Wildlife Gardening Forum

What a lovely image, a bee, a bee house and the perfect plant for a bee - Verbena bonariensis, and what a way to celebrate world bee day 🐝 on Wednesday last week (when original post was published) Have you made or bought a bee hotel yet? Have a look at our website for a how to guide, perfect for creating that special place in your garden to support our wonderful bees!
https://wlgf.org/gardening-for-wildlife/attracting-different-wildlife-groups/attracting-insects/how-to-create-and-maintain-bee-hotels/ and while you're there, why not look for what plants to plant for bees too !
Photo Credit: Jennifer Hunter, WLGF FB Group

Did you know that woodlice are terrestrial crustaceans? They have many common names, often distinctly regional, such as slaters, pillbugs, sowbugs, cheeselogs, chiggy pigs and grammerzows. What do you call them?

Find out more on our website https://wlgf.org/wildlife/arthropods/crustaceans/woodlice-and-landhoppers/

Photo credit: Catherine Jenkins, Wildlife Gardening Forum FB Group

Wildlife Gardening Forum Group Member and Admin Maggie
planted Kidney Vetch, Anthyllis vulneraria, a few years
ago to try and attract Small Blue butterflies as it's the
sole food plant for their larvae. But she didn't have
much luck, although it's loved by bees and she'd seen
Brimstone and Small + Large White butterflies feed
from it.

Then finally she noticed a female Holly Blue butterfly
fluttering around the one in a pot on the patio for a
good while. Firstly, she nectared on the flowers which
are only just starting to open, and then - she began
laying eggs 😁

Kidney Vetch isn't it's typical larval food plant but I've
since learned that two people have posted elsewhere
about other plants they've seen them laying eggs on
recently - a Californian Lilac, and Sainfoin - a type of
legume plant. They are adapting it seems. Photo credit:
Maggie Zebroski, Wildlife Gardening Forum FB Group

Who's seen a Holly Blue this year? I know I have! The Holly Blue is very common in gardens, but is also in parks, hedgerows and woodlands, taking nectar from brambles, Holly, Ivy, Forget-me-not, buttecups and thistles, although they do prefer honeydew from aphids ! Have a read of the bio on them, and many other butterflies on our website:

Blues | Wildlife Gardening Forum The 4 garden species include members of the subfamilies the coppers, which are red/brown in colour, and the blues which are mainly metallic blue in colour, but one species (and one female) are predominately brown. The 5 hairstreaks are not normally found in gardens.

We've been delighted to see so many new wildlife ponds being created this spring, for those of you who haven't built one yet, why not have a look at our Creating water habitats section on the website, following the links for garden ponds and see if you have the space in your garden for a wildlife pond !

Creating water habitats | Wildlife Gardening Forum Water is one of the key requirements for wildlife in gardens, just as everywhere else. All plants need water to grow, using it for transpiration to drive sap flow which is the equivalent of a blood system for moving nutrients around the body of the plant.

Want to know what to plant in the garden this year to attract pollinators? Head over to our website, and follow the link Planting for Wildlife, and choose your season..

Planting for pollinators | Wildlife Gardening Forum It is a common assumption that that only ‘wild’ or ‘native’ plants in gardens can support pollinating insects, but as you can find on our page Gardens: native and non-native species , the evidence does not support it.

Latest advice for feeding garden birds from the RSPB

As much as we encourage you to provide food for the birds in your garden here, it is evident from bird numbers recorded by the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch surveys over the years, that there is a decline in some species such as Greenfinch, due to disease.

We would encourage members to regularly clean feeders and water baths normally at this time, as this can have an impact on reducing trichomomosis, especially where large numbers of birds gather to feed.

This risk tends to be higher in summer and autumn, but there are more natural foods available to our birds at this time, such as seeds and insects.

Alighned with the RSPB advice, we suggest that feeding with seeds and nuts is paused during the period 1 May to 31 October. Feeding again with feeders of seeds and nuts should them be provided between 1 November and 30 April.

Do move your feeders around the garden periodically too, as this helps to reduce the build up of potentially contaminated debris beneath the feeders, and try to ensure that they are not placed below nests or roosting sites, where droppings can cause contamination.

It is also recommended that bird tables can help to spread the diseases, so perhaps move to feeders that hang, and that can also be easily cleaned.

For further advice, do look at the RSPB website.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/how-to-help-garden-birds

Our latest guidance on what and when to feed garden birds: Feed Safely, Feed Seasonally We all want to help birds and make our gardens or outdoor spaces a place where all wildlife can thrive. But some species, such as Greenfinches, are experiencing serious declines because of disease.

A lovely series on the BBC

Even lovelier that they have referenced us as their first useful link 😊

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/24cXHY9LbhcsGPbrzn8BTLv/what-we-learned-about-wildlife-gardening-or-how-to-make-your-garden-a-wildlife-haven

Each year, DEFRA and some of their pollinator-focussed partners, organise Bees’ Needs Week. This is an awareness raising week where different organisations hold events to promote the importance of pollinators and simple steps which can help them thrive.

DEFRA also organises the Bees’ Needs Champions Awards, which are used to highlight and celebrate the great work that lots of people are already doing. As part of Bees’ Needs Week, they hold an awards ceremony where they present award winners with some certificates.

They are keen to attract as many applications as possible – last year they had a brilliant mix of winners, including school groups, a prison, a number of farms and community groups.

Sarah Galley from DEFRA says "We are buzzing to announce the launch of our brilliant Bees’ Needs Champions Awards for 2026! 🐝

These awards highlight and celebrate the fantastic work taking place across England to support our bees, butterflies and other precious pollinators, such as:

🌼 creating a wildflower patch
😊 educating local communities
🦋 helping pollinators on a farm

Applications are welcome from groups, individuals, farmers, schools or businesses. Applications close 17 May."

Find out more:

Bees’ Needs Champion Awards We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

Head over to our website, or go to Eventbrite, and get your tickets for the WLGF 2026 online Symposium

January 2026 Virtual Symposium | Wildlife Gardening Forum Get your tickets for tomorrow ! Learn about the latest research related to nature-friendly gardening to help you undertake evidence-based wildlife gardening decisions. Wednesday 14th January 2026 10am – 1pm GMT Get your tickets here !