Page 5 - Wildlife News April 2015
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Discovering insects at the On your patch
Oxford Festival of Nature. (Ric Mellis)
Developing Green Talent trainee Lucy Tomkinson
Follow us on social media sings the praises of companion planting for both
beauty and gardening benefit.
Meadows celebration Otter.
(Margaret Holland) Companion planting is a great way of attracting a multitude
The weekend of 13–14 June of beneficial – and beautiful – insects, including butterflies,
is Our Meadow Wildlife Otters on the Thames ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies and ground beetles. By drawing
Weekend when Wildlife in these insects and providing them habitat you will help to
Trusts across the country Thank you to Graham improve garden pest control and the pollination of vegetables,
celebrate the floriferous Scholey, Conservation fruits and flowers. One example is the bumblebee, whose
glory of these wildlife havens. Technical Specialist of the pollination ensures a bounty of fruits, such as raspberries and
BBOWT is joining in with Environment Agency, who tomatoes on our vegetable plots.
an opportunity to explore pointed out an error in our
the spectacular meadows piece on otters (see December Other plants repel undesirable pests. Take French
of Meadow Farm, Bucks – 2014 issue, page 7). We stated marigolds, whose smell deters whitefly from feeding on
check your Wildlife Diary for that otter cubs are cared for neighbouring plants. But marigolds with single flowers also
details. The wild flowers will by all members of the family, attract nectar-feeding hoverflies, the larvae of which predate
be at their zenith, so don’t when in fact, for our native aphids. The result is a two-pronged defence against common
forget your camera. Read Eurasian otter, the care of insect pests.
more about Meadow Farm on young falls to the mother.
page 10. Another companion plant to consider sowing this spring
is the vibrant blue cornflower, which has extrafloral nectaries,
Meadow Farm. or glands that release nectar even when the flowers are not
(Colin Williams) blooming. This makes the cornflower highly attractive to
ladybirds, lacewings and beneficial wasps. Many easy-to-grow
Children with their raindrops. wildflower mixes include cornflowers.
(Norman Jones)
Planting a herb garden is a great way of growing produce
Hundreds of local for yourself while benefiting wildlife. As part of my Developing
schoolchildren have been Green Talent traineeship with BBOWT I have been working on
involved in creating wetland- a project at Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre,
themed raindrops, which are near Didcot where, with the help of volunteers, a sensory
now on display at the centre.. wildlife garden is taking shape. Once planting is complete the
garden will offer an intimate space to enjoy the scents, textures,
April 2015 sounds and colours of wildlife-friendly and, especially, insect-
friendly plants.
One species you will almost certainly encounter is
the small purple and gold moth (also known as the mint
moth), which flies by day around many herbs. Together with
gatekeeper butterflies seeking out the marjoram, bees heading
to the chives, plus many species of hoverfly, these insects will
certainly make this garden a busy wildlife area.
You can easily combine beauty and benefit by companion
planting. By doing this you can discourage harmful pests
without losing those allies we seek to attract. Meanwhile your
garden’s ecosystem stands to dramatically improve.
Small purple and gold moth on marjoram. (Peter Creed)
Discover more
■ Head to bbowt.org.uk/wildlife/gardening-wildlife
for more wildlife gardening advice and a list of wildlife-
friendly trees and shrubs.
■ Visit our Pinterest site for weekly wildlife gardening tips:
pinterest.com/bbowt/garden-for-wildlife
■ Learn more about the educational programmes
available at the Sutton Courtenay Environmental
Education Centre: bbowt.org.uk/sutton-courtenay-
environmental-education-centre
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