I Can Grow for wildlife

Create a campaign to help support wildlife in the garden

Biodiversity refers to the web of interconnected species of animals, birds, plants and insects that exist on earth. Wildlife plays an important role in sustaining the planet and affects everything from the food we eat, to the fuel we use, medicines we take and our changing climate. Allowing nature to thrive in the garden increases biodiversity and has a knock-on effect, which influences these processes and more.

What can you do?

If your class or group is interested in growing for wildlife, here are a few suggestions of what they could do:

• Plant native species such as wildflowers, berry-laden bushes and nectar/pollen-rich plants
• Introduce inviting spaces such as bug hotels, bird feeders, hedgehog houses and bat boxes
• Build a pond to encourage frogs and different insects to the garden
• Compost organic waste so that worms can break down the uncooked food that is throw away and turn it into fertile new soil for the garden
• Avoid use of pesticides as these can kill off beneficial insects
• Make a rock or log pile in a shady spot, to provide shelter for beetles, spiders, woodlice and more!
• Leave areas of grass to grow long to protect small mammals such as mice, voles, and shrews

Group discussion

Use these discussion points to get your group thinking about growing for wildlife:

Beginner questions:

• Which creatures live in or visit our gardens and what good work do they do?
• What plants or natural objects can we use to encourage wildlife to visit our gardens?

More advanced questions:

• Why do we need rich biodiversity? If certain plant species were in decline, what would the knock-on effects be?
• What do we already do in our garden to welcome wildlife, and what plants can we introduce to increase biodiversity?

Got your theme? Now plan your campaign...

• Creating a campaign
• Harnessing the power of plants for your campaign