by Dr Dave Skingsley (aka the ‘bugbotherer’)
With summer started (honestly!) many people turn to the public green spaces around them (such as gardens, parks, towpaths, the moorlands) for a place in which to relax. It’s only then, when listening to the natural world, that people become aware of the background buzz of the workers toiling in these places. The question many are now asking (Hallman et al 2017) is has that noise become quieter? The evidence is mounting that there are fewer insects in the ‘wilder spaces’ but that private green spaces such as home gardens provide places where insects (and I must admit to favouritism here) can call home, or a workplace. Just a quick search of the internet shows most of the wildlife charities (links below) recognise the value of garden green spaces and the needs to, just ever so slightly, rewild them.
All of these charities recognise some key ideas to help insects and thus all the other creatures (including humans).
So what can you do with the space outside your house, flat, parking lot.
Try some of these approaches
Bird boxes
These offer shelter and spaces for those nesting places lost to tree felling and hedgerow removal. Birds, and all the other wildlife would prefer the hedgerows and trees but if they have been lost where could they go? Old bird boxes are often colonised by bees. Check out the RSPB’s advice on creating a wildlife-friendly garden.
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