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You are here: Home / Quick practical conservation tips

Quick practical conservation tips

A collection of articles designed to help you get started with practical conservation in no time at all.

Young hazel tree growing in long grass protected be a tree guard

Young trees matter, cherish them

We urge everyone who has planted trees in the last five years to revisit them and give them some vital aftercare. Trees are great at locking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – using it to build their limbs and leaves. As they grow, more carbon is stored away, so trees are considered a potential […]

Filed Under: How To, Tree planting & Aftercare

Blue tit chick peering out of a nest box

Birds in your garden

If you follow some basic rules in your garden, you’ll make it more attractive for a wide variety of bird species. If you provide shelter, food and water you will encourage them to visit your garden and even become residents. You will soon enjoy watching birds close to your home. Planting for birds Food for […]

Filed Under: Gardening

Wild garlic flowers

Native spring-flowering bulbs

Spring is a very important season for wildlife gardening. Early spring flowers are vital for early insects and the birds that feed on them. Native wildflower bulbs tend to flower in the spring and there is a wide range of wonderful native spring-flowering bulbs that you can use in your garden and beyond. These include […]

Filed Under: Gardening, Woodlands

Leicestershire landscape

Planning a wildlife hedge

Before planting a wildlife hedge, consider its purpose. If the hedge is intended to be stock-proof, it needs to comprise at least 75% thorny plants. Hawthorn, with the addition of blackthorn or holly, often provides the mainstay of stock-proof hedges. Plants which provide berries or seeds for birds are desirable. Planting hedgerow trees, such as […]

Filed Under: Hedging

Small tortoiseshell butterflies on a buddleja flower

An introduction to wildlife gardening

Wildlife gardening is for everyone You do not need any particular level of expertise to start a wildlife garden. There are only a few rights and wrongs that you will learn as you go along. You do not need much space. Even a window-box or a few pots is enough. A wildlife garden does not […]

Filed Under: Gardening

Mature trees growing by water

Native tree heights

Ever wanted to know how tall the tree you’re planting might eventually grow? Here’s a list for you. Most trees will only attain the maximum height in ideal conditions – this is unlikely in most cases. Click on the common name for more information about each tree. Each link opens in another website. Species Latin […]

Filed Under: Tree planting & Aftercare

Hawthorn berries

Hedgerow cutting

A recent report by ecologists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Monk’s Wood in Cambridgeshire has suggested that by cutting hedgerows less frequently, farmers can save money and protect our wildlife. During the autumn each year, thousands of kilometres of hedgerow is cut using tractors with a ‘flail’ attachment. Before machinery like this […]

Filed Under: Hedging

A field full of cuckooflower in spring

Creating and managing a patch of wet grassland

Our tendency to drain large areas of land for agriculture and housing means we have lost many of our natural wetlands. This has contributed to erosion, loss of habitat and flooding. When creating a garden that attracts wildlife, you need a diversity of habitats. An area of wet grassland can help transform your garden into […]

Filed Under: Gardening, Gardens, Grassland, How To

Native trees in your garden

Longing for a break from bustling city life? Want to relax in the shade and take a deep breath of clean air while listening to lovely birdsong, but don’t have enough time for a trip to a woodland? Why not escape to a breathing space in your own garden? An essential part of creating any […]

Filed Under: How To, Tree planting & Aftercare, Woodlands

A hedgehog in dry leaves

Make your garden a home for hedgehogs

The number of hedgehogs living in rural areas has plummeted by more than half since the year 2000. This comes from a recent report released by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, based on data from surveys. There are an estimated one million hedgehogs in Britain. That represents a […]

Filed Under: Gardens, Wildlife

A new pond in an urban setting

Creating a Wildlife Pond

The world’s frog, toad, salamander and newt populations are disappearing at an alarming rate. The reason for this being mainly that their natural habitats – ponds and bogs – are also disappearing. However, you can make a difference! In the past, every village had a pond. Farmers who had no rivers nearby dug ditches joining […]

Filed Under: How To, Waterways & wetlands

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