A Homes for Wildlife oasis - Kevin Caley

Kevin Caley's garden

I've been creating a wildlife garden ever since I moved in in 2000. Previously, I was creating what was euphemistically called the 'Caley Reserve' at my parents' house.

My first job was the inclusion of a pond. I had to do that, what with my love of dragonflies and damselflies. I even got common darters emerging after the first year! Now, it is a regular haunt of three damselfly species, one dragonfly, and frogs and newts. Toads visit, but I haven't found any of their egg strings yet.

Butterfly bonanza

My other first job was altering the poorly utilised 'vegetable patch' - really just a lawn - into a full-blown wildflower area, to cater for another of my other major interests, butterflies.

'It's still a suburban garden - but is managed and 'enhanced' through including plants known to be present in my postal district.'

With a plum, an apple and an eared willow, as well as a selection of fruit bushes, it already had a start. I have converted the area into a meadow and a semi-woodland 'orchard' area.

This doesn't mean that this wild area has been left alone. It's still a suburban garden - but is managed and 'enhanced' through including plants known to be present in my postal district.

Controlling the grasses, not by mowing, but by the inclusion of yellow rattle, has done wonders for the biodiversity of this small parcel of land in the short time this species has been present (fours years already).

Now I have cowslips in abundance, wild daffodills that brighten the spring, red clover and ox-eye daisies and several species of butterfly. Recent additions include a nest box - already utilised by a family of great tits.

Factfile

Kevin has recorded over 500 species in his Homes for Wildlife oasis. Half of these are plants and bryophytes, ferns, fungi and lichens. At least 60% of the herbaceous and annual plants are native species. 30 species of bird have been recorded. Invertebrates include 16 species of butterfly, five species of dragonfly, five species of bumblebee and solitary bees. Several mammals have been recorded, as have three species of amphibian.

His garden is on a southwest-northeast axis. The front garden faces north-east and is 20 ft (c6m) wide, by 10ft (c3m) long. The larger rear garden measures 100ft (c33m) long by 24ft (c7m) wide.

Kevin's recipe for success -  why not follow in his footsteps?

  • Four of the seven trees in Kevin's garden are native: birch, eared willow, blackthorn and holly - all great for wildlife. Of the 22 shrub species, a third are native. Climbers include honeysuckle, clematis and ivy – one of the best wildlife plants in any garden.
  • Kevin's rear garden has a privet hedge. The front has a mixed hedge, a wall managed for lichens and a short fence with shrubs and climbers.
  • Infrequent mowing of parts of Kevin's lawn allows a variety of plants to grow, such as clovers, selfheal, feral croci, common mouse-ear, mouse-ear hawkweed, cowslips and thyme-leaved speedwell. These provide homes for invertebrates and seeds for birds and small mammals.
  • The grass around the lawn's edge is allowed to grow long, providing habitat for grasshoppers. It maintains humidity beneath the plants in adjacent borders, providing ideal foraging conditions for insects and birds.
  • The flower border covers over 21m², with a mix of herbaceous plants among the shrubs. Two small areas have been set aside: one has a mix of wild annual cornfield flowers, attractive to bees and predatory beetles; the other is a much larger ‘wildlife’ area mimicking a pasture and ‘orchard’. Viper’s bugloss, attractive to bees, is established on gravel in the garden.
  • Kevin's pond covers over 3.6 m² and has been stocked with native aquatic plants. Two tubs are planted with marginal aquatics: one with reed mace, the other with yellow flag, greater spearwort and water-violet. Not having been stocked with fish, there are many aquatic invertebrates and thriving populations of frogs and newts.
  • Logs piles provide dead wood. Seed heads and stems of herbaceous plants left over winter protect the plants from frosts and provide seed for birds and over-wintering sites for insects.
  • Patches of bare earth are retained for bees and other insects and hardstanding is enhanced with pots containing a range of flowering plants.
  • Kevin's compost heap allows access to beneficial soil invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife.
  • A ‘roof garden’ is under construction. It is a series of shallow (50–75mm), light-stone ‘pots’ in which plants are encouraged to grow. Some early plant colonisers have begun to establish there, including Deptford pink and birds-foot trefoil. Water run off is collected in water butts.
  • There are three bird boxes and a bat box. Bamboo canes - plant climbing frames - double as insect homes.
  • Kevin provides a varied diet for birds throughout winter: seed mixes, peanuts, fat and mealworms . During summer, a plentiful supply of natural food is available. Feeding does not start again in earnest until autumn.

What can I do?

Take part in 'Homes for Wildlife' and we'll provide you with all the advice you'll need to attract birds and other wildlife to your garden.

Transform your garden into a wildlife haven

Last modified: 30 July 2008