Contest to encourage birds, beasts and flowers in Dorset gardens
Should I stay or should I go? A speckled bush cricket in a wildlife-friendly Dorset garden. Dorset Wildlife Trust's webmaster Jane Adams, who took this picture, said: "It was a lucky photo. Just spotted it and took it. Within seconds it had moved on." Image copyright Jane V Adams. Reproduced here with kind permission of Dorset Wildlife Trust.
SIX per cent of households in West Dorset are members of Dorset Wildlife Trust. That’s double the average rate in other parts of the county.
So I was told when I went to give a talk at the Trust’s HQ at Forston between Dorchester and Cerne Abbas.
The Trust was discussing Living Landscapes, a new way of looking at relationships between wildlife, people and places. Part of the idea is that creatures should not just be corralled into core areas like nature reserves, they should be able to spread across Dorset, through bountiful spaces shared, enjoyed and valued by us all.
It’s a big project, still crystallising.
One element is a new contest competition to find the most wildlife friendly gardens in Dorset.
Hanging on! Another photo by Jane Adams: "This solitary bee, a Lasioglossum calceatum, looks very happy on the tiny flowers of my garden Heuchera. It's covered in bees for most of the day." Image copyright Jane Adams, reproduced with permission of DWT. More pictures from wildlife-friendly Dorset images can be seen on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/groups/wildlifegardensdorset
Joy Wallis, People and Wildlife Co-ordinator at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “The countryside and other urban open spaces are often unwelcoming and sterile, and they do not have the range of micro-habitats that many gardeners supply.
“We want to encourage gardeners across the county who are providing a haven for wildlife.
“The judges will be looking for gardens, however small, that welcome wildlife and so form a vital stepping stone between other suitable habitats.”
Gardens of all sizes are eligible and entries are welcome from individuals, groups of neighbours, whole streets, schools or communities. Judging will be in different size categories.
A nectar-rich garden border (Nicky Hoar, Dorset Wildlife Trust).
Gardens will need to provide a variety of sources of food such as nectar-rich flowers, seed and fruit planting with various sources of water, shelter and places to breed.
Entry to the competition is free. For more information and to download entry forms go to www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/wgc or www.thegardeneronline.co.uk,or visit Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Poundbury Gardens in Dorchester, or Dorset Wildlife Trust centres at Brooklands Farm, Lorton Meadows and the Urban Wildlife Centre. The closing date is 10 May. For more information, please contact Joy Wallis at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620.
Prizes, which include a wildlife friendly collection of plants, gardening vouchers and books, will be presented by gardener Clive Farrell at a wildlife friendly gardening event at Castle Gardens, Sherborne, on 15 July.
Wildlife Friendly garden features could include:
- Wildlife Pond Bog or permanently wet area
- Bird bath
- Bird Box
- Wild flower meadow
- Long grass area
- Nectar rich flower border and bushes
- Mixed Native Hedge
- Mature native tree
- Log pile and/or substantial decaying tree stump
- Compost heap
- No-go area
- Climbing plants/trellises suitable for nesting and feeding
- Slug pellet free
