W i l d l i f e i n yo u r ga r d e n
WILDLIFE IN YOUR GARDEN By Local resident Howard Vaughan
I would imagine, like me, you have been having a bit of cupboard stock take over the last week, digging out all those ancient and forgotten tins of oddities like pink grapefruit slices and marrow fat peas that you inexplicably bought in the distant past. But do not throw the cans in your recycling bin! Upcycle them into homes for wildlife. Bee or bug house: • Use the contents of the elderly tinned product (or not as the case may be!) • Thoroughly clean the tin can and remove the label if you wish or you can keep it as natural decoration! • If you want to place the tin onto a fence or shed or even the side of your house attached it at this point by drilling and screwing through the base but of course get help with this if you are of younger years! • Alternatively you can secure it with wire or string to the side of a post or under a branch or even just poke it into a bush. These all work just fine. • So what to fill it with? There are natural and manmade options here. For Bees: Either find some bamboo canes and cut then into 15cm (6in) pieces ensuring that a hollow end is visible or you can even use last year’s Nettle or Teasel The holes do not need to be all the same size either. The other option is a chance to use up any of those nasty plastic straws that you may have lurking in your top draw or ancient Cocktail Cabinet. Do not go out and buy them for this purpose but give the ones you have the the opportunity to be put to a better use than a milkshake or strawberry daiquiri. Mix them with the natural tubes.
Teasels from my garden
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Nice hollow stems of different sizes once cut
Some bigger ‘tubes’ are sealed with a now dried leaf and contain a dormant Leaf-cutter Bee larvae while the smaller ones are sealed with tree sap by Large Headed Resin Bees which are tiny!
Leafcutter sealing the tube with a circular piece with the egg and some food safely inside.
