Flatford Wildlife Garden

To ensure our longer-term sustainability, the RSPB has been reviewing its operations across the UK so that everything we do aligns to our charitable and strategic aims and delivers the most impact for nature possible, within the resource we have. We are always trying to focus on what we do best and where we can do this most effectively, to make sure the money we receive from our generous members, visitors and supporters…

Here at Flatford Wildlife Garden, we only use peat-free compost, which is supplied by The Place for Plants in nearby East Bergholt, or made by our gardening team in our compost bins.  

Peat-free composts are a much better choice for the planet. Preserving rare peat bogs is vital for the unique biodiversity they support, as well as for the wider environment. These wetland habitats are vital carbon stores, in fact peatlands hold…

As our gardens start to fade into autumn, it's tempting to have a big clear up to get rid of the year's growth. But flowers that are past their best can still bring huge benefits in their value to wildlife. So put away those secateurs for now and let's have a look at some of the ways leaving your flowers standing through the autumn and winter can help the wildlife that shares your garden. 

Take sunflowers for…

This week is Insect Week, run by the Royal Entomological Society to celebrate 'all things insect'. There are over 24,000 insect species in the UK, many of which live in our gardens. Although traditionally gardeners have maybe seen insects more as pests, the Royal Horticultural Society estimates that in fact fewer than 1% of Britain's insects are garden pests, and that many, many more have positive benefits within…

It's a very busy time of year at Flatford Wildlife Garden, and there's plenty for visitors to see and enjoy! Just like BBC Springwatch, RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden has its own 'nestcams' to keep us all up to date on the activities of the garden's many nesting birds. Thanks to RSPB volunteer Chris, there are now eight HD video feeds at various places across the site, peeking into the lives of Blue…

This week is National Gardening Week, an event organised by the Royal Horticultural Society to celebrate and raise awareness of gardens, gardening and the benefits they can bring. According to the latest census, 87% of UK households have a garden. This all adds up to a huge amount of space, in fact the Wildlife Trusts state that together, the UK's gardens are larger than all of our National Nature Reserves combined! …

Breeding season is now in full swing as the temperatures start to rise and the days lengthen. We're going to focus in on the breeding habits of one the most common but overlooked creatures in our gardens - the woodlouse! There are around 30-40 species of woodlouse in the UK, but the ones you're most likely to find in your gardens are the Common Woodlouse, the Common Rough Woodlouse and the Pill Woodlouse. Woodlice…

This Easter holidays, there will be an Easter Baby Animal Trail at Flatford Wildlife Garden, where children will be able to follow the garden trail to discover the names of baby wildlife. Then they can head into the Visitor Centre to make a collaged 'Birds are Welcome in my Garden' poster.

Baby animals are born in spring because the temperatures are getting milder and food is more plentiful. Surprisingly, at this…

The planting in Flatford Wildlife Garden is designed to provide pollen and nectar to as many different species as possible over as many weeks of the year as possible. At this time of year, just on the cusp of spring, early flowering plants provide much needed nectar for bees as they emerge from hibernation. During early spring, foraging can be a challenge for bees, largely due to the variability of the weather, but also…

Dozens of lovely Irises, Snowdrops and Aconites were put on sale during February half-term, the rain did spoil some of the blooms.  On dry days the plants were greatly appreciated and sold well. It is the best time to plant snowdrops in gardens now that they have finished flowering but are still “in the green” phase and are growing. Successful naturalisation of snowdrops is much more likely this way than if the dried bulbs…

In a new feature for the blog, the gardening team at Flatford Wildlife Garden are giving an update on recent sightings and developments in the garden.

Flatford Wildlife Garden did not suffer too much in the recent storms but there has been some loose debris to clear up. At the moment we are not removing the normal leaf litter, seed heads and dead foliage as it is being used by hibernating insects. Ladybirds in particular…

Although we're still in winter, some birds are already starting to think about nest sites and nesting. If you've noticed more birdsong over the last few weeks, that's a sign that birds are starting to think about attracting a mate and marking out their territories for nest building. This increase in song can happen from mid-January onwards. 

As mentioned a few weeks ago in this blog, one of the earliest birds…

As the Big Garden Birdwatch rapidly approaches this weekend, we're going to take a look at one of the bird species we can help through the way we look after our gardens. Last time, we took a closer look at the long-tailed tit, a species which has, according to date collected through the decades of the Big Garden Birdwatch, been relatively successful. This time, we're focusing on a bird that has fared dramatically…

It's not long now until the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch, running from 26-28 January 2024. As the world's largest garden wildlife survey, the Big Garden Birdwatch provides vital information on how different species are faring, giving data on declines and rises in numbers in the 45 years since the survey began. Across the UK, over half a million people took part in Big Garden Birdwatch 2023, counting an…

This Thursday 21st December is National Robin Day, drawing attention to the challenges faced by robins over the winter. Robins are one of the more successful songbirds at adapting to the challenges of winter and surviving the conditions. They are one of the few birds whose song we hear over midwinter and the Christmas period, with both males and females singing throughout the winter to defend their territories, sometimes…

This week is National Tree Week, organised by The Tree Council as the UK's largest celebration of trees. Each year, the country's conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to plant thousands of trees to mark the start of the tree planting season. 

Trees provide shelter, food and habitat for a huge range of species at all times of year, from blossom for pollinators in spring, to shade and…

As our gardens start to fade into their winter state, it's important to remember that they could become a vital hibernation place for many species over the colder months. Mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects can all use our gardens for winter shelter and protection, so let's see what we can do to aid and assist them at this tricky time of year. 

Hedgehogs can start to hibernate during November if temperatures…

As Halloween approaches, spiders, cobwebs, bats, pumpkins and all things spooky will be taking centre stage! The autumnal months are certainly the best time to spot spiders, as late summer and early autumn are mating season for spiders.

But how much do you know about the spiders we might find in our homes and gardens? This week we take a closer look at just a couple of the approximately 650 species of spider in the UK…

Traditionally, autumn has often been a time for cutting back, tidying and clearing in our gardens. But resisting the temptation to clear up can be hugely beneficial to our garden wildlife.

Take perennial flowers for example. Nowadays many gardeners choose to leave dead herbaceous plants and grasses over winter to provide structure to the garden, as well as shelter for wildlife. These can wait to be cut back next spring…

Now that the Autumn equinox has passed and October is fast approaching, it’s time to think about refreshing and refilling the garden bird feeders ready for the colder weather to come. There are many different types of bird feeders – the RSPB has this handy guide if you’re new to garden feeders.

It’s really important to thoroughly clean any feeders that you used last winter, or that have been out…

This weekend, the Bat Conservation Trust is encouraging us to join in celebrating International Bat Night on the night of 26th-27th August. With the recent warmer weather, and a Bank Holiday weekend, it's the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the wonderful world of bats! They typically begin hibernating from October through to March or April, so the summer months are the best time to see them flying. The first…

Now that the sun is finally shining again, it's easy to spot and enjoy lots of butterflies in our gardens, parks and hedgerows. But how often do we pay attention to the just as beautiful and fascinating moths? There are around 2,500 species of moths in the UK, with more establishing every decade following migration from continental Europe. As there are so many species of moths, experts split them into two groups, the…

Although temperatures have dipped recently and the rain has been falling steadily, it’s important to consider how we can help wildlife in our gardens should the summer heat up and dry out again. Summer can be a tough time for some of our garden visitors, but with a few simple steps, we can help them get through times of heat and drought.

The most important and obvious way to help is to provide a fresh and continuous…

This week sees the start of Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count, running from Friday 14th July 2023 until Sunday 6th August. During this time, we are asked to watch for butterflies and day flying moths for just 15 minutes in our garden, park or on a walk. The count can be added to Butterfly Conservation's website or app to give valuable data on the state of our nation's butterflies. 

There has never been…

This is Insect Week, organised by the Royal Entomological Society to celebrate and learn about 'the little things that run the world.' There are over 24,000 insect species in the UK alone, with most gardens and green spaces containing hundreds of species. Insects are immensely helpful to us - many pollinate plants so that they can create fruits for us to eat, and make seeds to grow more plants. Insects are also very important…