1. Grow nectar and pollen-rich flowers as food for bees, butterflies and moths. If you don't have a garden then a window box will be just as good. Leave the dead stems of flowers in the autumn to provide a safe-haven to over-winter in
Crocus by Richard Stanley
2. Build a log-pile - Dead wood is incredibly important for all sorts of creepy crawlies including the very special stag beetle, whose larva feed on dead wood before morphing into its spectacular adult self. Log-piles are also fantastic places for some of our much loved mammals, hedgehogs, to hibernate away the winter.
Hedgehog campsite by Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com)
3. Plant some native shrubs - Native shrub plants such as hawthorn and buckthorn are essential foodplants for caterpillars and other insects. The berries are a fantastic foodsource for birds and they also provide a great place to nest during breeding season.
4. Grow different lengths of grass - Save yourself some effort and don't mow all of your lawn. Leaving different lenghts of grass provides different habitats for varying insect life as well as being great feeding areas for birds. Take it easy and enjoy the wilder areas of your garden.
5. Introduce water into your garden - Whether this is as simple as a bird bath or as big as a pond is entierely up to you. Water is a vital source of life for any garden from providing a much needed drink to birds and mammals to providing a home for bugs and amphibians to lay their eggs in.
Blackbird having a bath by Ray Kennedy (rspb-imaged.com)
To find some more really easy ways to Give Nature a Home then visit http://homes.rspb.org.uk/ or pop down to the South Essex Wildlife Garden for some wild inspiration.