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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 26, 2008 16:14:35 GMT 1
Recycle stuff and build a wildlife overwintering tower in a corner of your garden. It's really easy, it's great fun for the children and it will save you a fortune - the specialist habitats for sale in GC's are expensive and a waste of materials. You can do a much better job yourself! If you think you don't have space for a pallet tower - make a totem pole structure instead by hanging home made bee homes and lacewing nests. Or use a handy tree - get creative! (And keep an eye out for skips filled with half bricks and bits of pipe etc - they are often filled with likely materials) And if you want it to look really decorative - plant it up with early Spring flowering plants in pots to help the emerging creatures, and fill a flower bed with native plants too  www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/cheshire/documents/advice_invertebrate_habitat2.pdfIt's a reallyreally good thing to do in a school garden too........ |
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Post by madonplants on Sept 26, 2008 23:13:44 GMT 1
That's a great link, 4P!  It's making me want to sort one out for next year. I also know where one might go too! |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 27, 2008 16:46:52 GMT 1
You found it Keith! But, yes, it's really helpful isn't it? I have 4 pallets now ready to go to school. S'exciting!
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Post by madonplants on Sept 28, 2008 0:08:01 GMT 1
You found it Keith! But, yes, it's really helpful isn't it? I have 4 pallets now ready to go to school. S'exciting! I know, I was just teasing!! I think I might have found a space for one, now I have cleared a few things. Now to find some pallets! |
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Post by debbiem on Sept 29, 2008 10:00:47 GMT 1
What a lovely link - I'm lucky in that my garden's shady and green and I've already got some large logs in place and piles of stones(which we have a-plenty) and loads of decaying leaves/ twigs, you name it! And the walls have loads of nooks and crannies - the skill of it all though is to make them as chicken proof as possible.....oh, and we have the overgrown shrubs too.  |
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Post by madonplants on Sept 29, 2008 13:30:37 GMT 1
Recycle stuff and build a wildlife overwintering tower in a corner of your garden. It's really easy, it's great fun for the children and it will save you a fortune - the specialist habitats for sale in GC's are expensive and a waste of materials. You can do a much better job yourself! If you think you don't have space for a pallet tower - make a totem pole structure instead by hanging home made bee homes and lacewing nests. Or use a handy tree - get creative! (And keep an eye out for skips filled with half bricks and bits of pipe etc - they are often filled with likely materials) And if you want it to look really decorative - plant it up with early Spring flowering plants in pots to help the emerging creatures, and fill a flower bed with native plants too www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/cheshire/documents/advice_invertebrate_habitat2.pdf It's a reallyreally good thing to do in a school garden too........ I've got space for a small one - only wish I had room for a huge one like in the link. Any little helps. It would be better than doing nothing, The witch.  |
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Post by maggyd on Oct 2, 2008 21:30:14 GMT 1
 my whole garden is a wildlife paradise!!  arent you afraid of the wrong kind of wildlife 4Ps??likw watsit you call them? Fatbums and Ratbums??
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 2, 2008 21:47:09 GMT 1
Well, they are there whatever, I think! No one is ever more than a few yards away from a rat in this country apparently...I just have more than my fair share! But I do know what you mean - those cosy little hedgehog or toad houses for sale in GC's are perfick for a ratty home aren't they?  I don't think there will be a problem with rats with a wildlife tower though as they prefer something underground and nearer to a food source...there's nothing much to eat and no compost bin either atm....there are lots of farms and stables around in the village - let them move into those! |
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Post by madonplants on Oct 2, 2008 22:03:44 GMT 1
Well, they are there whatever, I think! No one is ever more than a few yards away from a rat in this country apparently...I just have more than my fair share! But I do know what you mean - those cosy little hedgehog or toad houses for sale in GC's are perfick for a ratty home aren't they? I don't think there will be a problem with rats with a wildlife tower though as they prefer something underground and nearer to a food source...there's nothing much to eat and no compost bin either atm....there are lots of farms and stables around in the village - let them move into those! You need for global warming to really take hold, so you can have a couple of pet boa constrictors, living wild in the garden!! Though you would have to tell them, YOUR animals are out of bounds! |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 3, 2008 10:20:22 GMT 1
Don't they mention on the link about keeping an layer or two of leaves on the ground? One of our neighbours gives us all his binbags full of leaves - with the compost bins full of them and after reading the link I now empty them under trees and shrubs where they'll stay there and not get blown about or be a pain to other neighbours. The chickens scratch the heap down and there you go a lovely home for some beasties. I can't wait til it rains here and the whole lot get wet and start rotting down a bit.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 19, 2008 16:51:19 GMT 1
I fancy one of them there wildlife tower thingies I'm just trying to work out where I could put one. Thanks for the link 4P... |
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 25, 2008 8:17:27 GMT 1
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It's making me want to sort one out for next year. I also know where one might go too!