Hi, its Jenny from Frome Wild Bunch.
Autumn is here and winter is just around the corner; now is a good time for us to leave our wild spaces and gardens to sleep for the winter season. Time to enjoy the last of the fruit and vegetables from our gardens and allotments and begin to wind down, like nature. We still have some time to plant a few spring bulbs and the wildlife will be really thankful for the early pollen in the Spring. Then we can let our gardens and wild spaces rest for this coming season and watch the autumnal leaves turn from green to gold.
If there are leaves around, please don’t get rid of them, instead rake them up and put them in a corner or in a box for the insects and hedgehogs. Leaves are valuable for wildlife providing shelter and potential food like invertebrates, insects, worms. If you can, watch the blackbirds turf through leaf piles to find their breakfast. Twigs can be collected and put in piles or under sheds and make great spots for wildlife to hibernate in. Try not to be too tidy and let nature take its course, providing shelter, food and safety for wild creatures.
Fallen wood in woodlands creates habitats for creatures too. This occurs naturally in woods, however we can create such habitats in our wild spaces. These piles of dead wood create homes for insects, newts, bees etc and in turn birds feed on these insects in the wood piles. Piles of logs and twigs can be put anywhere in your garden. If you put the wood pile somewhere shady, it will probably rot more quickly providing a place where fungi and mosses can grow. If you put your wood pile in a sunnier spot the wood will probably harden and maybe Solitary bees might make this their home. Dead wood can be used to support plants like roses and clematis, again serving as habitat. Most of the time wood piles will be quiet but if you watch it patiently you may see wrens looking for snails, or bees exploring or even burrowing into holes to make homes for the winter. Identifying the insects that frequent the wood pile can be fun, I saw a Tiger Beetle on my wood pile, a beautiful green insect worth watching and identifying.
This time of year as we watch the seasons change, we can watch our gardens and outdoor spaces wind down too. We can slow down, leave the busy gardening season behind and tune in with the slower pace of nature. A re-treat.
Join the Wild Bunch for our final meeting of 2024 and a ‘Gardener’s Question Time’ session on Thursday 5th December from 1.30pm to 3pm at the town hall – mince pies provided!
