If you've been to the reserve recently, you may have seen a black sign next to the wildlife garden (at the start of the Discovery Trail) that says "ask me how eggs help tomatoes grow". Hopefully you asked Richard (if he was standing in the shelter) what on earth it meant and how do eggs help tomatoes grow? If not, be sure to ask him next time you visit.
I promised I wouldn't give away the answer here but a clue is that we want to get you thinking about encouraging more wildlife into your garden and stepping up for nature in your own bit of space, no matter how big or small this may be.
The wildlife garden at Fairburn is a demonstration of the kinds of things you can do to entice wildlife to you and give it a helping hand once it's there. The beauty of wildlife gardening is that it doesn't matter if you're a gardening fanatic or more of a laissez-faire gardener; there's always something you can do to make your patch a wildlife haven. Another point to make is that a wildlife-friendly garden and well-kempt gardens are not mutually exclusive - you can have it all!! Your choice of flowers, using a water butt to conserve water, and finding creative ways to beat pests are all things that count towards creating a wildlife oasis and can take as much or as little effort and cash as you can afford.
My project for this weekend is to create a "bug hotel" for my garden, inspired by the one at Fairburn. I'm using some leftover wood from a recent DIY project, some bamboo sawn into short lengths, some leaf and twig litter and some bricks. It's going to look fab and will be a great nesting spot for solitary bees and other insects this autumn. It's really important to get people doing small things like this because gardens are vital spaces for wildlife due to widespread loss of natural habitats.
If you want some inspiration on things you can do at home and how to get started, the RSPB has just produced a handy pack with loads of tips on how to provide birds, bugs, and mammals the things they need to thrive in your garden. We're giving these away to people to take home so come and see us at the visitor centre or go and chat to Richard in the shelter next to the wildlife garden for yours and let us know how you get on!