Hello, it’s Jenny here from the Wild Bunch.
This spring, as we think about gardening for wildlife, let’s talk about the importance of ponds, water and hedges.
Ponds and access to water are really important for biodiversity. Ponds support amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts, invertebrates like dragonflies, beetles and caddisfly larvae, birds, as well as bats and mammals like hedgehogs and foxes.
Water is essential for all life. It supports many plants as well, in and around the pond area. A pond creates a habitat that connects wildlife corridors, other habitats and is an important link for wildlife. Ponds act as an important freshwater refuge in gardens, parks, community spaces and scrubland and can be a great feature in any habitat. Even if you only have a small outside space, providing water can be very beneficial for wildlife.
Climate resilience is helped by storing rainwater, helping to reduce flood risk as well as providing a refuge for wildlife during dry periods. Now is the season amphibians are looking for places to breed and spawn, frogs and toads are on the move. It’s important to be vigilant on the roads and areas they cross to get to the water source. Frome has a frog patrol group that are always looking for volunteers to rescue frogs as they perilously cross busy roads.
The Wild Bunch can help advise you if you’re interested in putting a wildlife pond in your garden.
The Wildlife Trust’s advice is not to cut hedges in peak bird nesting season, which runs from March to September. Where possible the advice is to delay maintenance work till winter up to end of February. Hedgerow berries provide a valuable source of winter food for birds; hedges provide shelter and places to build their nests. Native shrubs and trees like hawthorn, field maple, blackthorn, beech and holly make ideal hedging plants. Rambling plants like wild rose, bramble, honeysuckle and ivy can grow through hedges providing even more shelter and food for wildlife.
Frome Wild Bunch are a group of volunteers that are supported by Frome Town Council. We meet regularly to support wildlife gardening. Contact us to find out more at fromewildbunch@gmail.com or come along to our next meeting on Thursday 16th April at the town hall, from 1.30pm to 3pm. The theme is ‘Planting for Pollinators’; book free tickets at tinyurl.com/planting-for-pollinators.
Pictured: Pond dipping at Welshmill
