Helping Wildlife in Summer

[Guest guest]

List Owner: Please post to your list, I’m sure your members will find this interesting.

On the site we have an area of conservation and another area for habitats, as well as individual pages for specific animals.

 

List Members: The following Information can be found online with full colour photos and more information at:

http://www.creature-creations.com

 

Helping Wildlife in Summer

 

Summer is a time of frantic activity for animals busy rearing young and finding food.

We can help by providing the right habitats and food plants in our local environment.

 

Summer brings its own problems of survival for wildlife.

Finding nest sites and areas of shade becomes increasingly important and adequate water supplies are vital.

Adults must find food both for their growing young and to build up their own body stores to help them survive the harsher winter months.

 

SMALL GARDEN HABITATS

 

Walls – especially old constructions with gaps between the bricks - provide hibernation sites and shelter from the sun. Climbing plants, such as ivy and honeysuckle, provide useful cover for insects such as the holly blue butterfly which lays its eggs on the leaves of ivy. The crum­bling stone of old walls is often investigated by the flow­er bee and the mining bee which tunnel their homes in the loose mortar.

A compost heap is home to frogs, earthworms, potworms and many species of slug and snail which feed on the decay­ing matter. Bumblebees often nest in abandoned mouse holes in the heap.

LOCAL HABITATS

Wild habitats are con­stantly being destroyed to make way for urban develop­ments or agriculture. We can, however, help to offset some of these losses by looking at our local surroundings for opportunities to make them a better place for wildlife.

Even a small pond can provide drinking water for mam­mals and birds and an important breeding site for amphibians and water insects. A muddy edge provides nest-building materials for house martins. However, ponds need careful management -left alone they may be used as litter dumps and can easily become overgrown with pondweeds or reeds which cause the pond to dry out.

Graveyards and cemeteries often provide a glimpse of the old countryside. If they are kept too neat and tidy with constantly mown grass many species are discouraged. By leaving the less visited parts of a churchyard to become overgrown - perhaps mow­ing only once a year - a wealth of wildflowers can be encouraged, which in turn attract butterflies and other insects. Noctule bats thrive in enclosed spaces which they can roost in during the day and fly from at night. An undisturbed belfry provides them with an ideal home.

 

Photo: The common frog is a regu­lar visitor to the garden pond.

Photo: Wrens use their nest for roosting as well as breed­ing.

Photo: Dragon-flies are a familiar sight on the large garden pond.

Photo: Red admiral butterflies are drawn to the garden by buddleia and Michaelmas daisy.

 

KEY TO SPECIES

1 Berberis aggregata

2 Buddleia davidii

3 Hawthorn

4 Honeysuckle

5 Cotoneaster

6 Cornflower

7 Water violet

8 Water crowfoot

9 Water hyacinth

10 Sage

11 Thyme

12 Michaelmas daisy

13 Marigold

14 Ivy

GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE

 

Even the smallest garden can provide food and shelter for wildlife. Part of a lawn can be turned into a wildflower meadow by removing the fertile topsoil and raking in a wildflower seed mixture, or by introducing plants grown from seed, such as cowslip and oxeye daisy.

More than 10 species of moth feed on the leaves of buddleia, and its lilac-coloured blooms attract a host of butterflies including cabbage white and silver­-washed fritillary.

The bright blooms of the garden marigold and honeysuckle are filled with nectar, attracting a swarm of bees and other insects.

 

Photo: Building a log or leaf pile in a shady part of the garden provides a haven for lizards.

 

ANIMALS AT RISK

Young hedgehogs need extra food during late summer in order to build up their tat stores for winter. Traditionally people leave out saucers of bread and milk, but this does not provide the animals with a balanced diet. A mixture of dog food, bread and water, or scrambled egg, is far more nutritious.

House martins migrate to Britain between April and June and begin to seek out areas where food is plentiful to build their nests. The house martin's carefully constructed nest may take up to a fortnight to complete and requires over 2000 beakfuls of mud.

During hot summer months nest-building is often halt­ed while the birds have to fly long distances in search of mud. During dry weather we can help by providing a bowl full of mixed earth and water.

In urban areas badgers depend on a wide variety of food sources including garden crops and scavenged food. Where bad­gers are a familiar sight people regularly put food out for them at night. In the particularly dry sum­mer of 1976, many garden crops failed and some badger popula­tions were sustained by the food left out by households.

Photo: In urban areas badgers follow regular routes though gardens each night.

Photo: After hibernation many hedge­hogs return to the gardens where they have been fed the previous year. They have been known to dig as far as 2m under a fence.

Photo: More adept at flight, the house martin is awk­ward on land. It waddles about on very short legs searching for mud with which to build its nest among the eaves.

 

Creature Creations Free Wildlife Screensavers, Wallpaper, Puzzles and More:http://www.creature-creations.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here