As the weather gets milder, gardens become very busy places. Birds and bees start to nest and some species of insects such as moths are already breeding. Frogs and toads will have already left ponds after breeding and will be looking for nice damp places to shelter.
Hungry Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs will have typically emerged from hibernation in March and will be trying to fatten themselves up to be in good condition for breeding. If you do have any hedgehogs in your garden, they no doubt will appreciate some extra food. Jelly based dog or cat food is ideal. Put the food out at night and discard any that’s left in the morning.
Feeding the Birds
Keep your bird feeders topped up as it will really help birds to remain strong and healthy for nest building and breeding. Caterpillars are an essential food source for many birds such as blue and great tits so avoid removing them from plants if you can.
Compost Bins
Now is the time to empty your compost bins as any hibernating wildlife should now have emerged. However, it’s still worth being careful in case there are any frogs or hedgehogs that are still yet to leave the safety of your composters.
Planting
Fill gaps in borders by scattering seeds of annuals such as poppy, cornflower and corn cockle. They will not only provide a beautiful splash of colour in your garden, but will provide an excellent source of pollen for bees, butterflies and moths.
Swifts, Swallows and House Martins
These amazing birds will start to arrive in Britain by mid-April. These birds really need our help. You can help them in a number of ways: put up nesting boxes, leave mud in your garden for house martins to use to build their nests and encourage insects into your garden for the birds to feed on.
Top Tip: Sparrows will take over house martins' nests, so to be safe, if you have sparrows, move their feeding station away from the nests. This will hopefully help to protect the house martins.
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