Plant a tree to lure wildlife into your garden
27/11/2009 22:53:43
Attracting wildlife to your garden can be as simple as plantingthr right tree.
What you would really like to see in your garden next year; Sparrows? Goldcrests? Butterflies? Bees? Song thrushes?
November 2009. Now is the time to think about what's top of your wildlife wish list for 2010. The Tree Council's annual National Tree Week, 25 Nov to 6 December, could be the best time for you to plant the perfect tree or shrub to lure those species into your garden, window ledge or the grounds of your work place.
Lee Cozens, Homes for Wildlife officer at the RSPB says: "Trees and shrubs provide nectar in spring, fruit in autumn and nesting and roosting habitat throughout the year. The right one can bring in that wildlife that you've always wanted, year after year. If you have space for another one, don't hold back; get planting!"
There's lots of advice out there and the RSPB website is a good place to start.
Here are a few ideas to whet your appetite:- Blackthorn, with frothy white blossom in April, buzzing with bees and blackcaps singing from its tangled black branches;
- Holly trees with their bright, white flowers in the summer months where the holly blue butterfly lays its eggs and its distinctive red berries are much loved by blackbirds, and thrushes of all kinds in the colder months;
- Rowan trees will be stripped of berries in minutes by a passing flock of starlings or even some waxwings visiting from northern climes;
- Yew trees are wonderful for goldcrests;
- Privets for house sparrows;
- Honeysuckle provides nectar for insects and thus a supper for bats when the sun goes down;
- Crab apple, bird cherry, elder, Guelder rose and many more nectar or berry rich plants, all help attract and support wildlife.
| The top ten Homes for Wildlife activities are:Provide seed mixes, particularly sunflower hearts and millet-seeds for house sparrows and starlings Provide plants/shrubs of different sizes, shapes and ages Grow a range of plants Provide flowering plants as a source of nectar for butterflies and moths Grow plants attractive to insects in tubs and planters Retain dead flower stems and heads over winter Maintain any beds with a good layer of ground cover, shrubs and herbaceous plants for song thrushes and blackbirds Provide a nestbox or build your own for small birds Provide dense, thorny bushes for cover for song thrushes and blackbirds Prune trees, shrubs and climbers during January or early February
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