u00a0honeybees and hoverflies come to drink. \u00a0The badgers learnt\u00a0during the dry spell in May that they could climb up onto the edge to drink and the Roe deer have started to visit for a drink too. \u00a0Wood\u00a0pigeons drink from and bathe it in a lot (a mixed blessing as they leave an oily scum on the surface!) and\u00a0blackbirds and\u00a0other small birds often come to drink as well.”<\/p>\n
How many species of bee do you have in your garden?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“We get masses of honeybees in the garden and at least three kinds of bumblebee. We have early, red-tailed \u00a0and buff-tailed with the last two often nesting in the lawn or under old tree stumps. It\u2019s hard to be sure how many kinds of solitary bee we get as there are so many kinds that look similar, but I\u2019ve definitely identified red mason bees, two kinds of leafcutter bee, and five kinds of mining bee, while the ivy bee, a\u00a0new species to the UK in 2001, now\u00a0visits our ivy flowers in big\u00a0numbers in\u00a0autumn. . We also have common furrow bees\u00a0nesting in the the\u00a0lawn, and\u00a0 several species of\u00a0solitary bee and wasp use the two insect hotels we have in the garden.”<\/p>\n
Which species act as natural pest control, eating aphids and other garden pests?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Common toad in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Black slug on patio<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Ladybird feeding on aphids<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Seven-spot ladybird in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Sawfly larvae on rose<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
\n- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
<\/a>“Roe deer are the ultimate\u00a0browsers and like to nibble a bit of this and a bit of that. They keep moving around\u00a0trying\u00a0everything\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0edible and some\u00a0things that\u00a0aren\u2019t meant to be!\u00a0 In our garden they\u00a0especially like ivy leaves (no problem), rose leaves (major\u00a0problem as the bushes are\u00a0often left\u00a0completely bare), laurel leaves (poisonous to\u00a0humans, but the deer eat a few) and they seem to\u00a0try\u00a0everything else that\u00a0grows that\u00a0isn\u2019t extremely spiny or toxic.”<\/p>\n
“They\u00a0sometimes sneak\u00a0right\u00a0up\u00a0onto\u00a0the patio to nibble the \u00a0leaves of Begonias and other flowers in pots, so living\u00a0with deer is a mixed\u00a0blessing. \u00a0We love\u00a0watching them,\u00a0though,\u00a0and\u00a0tolerate a fair bit of destructive nibbling and never chase them off, even if we catch them in\u00a0the\u00a0act!”<\/p>\n
Deer are usually quite timid. Did you use a hide to get the daytime shots, or were they taken from inside the house?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Most of my daytime roe deer photos were taken from either the\u00a0sash window of our bathroom on the first\u00a0floor,\u00a0which I have to raise very\u00a0quietly not to\u00a0alert them, or through the double\u00a0glazed\u00a0windows of our\u00a0front room. A hide at ground level would likely not work for deer, as they\u2019d\u00a0probably\u00a0smell me and their visits in daytime are also too intermittent to make hide use\u00a0effective.\u00a0 They\u2019re\u00a0also quite wary of the camera trap set-up. However, I\u2019ve found ways to get\u00a0shots of\u00a0them and the\u00a0even shyer Muntjac.\u00a0 I try to see where they’ve been grazing, set up the trap\u00a0nearby\u00a0and\u00a0often catch them\u00a0with it\u00a0before they realise it\u2019s in place.”<\/p>\n
“Even that never worked for Muntjac, as they are so shy and observant and always managed to avoid the camera trap, \u00a0but I found a way to get some shots this year. \u00a0Once the trailcam told me they were grazing a patch of grass on our lawn this spring, I set the camera box and light stands out for a couple of weeks for them to get used to before slipping the camera and flash guns in, and then immediately had some success.”<\/p>\n
How important is it to have a pond in a garden to attract wildlife?<\/h3>\n
“Ponds are really good for attracting more wildlife to a garden. Birds and mammals may well come to drink from them and birds can bathe in them. Frogs, toads and perhaps even newts may come to breed. And a wide variety of invertebrates, such as damselflies, dragonflies, pond skaters and water boatmen, soon colonise. So garden ponds\u00a0 create thriving wildlife habitats, with lots for us to enjoy\u00a0watching.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>Garden pond with aquatic plants<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Woodpigeon drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Azure damselflies mating<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Broad-bodied chaser emerged from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\nHow large is the pond in your garden and how did you construct it?<\/h3>\n
“Our circular pond is quite small, just 2 metres across and about half a metre deep, built of concrete and stone and lined with a thick plastic sheet.\u00a0We had it built 2 years ago at the same time as\u00a0some new\u00a0garden steps were constructed on a steep slope, and it\u2019s been a\u00a0huge bonus for us and many kinds of wildlife.\u00a0\u00a0Before we filled it\u00a0with water, I built a rubble slope in one side of the pond to give plants a good place to root in, for aquatic wildlife to find safe crevices in and for any creatures that might fall in to be able to climb out again. I\u2019m sure that has helped many kinds of\u00a0wildlife to use it so\u00a0quickly. \u00a0 We planted it with\u00a0native wild plants such as Spiked water milfoil, Water mint, Marsh\u00a0woundwort, Yellow flags, Water forget-me-not,\u00a0Bog bean, Water speedwell and Yellow water lily. They all established really fast and have proved a magnet for lots of insects as they\u00a0flower in turn across the warmer months.”<\/p>\n
Which new species were attracted by the pond?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Roe deer drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Emperor dragonfly egg-laying<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Badger by garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Frogspawn in pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Large red damselfly<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Great pond snail<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Almost as soon as the pond\u00a0was built and filled in May 2018, many kinds of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0began\u00a0to\u00a0appear\u00a0in it\u00a0with a mass of water fleas, pond\u00a0skaters, pond snails and water boatmen appearing\u00a0within\u00a0weeks.\u00a0 Some were\u00a0introduced with\u00a0 plants we got from garden\u00a0centres and a\u00a0neighbour’s pond, but others have flown in.\u00a0Large red and azure damelsflies and\u00a0Broad-bodied chaser Dragonflies\u00a0came to lay\u00a0egg\u00a0within weeks, and lots of\u00a0adults\u00a0now emerge in summer. \u00a0More species have been coming to lay this\u00a0year\u00a0including large, colourful Emperor\u00a0dragonflies. ”<\/p>\n
“Frogs began breeding in the pond last year and\u00a0lots of\u00a0honeybees and hoverflies come to drink. \u00a0The badgers learnt\u00a0during the dry spell in May that they could climb up onto the edge to drink and the Roe deer have started to visit for a drink too. \u00a0Wood\u00a0pigeons drink from and bathe it in a lot (a mixed blessing as they leave an oily scum on the surface!) and\u00a0blackbirds and\u00a0other small birds often come to drink as well.”<\/p>\n
How many species of bee do you have in your garden?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“We get masses of honeybees in the garden and at least three kinds of bumblebee. We have early, red-tailed \u00a0and buff-tailed with the last two often nesting in the lawn or under old tree stumps. It\u2019s hard to be sure how many kinds of solitary bee we get as there are so many kinds that look similar, but I\u2019ve definitely identified red mason bees, two kinds of leafcutter bee, and five kinds of mining bee, while the ivy bee, a\u00a0new species to the UK in 2001, now\u00a0visits our ivy flowers in big\u00a0numbers in\u00a0autumn. . We also have common furrow bees\u00a0nesting in the the\u00a0lawn, and\u00a0 several species of\u00a0solitary bee and wasp use the two insect hotels we have in the garden.”<\/p>\n
Which species act as natural pest control, eating aphids and other garden pests?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Common toad in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Black slug on patio<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Ladybird feeding on aphids<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Seven-spot ladybird in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Sawfly larvae on rose<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
\n- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Most of my daytime roe deer photos were taken from either the\u00a0sash window of our bathroom on the first\u00a0floor,\u00a0which I have to raise very\u00a0quietly not to\u00a0alert them, or through the double\u00a0glazed\u00a0windows of our\u00a0front room. A hide at ground level would likely not work for deer, as they\u2019d\u00a0probably\u00a0smell me and their visits in daytime are also too intermittent to make hide use\u00a0effective.\u00a0 They\u2019re\u00a0also quite wary of the camera trap set-up. However, I\u2019ve found ways to get\u00a0shots of\u00a0them and the\u00a0even shyer Muntjac.\u00a0 I try to see where they’ve been grazing, set up the trap\u00a0nearby\u00a0and\u00a0often catch them\u00a0with it\u00a0before they realise it\u2019s in place.”<\/p>\n
“Even that never worked for Muntjac, as they are so shy and observant and always managed to avoid the camera trap, \u00a0but I found a way to get some shots this year. \u00a0Once the trailcam told me they were grazing a patch of grass on our lawn this spring, I set the camera box and light stands out for a couple of weeks for them to get used to before slipping the camera and flash guns in, and then immediately had some success.”<\/p>\n
How important is it to have a pond in a garden to attract wildlife?<\/h3>\n
“Ponds are really good for attracting more wildlife to a garden. Birds and mammals may well come to drink from them and birds can bathe in them. Frogs, toads and perhaps even newts may come to breed. And a wide variety of invertebrates, such as damselflies, dragonflies, pond skaters and water boatmen, soon colonise. So garden ponds\u00a0 create thriving wildlife habitats, with lots for us to enjoy\u00a0watching.”<\/p>\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>How large is the pond in your garden and how did you construct it?<\/h3>\n
“Our circular pond is quite small, just 2 metres across and about half a metre deep, built of concrete and stone and lined with a thick plastic sheet.\u00a0We had it built 2 years ago at the same time as\u00a0some new\u00a0garden steps were constructed on a steep slope, and it\u2019s been a\u00a0huge bonus for us and many kinds of wildlife.\u00a0\u00a0Before we filled it\u00a0with water, I built a rubble slope in one side of the pond to give plants a good place to root in, for aquatic wildlife to find safe crevices in and for any creatures that might fall in to be able to climb out again. I\u2019m sure that has helped many kinds of\u00a0wildlife to use it so\u00a0quickly. \u00a0 We planted it with\u00a0native wild plants such as Spiked water milfoil, Water mint, Marsh\u00a0woundwort, Yellow flags, Water forget-me-not,\u00a0Bog bean, Water speedwell and Yellow water lily. They all established really fast and have proved a magnet for lots of insects as they\u00a0flower in turn across the warmer months.”<\/p>\n
Which new species were attracted by the pond?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Roe deer drinking from garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Emperor dragonfly egg-laying<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Badger by garden pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Frogspawn in pond<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Large red damselfly<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Great pond snail<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“Almost as soon as the pond\u00a0was built and filled in May 2018, many kinds of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0began\u00a0to\u00a0appear\u00a0in it\u00a0with a mass of water fleas, pond\u00a0skaters, pond snails and water boatmen appearing\u00a0within\u00a0weeks.\u00a0 Some were\u00a0introduced with\u00a0 plants we got from garden\u00a0centres and a\u00a0neighbour’s pond, but others have flown in.\u00a0Large red and azure damelsflies and\u00a0Broad-bodied chaser Dragonflies\u00a0came to lay\u00a0egg\u00a0within weeks, and lots of\u00a0adults\u00a0now emerge in summer. \u00a0More species have been coming to lay this\u00a0year\u00a0including large, colourful Emperor\u00a0dragonflies. ”<\/p>\n
“Frogs began breeding in the pond last year and\u00a0lots of\u00a0honeybees and hoverflies come to drink. \u00a0The badgers learnt\u00a0during the dry spell in May that they could climb up onto the edge to drink and the Roe deer have started to visit for a drink too. \u00a0Wood\u00a0pigeons drink from and bathe it in a lot (a mixed blessing as they leave an oily scum on the surface!) and\u00a0blackbirds and\u00a0other small birds often come to drink as well.”<\/p>\n
How many species of bee do you have in your garden?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“We get masses of honeybees in the garden and at least three kinds of bumblebee. We have early, red-tailed \u00a0and buff-tailed with the last two often nesting in the lawn or under old tree stumps. It\u2019s hard to be sure how many kinds of solitary bee we get as there are so many kinds that look similar, but I\u2019ve definitely identified red mason bees, two kinds of leafcutter bee, and five kinds of mining bee, while the ivy bee, a\u00a0new species to the UK in 2001, now\u00a0visits our ivy flowers in big\u00a0numbers in\u00a0autumn. . We also have common furrow bees\u00a0nesting in the the\u00a0lawn, and\u00a0 several species of\u00a0solitary bee and wasp use the two insect hotels we have in the garden.”<\/p>\n
Which species act as natural pest control, eating aphids and other garden pests?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Common toad in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Black slug on patio<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Ladybird feeding on aphids<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Seven-spot ladybird in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Sawfly larvae on rose<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
\n- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>“Almost as soon as the pond\u00a0was built and filled in May 2018, many kinds of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0began\u00a0to\u00a0appear\u00a0in it\u00a0with a mass of water fleas, pond\u00a0skaters, pond snails and water boatmen appearing\u00a0within\u00a0weeks.\u00a0 Some were\u00a0introduced with\u00a0 plants we got from garden\u00a0centres and a\u00a0neighbour’s pond, but others have flown in.\u00a0Large red and azure damelsflies and\u00a0Broad-bodied chaser Dragonflies\u00a0came to lay\u00a0egg\u00a0within weeks, and lots of\u00a0adults\u00a0now emerge in summer. \u00a0More species have been coming to lay this\u00a0year\u00a0including large, colourful Emperor\u00a0dragonflies. ”<\/p>\n
“Frogs began breeding in the pond last year and\u00a0lots of\u00a0honeybees and hoverflies come to drink. \u00a0The badgers learnt\u00a0during the dry spell in May that they could climb up onto the edge to drink and the Roe deer have started to visit for a drink too. \u00a0Wood\u00a0pigeons drink from and bathe it in a lot (a mixed blessing as they leave an oily scum on the surface!) and\u00a0blackbirds and\u00a0other small birds often come to drink as well.”<\/p>\n
How many species of bee do you have in your garden?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“We get masses of honeybees in the garden and at least three kinds of bumblebee. We have early, red-tailed \u00a0and buff-tailed with the last two often nesting in the lawn or under old tree stumps. It\u2019s hard to be sure how many kinds of solitary bee we get as there are so many kinds that look similar, but I\u2019ve definitely identified red mason bees, two kinds of leafcutter bee, and five kinds of mining bee, while the ivy bee, a\u00a0new species to the UK in 2001, now\u00a0visits our ivy flowers in big\u00a0numbers in\u00a0autumn. . We also have common furrow bees\u00a0nesting in the the\u00a0lawn, and\u00a0 several species of\u00a0solitary bee and wasp use the two insect hotels we have in the garden.”<\/p>\n
Which species act as natural pest control, eating aphids and other garden pests?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Common toad in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Black slug on patio<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Ladybird feeding on aphids<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Seven-spot ladybird in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Sawfly larvae on rose<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
\n- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“We get masses of honeybees in the garden and at least three kinds of bumblebee. We have early, red-tailed \u00a0and buff-tailed with the last two often nesting in the lawn or under old tree stumps. It\u2019s hard to be sure how many kinds of solitary bee we get as there are so many kinds that look similar, but I\u2019ve definitely identified red mason bees, two kinds of leafcutter bee, and five kinds of mining bee, while the ivy bee, a\u00a0new species to the UK in 2001, now\u00a0visits our ivy flowers in big\u00a0numbers in\u00a0autumn. . We also have common furrow bees\u00a0nesting in the the\u00a0lawn, and\u00a0 several species of\u00a0solitary bee and wasp use the two insect hotels we have in the garden.”<\/p>\n
Which species act as natural pest control, eating aphids and other garden pests?<\/h3>\n<\/div>Common toad in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Black slug on patio<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Ladybird feeding on aphids<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Seven-spot ladybird in garden<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>Sawfly larvae on rose<\/strong> by Nick Upton<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
\n- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>“There are lots of helpful natural insect predators that really help control pest species, while\u00a0frogs,\u00a0toads, badgers and hedgehogs eat snails and slugs. So having a good mix of\u00a0wildlife\u00a0around can really help keep pests under\u00a0control. \u00a0 Ladybirds are really effective aphid hunters, as are the larvae of marmalade hoverflies. Green lacewing larvae are called aphid lions for good reason, as each one can eat up to 100 aphids a day. Small black aphid wasps also collect aphids to feed their grubs and the even smaller braconid wasps kill many aphids by laying eggs\u00a0in them. So a huge amount of pest control happens naturally in\u00a0\u201cwilder\u201d gardens without using chemicals and we very rarely use them.”<\/p>\n
Can you give us some top tips for attracting\u00a0 wildlife into a small garden?<\/h3>\n
“Here are my top\u00a0tips for attracting lots of\u00a0wildlife to\u00a0gardens:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Make sure there is a wide variety of plants and bushes offering lots of nectar, pollen, fruit and cover for insects and birds..<\/li>\n
- Try not to be too tidy. Wildlife loves piles of old leaves and rocks, rotting wood and plants you might consider to be weeds are often really beneficial to wildlife. Not\u00a0mowing\u00a0lawns too\u00a0often allows lots of small flowers to appear, which\u00a0pollinators love.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Mammals need easy access and pathways. Gaps in fences and hedges to allow easy movement between gardens and wilder areas beyond are really important. Species like hedgehogs really benefit from “hedgehog highway\u201d gaps in fences and small tunnels under them to move around easily.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Having some available water around in bird baths, ponds or dishes for thirsty hedgehogs and other visitors can really help.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/01586688-360x240.jpg\" "\\"Hedgehog")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n