Get into your garden and help with the survival of some well known species

The range of mini-habitats contained within a garden from flowers, shrubs, trees and ponds, can all help support a rich variety of wildlife and have become important for the survival of some of our well-known species.

You don’t need to be an expert to identify many species, and if you find something you’re not sure about, there are plenty of resources online to help. Habitas, British Trust for Ornithology, Butterfly Conservation, and ispot can help you identify exactly what is living in your garden.

You can encourage more diversity into your garden by taking a few small steps. For example, by cutting a small section of lawn less often, you will encourage wildflowers to grow naturally attracting more pollinators including bees and butterflies. For more ideas visit: www.pollinators.ie.

You can record any species you find online via the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR): www2.habitas.org.uk/records/. Every record helps build a better picture of our local wildlife and you may even find something that has not been recorded in your area before.

Why not get the whole family involved and try the Flower-Insect Timed Count. Watch a 50cm x 50cm patch of flowers for 10 minutes and record how many insects visit the patch. You could try this with a couple of different patches of flowers to see which flowers attract the most insects, and record your findings at: www.pollinators.ie.

For more information on what’s in your garden please contact the Biodiversity Officer, Mid Ulster District Council, by email: [email protected].

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