Wild About Gardens: Wild About Lawns

Wild About Gardens is a joint initiative by the RHS and The Wildlife Trusts to get more people growing for wildlife.

Wild About Lawns: Bring your grassed areas to life!

This year we’re celebrating grassed spaces like playing fields or grassy banks, as habitats for wildlife. There are lots of ways we can use either whole spaces, or even just the edges, to support wildlife and some of them take no effort at all! You can leave your grass to grow and experiment with different lengths. Follow the simple BioBlitz activity in the Wild About Lawns booklet to measure the biodiversity throughout the year, and see how the changes you make allow different plants and animals to thrive.

Pledge to use your grassed spaces to help wildlife.

Pledge to help
 


For a downloadable booklet with information about wildlife in your lawns, as well as great activities to get involved with, including instructions for making a mini lawn, experimenting with different lengths or growing new floral interest, click the ‘Free Resources’ button below.

Free resources

Why do we need to grow for wildlife?

Over the past 50 years, two thirds of the UK’s plant and animal species have declined. There are many reasons for this, including loss of habitat. Many of our once-regular garden visitors – for example hedgehogs, house sparrows and common frogs are now much less common.

How can you help?

Your school garden can make a difference by becoming a mini nature reserve to support wildlife.

Helen Bostock, RHS Senior Horticultural Advisor, says: "Lie down on a patch of grass and take a mini safari. Spot scurrying ants rushing around like antelopes. Be startled by grasshoppers as they bound away like kangaroos. And spy ladybirds hunting for prey like leopards in the savannah. So much to see and welcome!"

Helping other wildlife

There are other Wild About Gardens booklets for butterflies, ponds, hedgehogs, worms, bats, bees, beetles, swifts, swallows and martins. These booklets can be found at the bottom of the Wild About Gardens webpage, under ‘More ways to help wildlife’.

Find out more