A place to learn, share and inspire others to create a haven for you and for wildlife.
Sign In or Register to join the conversation
I have a large pile of sand covered in a tarpaulin, it is a magnet for toads. Last year I put a toad through the cement mixer by mistake, it was quite spooky to see the path I’d just laid move ( I washed it off, checked all it’s legs were OK and it happily mooched off).
This year I wasn’t going the make the same mistake so I checked each shovel full carefully. I did find a young toad and was unsure where to put it where it could hibernate safely. A search around the place turned up some old ridge tiles and some terracotta pipes. I found a quiet, damp corner, filled the tiles with damp sand and left the toad to burrow into it.
Later I went back to see if it had burrowed into the sand and found a much larger toad checking the Hibernaculum out.
Build it and they will come.
Wow! Many thanks WF - that looks great. Thinking about it, I take it the surround doesn't have to be wood if none is available - e.g. a plastic box / washing up bowl would do the job - or even flower pots put on their side...
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Great ideas WF!! I shall most definitely be copying both! I have a similar wooden box and some bamboo canes! I'm sure I can find a few ridge tiles somewhere too and I already have a bag of sand left over from some concreting I did some time ago!!
Must say, had to have a chuckle at your blackbird pulling the sticks out to get the insects! Aren't they resourceful!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
Squirrel B said: Wow! Many thanks WF - that looks great. Thinking about it, I take it the surround doesn't have to be wood if none is available - e.g. a plastic box / washing up bowl would do the job - or even flower pots put on their side...
Anything which will keep the bamboo together will work, the box I used was tucked away in my shed for ages, it was too good to throw away and I knew one day I would find a use for it.
I have bundles of bamboo just tied together with twine and tucked into spaces or behind climbers, theese work just as well and no container is needed. If they are packed together tightly the centre will remain dry.
The one in the photo will be in a place where it can bee seen so I wanted it to look interesting.
Hi everyone - these are all really great ideas you're illustrating and discussing. Thanks Kezmo & Squirrel for your comments about 'frost free' and 'lasts a lifetime' - I've been giggling away like mad :o) You do realise my colleagues may have to suffer me being in a silly mood all day now.
Wildlife - thanks for allowing me to refer to the use of sand in the bottom of the hibernaculum - as you say it was the animals themselves which gave you the idea as that is the natural thing they do - which I should have thought of - my lame excuse is I'm not that knowledgeable on reptiles and amphibians :o( 3/10 must try harder :oI
It'll be great if you can all give ideas on how cheap and easy it has been to find and use materials for this. I will go and post something in the ‘cheapies corner’ thread to point people to this thread. Can we also have some pictures posted of natural features you have around the garden to, so others can see the range of opportunities that can be created just through managing the garden properly. Keep it up folks!
Is yours a Home for Wildlife?Make your home and garden a better place for you and the wildlife that visits it. Click here and sign up today http://www.rspb.org.uk/hfw/
Here are a few wildlife friendly features I’ve incorporated into my garden.
Log piles, they are free (well they are in Devon).
This is a hollow tree stump, it’s been filled with a mixture of 50% soil and 50% woodchip. I’m hoping to attract stag beetles. It’s the soil/woodchip which is important so any bucket or pot will do.
The photo isn’t that clear but is a very simple idea, it’s just a pile of large rocks covered in hedge trimmings. I’m not sure what is living in there but there are fresh piles if disturbed earth all around the base.
This wall is made from stone and earth, I’ve found Efts (young newts) living between the stones.
This Owl box was made from an old pallet, there are no Owls as yet but I’m ever hopeful.
I know a lot of these ideas include stone but that is because I have a plentiful (free) supply, you could use old bricks, broken paving slabs etc
Hi WF
I have this great idea which I think most of us would rush at.........will you add P&P! Your ideas are great I just love the ladybird box. I bought a ready made one from a well known supplier and haven't had anything in it alive for the last 2 years!......the periwinkle loves it and so does the ivy whch has grown all around it - I thought perfect , ideal habitat, but I think it's so well camouflaged the ladybirds can't find it!! The spiders are so house proud they just use it as a starting point to hang the webs on!
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
WF - you are so handy! Not only are your habitats great for the wildlife, they look good too :-D
Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games [Robert Falcon Scott]
All brilliant ideas and thank you for sharing. I can see my OH will be losing his unused vegetable patch before long!
It’s surprising what you can do with things that are lying around. The wood piles are the remainder of a huge Ash tree which came down in the summer storms, it wasn’t practical to leave it where it fell (and there was two years worth of burning). I cut out all the rotten wood and stacked it in one place. Tidy and practical.
I do have the advantage of a large garden so I can do things on a big scale but it will all still be beneficial on a smaller scale.
I had a small pile of about 30 stones the size of your fist, when I moved them I was surprised at the number of beetles and other creatures that had made them their home.
The owl box is huge but I’ve also made lots of smaller bird boxes which will fit in any garden, all of them had occupants this year.
These are amazing! Got my morning off to a fantastic start to see the posts and what you've all been doing! Please spread the word - dead wood is brilliant for wildlife.I don't know if anyone has seen the Homes for Wildlife blog today? But our guest blogger Mark has posted a great feature on how he's rescued some wood and created a habitat with it in his garden - a must read. There's also another thread here to about providing dead wood refuges for insects.