Whenever I am asked the reason why I have spent so much time and energy in creating a garden for wildlife, I have no hesitation in explaining why the matter is so close to my heart and what has motivated me. I have been interested in natural history from a very young age and have been a member of the RSPB http://www.rspb.org.uk/ and the WWF http://www.wwf.org.uk/core/index.asp for 40 years now. Our boys were members of the Young Ornithologists Club, which became RSPB Wildlife Explorers http://www.rspb.org.uk/youth/index.asp
I’m sure we are all aware that due to an ever-increasing population, more and more hectares of land are being used to build houses, resulting in loss of habitat for wildlife. Therefore, what we do with our own individual garden is of vital importance, both to us and to the environment, for I firmly believe we are the stewards of the earth.
This, in effect, is the raison d’etre for the creation of our garden at Barleycorn. We wanted to make a difference, to provide homes for some of the wildlife in the area around where we live, through the creation of ponds, the planting of deciduous trees and in the provision of nectar borders.
Over the sixteen years we have been here, we have witnessed several farm ponds being drained, hedges being ripped out to allow the crops to be sown right up to the edges of the fields, healthy trees being excavated and large tracts of the countryside being given over to plantations of evergreens, with only a few deciduous trees planted at the roadside as a token gesture to wildlife.
To help counteract these losses, the wonderful thing is that we can all make a difference through our own little patch, whether it consists of a single window-box, or is not much more than the size of a postage stamp, or is of some considerable size, or is somewhere in between. It is widely accepted that having gardens in which to grow flowers and plants connects us with nature and the earth. They awaken our senses and feed our souls, as well as creating little havens for wildlife. There is no better legacy to leave to our children and grandchildren, and we will have made our mark and left the world a better place.
I live for those who love me,
Whose hearts are kind and true,
For the heaven that lies above me,
And awaits my spirit too,
For all human ties that bind me,
For the task that God assigned me,
For the loved ones left behind me,
And the good that I can do.
We have had the wettest June and July on record for the past 70 years. As a result, apart from a fleeting view of an orange-tip in April, we did not have our usual quota of butterflies at Barleycorn during the summer months.
I was therefore waiting with bated breath for the flowering of the inula daisies this month, as they always supply much-needed sustenance for many of the insects, bees and butterflies which visit the garden.
As the weather conditions improved, they began to appear slowly in dribs and drabs. I took some photographs of the variety of little creatures as they arrived each day. If you click on each picture you will see the actual dates when I photographed them, along with their names.
I took the little video, below this post, today, because most of the butterflies suddenly appeared. Being shy of humans, the small white and the red admiral flew off as I approached with my camera.
Not wishing to deprive them of their food, I'm happy to report that they returned for their share of the nectar once I retreated.
Our house borders a busy B road, with its fair share of passing traffic. Today, everyone seemed to be in their cars racing by at a great speed of noughts.
The sound made the butterflies flit to and fro.
Two tractor mowers, one on either side of our garden started their droning sounds. Forwards and back again, they began to hoover their owners' enormous lawns.
Cockerels and bantams from a neighbour's garden across the road began competing with each other to see who could crow the loudest.
All the while, next door's collie was having fun running up and down his garden pouncing on his squeaky toys.
I'm surprised the butterflies, insects and bees stayed long enough for me to capture them on video.
