wildlife - 15 minutes of green

How to use your autumn leaves

23rd November 2022 23rd November 2022Autumn, In the garden, Wildlife 0

With all the wet and windy weather we’ve been having lately, the autumn leaves have been falling thick and fast, gathering in slick clumps on my patio, lawn and borders. It’s tempting to leave them be. After all, it’s the natural cycle of things, right? But there are good reasons to rake them up and recycle them in a different way.

First, they definitely need sweeping up from any hard landscaping, like paths or patios, mostly to prevent them from becoming slippy and dangerous, but also to stop them from blocking drains, which can cause flooding.

But what about the leaves on your lawn and borders?

Reasons to get raking

Too many leaves in one place will:

block sunlight and air from getting to your plants
trap moisture, enabling mould or disease to develop and/or causing the plants underneath to rot.

So, I rake them up and turn them into my own (free) soil improver that I can use when and where I want.

I’m not a big fan of leaf blowers. They’re noisy and use fuel. But fair enough if you’ve got a huge area and lots of leaves to clear. Given the size of my garden, my tool of choice is a sprung flat-tined garden rake. It does the job quietly and efficiently, plus raking is a fabulous way of burning calories. If I’m feeling a bit chilly, 5 minutes of raking is guaranteed to warm me up!

Raking leaves — A sprung flat-tined garden rake is my tool of choice

Composting

Most of the leaves that I collect end up in the compost bin. They are a terrific source of ‘brown material’ for the bin. If you don’t know what I mean by this, have a read of my blog post on Compost composition to get the the right ratio of ‘greens’ to ‘browns’.

Add leaves to your compost heap — Leaves are a great type of ‘brown’ material to add to your compost heap

Making leaf mulch

Another option is to make leaf mulch, which is really easy.

Place the leaves in a black plastic bag.
Give them a good soak (if not already wet).
Puncture the bottom of the bag with a few holes for drainage.
Tie the bag up and leave in a hidden corner of the garden.

The leaves will rot down into a nutritious mulch, ready for use in your borders next spring. IMPORTANT NOTE: make sure the leaves are wet before sequestering them away. I made the mistake of bagging up dry leaves the first time I tried this and nothing happened!

Dry leaves don't break down — Don’t bag up dry leaves – nothing will happen!!

The leaves are likely to break down quicker if you chop them up into smaller pieces before bagging them. You can do this by running a mower over them first, but only do this if they are dry or they will clog up your mower!

Wildlife-friendly leaf piles

Finally, leaf piles are fabulous for attracting wildlife to your garden. They provide shelter for all sorts of animals, such as small mammals, frogs and insects, and provide a good site or materials for hibernating hedgehogs. They are also a great source of food for birds, which will flick the leaves everywhere in search of grubs and insects.

Rake the leaves into a sheltered, quiet area of the garden, so that the leaves stay dry and don’t blow around everywhere, and you won’t disturb the residents.

Happy raking!

Where do bumblebees go during winter?

10th November 2022 10th November 2022Autumn, In the garden, Wildlife 0

This week, in a rare rain-free 15 minutes in the garden, I unearthed a couple of red-tailed bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius) from an old wooden trough that had gone rotten. They appeared to have been completely submerged in the soil among the roots of a woody lavender, and they were not at all happy about being disturbed.

Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) — One red-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus lapidarius*), rudely disturbed from its winter hibernation

There was a lot of frantic buzzing and stumbling around as they shook off the soil and tried to get their bearings from what, presumably, had been the start of a long, sleepy hibernation. It got me thinking…where do all the bumblebees go at this time of year?

Bumblebee life cycle

A quick session with Mr Google brought me up to speed on the life cycle of bumblebees, which starts with the emergence of a queen bee in spring. She establishes a nest and lays about a dozen eggs that hatch into sterile female worker bees. Some of the workers guard or clean the nest, while others forage for pollen and nectar to feed further broods of workers through late spring and early summer.

I’ve made a concerted effort in recent years to only introduce pollinator-friendly plants to the garden, so during the summer my borders are buzzing with worker bees.

A summer smorgasbord of pollinator-friendly plants

In late summer, the queen starts to produce fertile females (next year’s queen bees) and males, which leave the nest. The males mate with new queens from other nests. They die before the start of winter, as do the worker bees and original queen bee.

The newly mated queens then find a cool, quiet place to hibernate, where they will use reserves of energy stored as fat in the body to see them through the winter. Typically, they burrow into soft soil in North-facing banks, or find shelter under logs or stones, to avoid being warmed up by the winter sun.

Winter-flying bumblebees

Any increase in temperature could bring the queens out of hibernation. With our seasons getting more confused (I’ve already spotted some daffodils emerging!) and our winters getting warmer, we are likely to see more and more queen bees out and about during the winter months. In fact, in milder southern counties of the UK, some queen bumblebees, particularly the buff-tailed species (Bombus terrestris), don’t hibernate at all. Instead, they choose to start a new nest early, particularly in areas where there is a rich supply of pollen and nectar from winter-flowering plants.

Mahonia in bud: a rich supply of nectar through the winter months

I often see bees on my Mahonia in December and January. It’s a wonderful winter-flowering plant that blooms through several of the coldest months. Other good sources of bee food during the winter include winter-flowering heathers, evergreen clematis (Clematis cirrhosa) and the winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima).

What to do if you find a hibernating bumblebee

If you unearth a hibernating queen bee by mistake and she isn’t very active, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust recommends covering her up again (loosely, so that she can get out!). Otherwise, place her in a sheltered place so that she can rest before finding a new hibernation site.

As for my two angry bees, I couldn’t return them to their original site (as I had demolished it), and they were way too active anyway, so I gently transferred them onto a late-flowering scabious where they could feed and rest before finding a new spot in which to see out the winter.

This rain- and wind-battered Scabious is still going strong in November! — This rain- and wind-battered scabious is still going strong in November!

Bee happy

Although I’m sure to see one or two bumblebees over the next few months, I will miss the sound of buzzing in the garden and look forward to the return of the workers in spring. Until then, I will have to make do with my new doormat, which makes me smile every time I come into the house. Trouble is, it’s way too pretty to wipe my feet on it!

Give wasps a break

31st August 2017 31st August 2017In the garden, Summer 0

Wasps get a bad rep at this time of year, because at the end of August they become obsessed with what we’re eating and drinking. Unfortunately, the resulting human–wasp encounters often end up in (human) tears and/or a squashed wasp.

But I say, be kind to wasps, because although they might be a bit annoying right now, most of the time they leave us well alone and do a lot of good.

Portrait of common wasp Vespula vulgaris

Portrait of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) by Tim Evison, Denmark (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons via www.scientificillustration.net.

What is the point of wasps?

Wasps are vital to the environment. Why?

They are voracious predators that hoover up a lot of pests (greenfly etc.). In fact, without wasps many common crop pests would have few natural predators, so we’d have to use a lot more pesticides to get the food in our fields to our plates!
Their penchant for nectar means they are great pollinators. You may be surprised to know (I was!) that there is evidence to suggest they do as good a job as bees in this respect.

It’s just a shame that at this time of year they suddenly get the urge to tuck into our jam sandwiches.

From pest killer to pest

Social worker wasps live in large colonies in beautifully constructed ‘paper’ nests. They toil ceaselessly to build and defend the nest and tend to the needs of their egg-laying queen, and collect food from around your garden to raise more workers. The larvae that hatch from the eggs convert their protein-rich diet of garden pests into carbohydrates, which they secrete as a sugary drop that the adults then feed on.

By the end of summer, however, there are no more larvae to raise, and no more food for the workers. The queen stops making the hormone that keeps the workers together in the nest, and they disperse in search of sugars and carbohydrates to stay alive. That’s why they make a beeline (or waspline!) for your pint of cider or packet of crisps.

They’ll also tuck in to any rotting fruit – like this pear on a tree in my garden

A wasp is a wasp, right?

Wrong. According to BugLife, there are around 9000 species of wasp in the UK. Some are parasitic and tiny; most are solitary and no bother to us at all. Only nine species are social wasps that form large nests, the most common of which is aptly named the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) – the one we all know and (?)love.

Live and let live

So, yes, I know they are a nuisance right now, but wasps are an important part of your garden’s ecosystem, so cut them some slack. Let them sup at your table unharmed for a few minutes; once sated they are likely to fly off and leave you alone.

If you really can’t bear to have them around, try to stay calm and ‘waft’ them away rather than swiping wildly at them. An angry wasp will retaliate, and when they sting it hurts like hell – that’s what makes them such good predators. Finally, try not to kill them (other than for science, as below), because a dead wasp releases pheromones that tell other wasps there is a threat, and before you know it you’ll have more than one wasp to contend with!

Citizen science

Scientists want to find out more about the much-maligned social wasp, and are calling on members of the public to help with their Big Wasp Survey. They want to know which species live where, and they can then use that information in the future to find out what factors affect wasp populations.

Click on the link to find out how to make a simple beer trap to catch a wasp or two in your garden. I must admit, I had my reservations about this project, as it means killing wasps. But, the team at the Big Wasp Survey explain that the wasps you trap will have a negligible effect on UK wasp populations; in fact, they expect the number of wasps they receive to be less than the equivalent of a single wasp colony.

Ultimately, the project should benefit wasps in years to come … and my garden is a better place with wasps than without!

Wasps – love, hate or tolerate them? Let me know!

Hungry hedgehogs

13th May 2017 26th July 2021In the garden, Spring, Wildlife 1

Ironic that it was Hedgehog Awareness Week last week, because here in our small back garden in Hampshire we have been becoming increasingly hedgehog aware. It started as a bit of a mystery. Every morning we would find the cage on top of our bird ground feeder knocked askew, and the remains of the birds’ mealworms and suet devoured. A ratty visitor perhaps?

Who’s poo?

But then, more distinct telltale signs: shiny black droppings, not just one or two, but tens of poops around the lawn. Most of the literature on hedgehogs states that their stools are distinctly cylindrical, sometimes slightly tapered at one end and about 5cm in length, but I can confirm that hedgehog poop comes in all shapes and sizes, and in vast quantities.

Hedgehog poop – shiny, black, generally cylindrical … and lots of it!

In the flesh

And then we finally caught the culprit in the act. Instantly recognisable – short tail, long legs, small ears, pointed furry face, small black eyes … a lot of spines … and terrible table manners! Those of you who follow this blog will know that our last sighting of a hedgehog was back in the summer of 2015 (see Huffing Hedgehogs), so you can imagine our excitement.

Instantly recognizable

We immediately got down to the serious business of leaving the right food out.

Feeding hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are omnivores but over 70% of their natural diet comprises beetles and other insects, worms and a tiny number of slugs and snails. You can supplement their evening dinner with:

Meaty cat or dog food
Specific tinned or dry hedgehog food, available from garden centres and pet shops
Cat biscuits

And if the guzzling in our back garden is anything to go by, they will appreciate it!

Do not give them:

Bread or milk – they can’t digest them!
Salty meats such as bacon or corned beef
Dried mealworms. Although they are a good source of protein, they have a poor calcium: phosphorus ratio. Too little calcium/too much phosphorus can lead to metabolic bone disease (which is on the increase in hedgehogs) so it is best to avoid them completely. A healthy calcium: phosphorus ratio is 1:1 or 1:2.

And make sure you provide:

Water (no other liquid refreshment) – they drink a lot!
A sloping exit out of ponds so they can get out if they fall in.

Lawn of many hedgehogs

So, for the past 4 weeks we have been putting the food direct onto the lawn after dark between 9 and 10pm, when there are fewer marauding moggies around to sneak a crafty snack. This seems to have encouraged more hedgehog visitors to the garden, and as they are not territorial they seem to be content to share the food without too much squabbling. In fact, we have now seen up to four hedgehogs together at any one time on the lawn.

Erinaceus europaeus – three caught on camera – enjoying the buffet

Even if they are not around on the lawn, then we can usually hear them through the night, either huffing at each other in our herbaceous borders or in our neighbour’s garden. Yes, the courting rituals have started (hedgehog breeding season is April through to September) and we have our fingers crossed for hoglets later this summer.

Look after your hedgehogs

Hedgehog numbers in the UK are continuing to decline. According to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) 1 in 3 of all British hedgehogs have been lost since the year 2000. They are on the endangered species list, so if you find them in your garden, look after them!

For more information on hedgehogs go to The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, The Mammal Society, Prickles Hedgehog Rescue or Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.

Do you have hedgehogs in your garden? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or let me know on Twitter @15greenmins

Simply …

7th November 2014 6th March 2024In the garden 0

It’s been a challenging week. I’ve not felt well, work has been hectic, and the rain and wind have been battering the garden in equal measure. But this morning ‘the sun came out and dried up all the rain, and incy wincy spider’ … well, there are plenty of those about. So, my 15 minutes of green today didn’t involve weeding or pruning, walking or cycling. It was simply … 15 minutes of green.

Simply November sunshine — November sunshine

Watch and listen

I spent 15 minutes of green revelling in the mirror stillness of the pond, the warmth of the sunshine and the vibrant hues of leaves of varying shapes and shades. I listened to melodious birdsong, and delighted in watching a small tortoiseshell searching for a place to settle and blue tits flitting between bird table and nuts.

An added bonus

And then, an added bonus. The distinctive secretive scurrying of a wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) as it searched among the rocks around the pond for insects and spiders. Dumpy yet delicate. I wouldn’t have spotted this fabulous little bird if I hadn’t taken the time to simply stop and watch the goings on around the garden.

Take 15 minutes to simply be

So, for 15 minutes, I forgot the head cold and the mountain of work waiting for me on my PC. What a perfect morning.

Tag: wildlife