Wildlife gardening in October
The cold wintry days are fast approaching, this means that the hard work begins for our furry and feathery friends. October is a significant month for our garden wildlife as the hibernating and non hibernating animals spend their energy gathering food and fattening up for the depleted winter period.
While our reliance on our gardens reduces as we move closer to winter, for wildlife, our gardens become an important refuge. Hibernating hedgehogs roam our quarters searching for food, building vital fat stores during October, and birds that face the bleak winter survive by consuming sufficient calories.
Other creatures seek out warm safe places to live. There are a number of things we can do now to ensure we are giving the little critters the best chance of survival during the harsher months.
Make a home
Creating habitats for hibernating wildlife is a simple and effective way of giving nature a helping hand. Hibernating animals need a dry, undisturbed bed for the winter and this can be made using piles of logs, sticks and other garden debris. Build the pile in a quiet corner so it will attract and support insects and small mammals.
Feed and they will come
Garden birds that do not leave for the winter need a supply of calorie rich foods. They survive the cold nights using the energy consumed during the daytime. As garden owners, we can start now and provide this food in the form of nuts and seeds. Something simple such as leaving a sunflower head for birds to eat can be useful.
You can also choose to make or buy fat cakes for birds and leave them on bird tables or hanging from a tree. If you feed them they will come!
During the bare winter, it is always nice to see some daily activity around the garden as blue tits and other birds arrive for their supper.
Hungry hedgehogs can be fed with dog food – however, I would only suggest leaving a portion out if you know you have a resident hedgehog otherwise it may attract some unwanted guests.
A source of water is essential for all wildlife so incorporating a pond or even just a bird bath can provide the perfect place for a fresh drink. If it does freeze over make sure to break and release the water for access.
Mulching for the mini creatures
As the leaves drop, collect and use them as mulch in your flower beds. Leaf mould is a great resource that helps increase worm activity in the soil as well as creating habitats for smaller insects to hide in, and birds will also be able to pick through the layer of mulch for food.
Plan for planting
Planting nectar rich bulbs now will ensure there is plenty of food for some of the awakened hibernating bumble bees in the spring. You can plant things such as crocus and hyacinths which emerge early in the year.
If you are planning on planting some bare root trees, you can select some wildlife friendly ones such as Mountain Ash which are adorned in Rowan berries in the autumn, a wildlife favourite.
For the next few months, it’s comforting to know that we will be sharing our gardens with some beautiful wildlife and that our helping hand can make a difference to the biodiversity of our spaces.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Kate Linnane is passionate about sustainability and growing all things edible. Together with her husband Barry, she has embarked on a journey of designing edible spaces and getting others started on their gardening adventures.
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