Dried flower heads of agapanthus attract insects, along with cow parsley. Photo Kevin Line.
How important is it to just relate to all that happens at the tips of our feet on the very ground we walk? To the air above our heads.
From every rotting piece of wood that houses a variety of insects and beetles, to hopefully our long lost hedgehog hiding in our natural or ready-made shelters, to the birds on the feeders, the bats in the air, and spiders. The list goes on.
Old tree stump, a home for a host of insect life. Photo Kevin Line.
Somehow wildlife seems to come alive at this time of year. I truly believe it's a time of year when our senses can be acutely tuned to all that is happening in the garden. For the very reason that we as nature lovers and people who really passionately care for plants and wildlife, can play such an important role, in learning and its survival.
It's at this time of year, when rainfall levels in the South Lakes can certainly seem to increase, the toad population seems to come to the forefront of observations in the garden. Just look at those beautiful rain soaked little bodies.
Toad. Photo Kevin Line
I've spent many hours in gardens during the winter, when I wrote the three-year 'Family Gardener' series for the Grow Your Own magazine, observing wildlife with children, and of course I continue to so so! It's crucial now more than ever that future generations connect with plants and animals, all year round.
October and November are excellent times to spot fungi in the garden, they are prime months with their spore bearing fruiting bodies.
Many fungi are beneficial within the garden, they digest dead micro-organisms, penetrating dead and decaying wood which in turn converts the organic matter into the ingredients that make up their own cells. These fungi depend on dead plant and animal matter.
Some of course are harmful too and are parasitic, attacking living plants. These fascinating forms are all part of the ecosystem, which form part of the infrastructure, that form part of the wildlife garden.
Fungi. Photo Kevin Line
Fungi. Photo Kevin Line.
From November onwards if you brave the garden, even on rainy days, you may just come across a huddle of ladybirds, hibernating and huddled together at the bottom of a fence post. The ladybird relies on their bright red colour and black spots in order to warn birds that they actually have an unpleasant taste!
Ladybirds. Photo Amy Lewis.
Care to just lift up any old logs, you may just be amazed at the amount of beetles and weevils that are creeping beneath. If you don't have any old logs in the garden, try to collect just a few to give these important insects a home for the winter. As gardeners, they rely on us and we rely on them in many ways. In the hedgerow these insects will also seek out the hollow stems of umbellifer plants such as cow parsley, also dried heads of agapanthus, and the seed head cavities of the Welsh poppy.
Woodlice remain active throughout the year, they like to keep out of bright light and hide beneath stones, branches and leaf litter and feed on dead and dying plant material.
Many gardeners will say they find woodlice unattractive, I quite enjoy the look of their primitive form. The function they play in the garden is vital, especially in the winter. The woodlice are also the target for winter meals of the spiders, centipedes and beetles.
Deathwatch Beetle. Photo Dr Malcolm Storey.
Cychrus caraboides. Photo John Bridges.
Umbellifer cow parsley, hollow stems for insects. Photo Kevin Line.
Dried flower heads of agapanthus attract insects, along with cow parsley. Photo Kevin Line.
Welsh poppy seed head cavities for insects. Photo Kevin Line.
Plants too such as the cyclamen foliage start to emerge from the hedgrows in our garden. These are spring flowering, but it's not unusual to see the flower of cyclamen coum emerging in late winter, and to even see small insects attracted to the bright pink and white flowers. It makes that link between the winter and spring.
Cyclamen coum foliage emerging in the hedgerow. Photo Kevin Line.
Get out their with the children and start forming a diary of flower and seed heads, insects, and all of the fascinating things that are going on! It certainly beats sitting looking at a screen, unless the screen of course is educating wildlife in the garden.
How can we ever tire of it. We just need to keep moving and learning on the joys the garden can bring to wildlife.
It's fascinating to get out in our gardens in the winter and observe and learn. Encourage your children, they will be fascinated. Again It's so vitally important too that up and coming generations are linking with nature and wildlife, after all, Man continues to destruct and destroy!
Kevin Line
Kevin is a lifetime Plantsperson, Horticulturist, Gardener & Conservationist, whose work spans over 40 years. He has worked for the National Trust, BBC Gardeners World and as a Head Gardener (North Cotswolds). Kevin works as a freelance horticultural plant consultant which includes advising clients on planting for wildlife friendly gardens. He was previously the plantsperson at Lakeland Leisure Park, Flookburgh, also working in the area of conservation and ecology. Prior to that he developed a wildlife garden in Bowness On Windermere for three and a half years. The garden opened in 2019 under the National Gardens Scheme and proceeds were raised for Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Kevin has a strong passion for wildlife gardening and is a member of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Botanical Society Of Britain & Ireland and the RSPB. His passion and deep-rooted interests extend to wildlife & habitat conservation.
