Birds & Berries
By Caroline Knight
Not only can gardens sustain life in winter , but attracting creatures to your outside space makes it come alive for you too .
Attracting birds More than 40 % of bird species seen in the UK are now under threat . Gardens offer really important habitats and some of the best bird-friendly plants can now be planted as ‘ bare root ’ stock . To attract wildlife , grow Crataegus monogyna ( hawthorn ), Sorbus , particularly ‘ Joseph Rock ’ ( rowan ), Euonymus europaeus ( spindle ), Berberis ( common barberry ), Malus varieties ( apple and crab apple ), Viburnum opulus ( guelder rose ), Ilex ( holly ), Hedera ( ivy ) and roses with hips , including the native dog rose . Did you know that itching powder is made by grinding rose hips into a fine powder ?
It ' s always a good idea to leave perennials standing for as long as possible with their seeds intact . Not only does this add to the avian larder , but the dead leaves and stems offer habitats for a multitude of garden lifeforms which are all part of the food chain .
Finches love teasel seeds , thistles , ragwort and sunflower seeds .
When the weather is particularly chilly , you might be lucky enough to attract redwings and fieldfares . Fieldfares will come into gardens to eat fallen apples and gorge on hawthorn , holly and yew berries . Redwings love hawthorn and crab apples . You will see whole flocks of them feasting from a tree .
Starlings and sparrows enjoy the fruits of many trees and shrubs as well as insects and seeds . They will flock to bird feeders , while blackbirds , collared doves , thrushes and dunnocks are largely ground feeders .
Feathered friends Robins love to be close when people are digging , plucking worms and insects from the worked ground . They are solitary , territorial birds that produce a melodic song .
Some birds flock together during winter . These include different types of tit , goldfinches and chaffinches .
26 < Boxmoor Direct < December 2024 <