Bring in wildlife

Wildlife

Browse 59 guides Open Plant Finder

Make space for birds, bees, hedgehogs and useful insects. Create habitats that work in British gardens.

UK seasons Plain advice Free to read

Choose where to begin

Useful advice, organised around your next job

A wildlife-friendly garden needs food, water, shelter and safe access. These 59 guides explain how to provide each one in a British garden. Start with a small change, such as a water source or gap under a fence. Then add suitable plants and habitats. The topic routes below help you focus on a species or project.

Recommended first

Start with a popular guide

Quick routes into the questions gardeners ask most often.

Attract Garden Birds

Add food, cover and water in the right order.

Bee-Friendly Plants

Choose flowers with nectar that bees can reach.

Help Garden Hedgehogs

Create access, remove hazards and offer safe shelter.

Build a Wildlife Pond

Create a useful habitat without overcomplicating the build.

From the library

The latest wildlife guides

59 guides in this section

White frothy cuckoo spit on a lavender stem in a UK garden made by a froghopper nymph

Wildlife 18 August 2026 12 min read

Cuckoo Spit: What the White Froth Is

That white froth on your lavender is cuckoo spit, made by a harmless froghopper nymph. What it is, why it is nothing to fear, and when to note it.

Harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis on a leaf showing orange wing cases with many black spots

Wildlife 18 August 2026 12 min read

Harlequin Ladybird vs Native Ladybirds

The harlequin ladybird is an invasive species threatening our natives. Tell it from the 7-spot by its size, brown legs and the black M on the pronotum.

Bright green shield bug Palomena prasina resting on a green leaf in a UK garden close up

Wildlife 13 August 2026 12 min read

Green Shield Bug: Friend or Foe?

That bright green shield bug on your beans is almost certainly a harmless native. How to tell it from the invasive southern green stink bug.

Bumblebee drinking from a shallow pebble-filled water dish in a UK garden, the alternative to a sugar water bee bar

Wildlife 15 July 2026 13 min read

Bee Bars: Does Sugar Water Help Bees?

Bee bars promise to revive tired bees with sugar water. The evidence says otherwise. What actually helps UK bees, plus the one exception that works.

Stone pedestal bird bath with a blackbird bathing in a suburban UK garden in soft daylight

Wildlife 10 July 2026 14 min read

Bird Bath Placement and Cleaning Guide

Where to site a bird bath and keep it clean and disease-free: placement, water depth, winter de-icing and a weekly cleaning routine.

Finished turfed hibernaculum mound in a UK wildlife garden with entrance pipes and a sunny stone basking edge

Wildlife 10 July 2026 14 min read

How to Build a Hibernaculum (Wildlife Refuge)

Build a hibernaculum for frogs, toads, newts and slow worms, with practical dimensions, construction layers, siting advice and a monthly care plan.

House martin mud nests under the white eaves of a UK suburban semi, with adult birds flying in to feed young

Wildlife 10 July 2026 14 min read

House Martins: Attract Them and Nest Care

Attract house martins to your UK home with artificial nest cups, a spring mud source and pesticide-free feeding, plus the nest law you must follow.

European robin with an orange-red breast perched on a spade handle in a UK garden border

Wildlife 9 July 2026 14 min read

Attract Robins: 7 Steps for Any UK Garden

Attract robins to your UK garden with seven proven steps: mealworms, an open-fronted nest box, low cover, water and a freshly dug border.

Large grey-brown elephant hawk moth caterpillar with eye spots on a fuchsia stem in a UK garden

Wildlife 8 July 2026 12 min read

Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar: Harmless Giant

Elephant hawk moth caterpillar in your garden? This grey-brown giant with eye spots is harmless to people, pets and plants. ID, lifecycle and what to do.

Grey squirrel hanging off a closed squirrel proof bird feeder in a UK suburban garden

Wildlife 8 July 2026 14 min read

Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders: 6 Fixes Rated

Squirrel proof bird feeder guide: what works, what fails and what harms birds. Weight-activated feeders, the 1.5m/3m baffle rule and real UK costs.

Several small volcano-shaped mining bee mounds with central holes in a UK garden lawn in spring

Wildlife 24 June 2026 11 min read

Mining Bees in Lawns: ID and What to Do

Small volcano mounds in your spring lawn are mining bees, not pests. Identify the tawny mining bee, see why they are harmless, and what to do.

A swarm of winged black garden ants emerging from the cracks between paving slabs on a UK suburban patio on a warm humid

Wildlife 23 June 2026 9 min read

Flying Ant Day: Why It Happens & What to Do

UK guide to Flying Ant Day: Why It Happens & What to Do, with timing, setup, care, common problems and useful next steps for British gardens.

A well-made wooden bee house mounted on a sunny fence in a UK garden

Wildlife 23 June 2026 10 min read

How to Make & Site a Bee House (UK Guide)

Make a bee house from a hardwood block with correctly sized holes, then choose a sunny UK position and maintain it safely for solitary bees each year.

A large grey wood pigeon with a white neck patch and pink breast feeding on a green suburban lawn in summer light

Wildlife 23 June 2026 9 min read

What Wood Pigeons Eat on Your Lawn

UK guide to What Wood Pigeons Eat on Your Lawn, with timing, setup, care, common problems and useful next steps for British gardens.

A pedunculate oak heavy with acorns in a UK mast year, golden autumn light

Wildlife 19 June 2026 11 min read

What Is a Mast Year? UK Acorn Boom Years

What is a mast year? A UK guide to oak and beech boom years, the science of predator satiation, wildlife effects and what gardeners notice.

A Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly feeding on bramble blossom at a sunlit woodland edge in southern England

Wildlife 6 June 2026 13 min read

Rare UK Woodland Butterflies and How to Help

Meet seven rare UK woodland butterflies, from the Purple Emperor to the Duke of Burgundy, and the realistic things a garden can do to help them.

Autumn flowering plants for bees with honeybees and a bumblebee feeding on sedum and verbena in a UK garden

Wildlife 4 June 2026 13 min read

Autumn Bee Plants: 13 Late Nectar Stars

Autumn flowering plants for bees: 13 late-season forage plants ranked by nectar value, from ivy to mahonia, with a UK month-by-month feeding calendar.

A seven-spot ladybird feeding on a colony of black aphids on a green stem in a UK garden, macro detail

Wildlife 4 June 2026 14 min read

Good Bugs vs Bad Bugs in Your Garden

Good bugs and bad bugs guide for UK gardens. Identify beneficial insects vs garden pests, spot larvae you mistake for pests, and balance predators.

Goldfinches and blue tits feeding on a clean tube feeder in a UK suburban garden, with three feeders spaced well apart

Wildlife 4 June 2026 13 min read

RSPB Bird Feeding Rules: What to Do Now

The new RSPB bird feeding rules explained: the summer pause, banned flat feeders, weekly cleaning, water hygiene and the action list for UK gardens.

Wildlife garden design with pond, long grass and native border supporting habitat in a Surrey suburban garden

Wildlife 3 June 2026 15 min read

Wildlife-First Garden Design: A UK Plan

Habitat garden design for UK plots. Plan around water, dead wood, long grass and native hedge for 70% native planting and year-round nectar.

A UK garden in a heatwave showing house sparrows visiting a shallow water dish in dappled shade with a sunshade above the

Wildlife 27 May 2026 8 min read

Garden Birds in a UK Heatwave: Water and Shade

Helping UK garden birds in a heatwave: water sources, shaded feeders, high-energy food in extreme heat, and Met Office amber warning response.

Wildlife log pile UK with stacked oak and beech logs in a shady garden corner, ferns and moss colonising the base

Wildlife 27 May 2026 13 min read

How to Build a Wildlife Log Pile UK

Build a UK wildlife log pile that lasts 10 years. Hardwood vs softwood, optimal 1m x 1m x 1.5m size, species it attracts, and maintenance.

A UK gardener cleaning a tube bird feeder in a sink with a bottle brush and warm soapy water

Wildlife 26 May 2026 9 min read

Clean Bird Feeders UK: Post-Trich Hygiene

How to clean bird feeders UK: trichomonosis prevention, the BTO hygiene protocol, weekly disinfection, water bath care, and signs of disease.

Eurasian wren perched in dense low ivy and hawthorn cover in a UK garden, cocked tail and pale eye stripe visible

Wildlife 20 May 2026 13 min read

Attract Wrens to UK Gardens: Cover and Boxes

UK guide to Attract Wrens to UK Gardens: Cover and Boxes, with timing, setup, care, common problems and useful next steps for British gardens.

Full index

All guides A–Z