Towns and gardens

Garden tiger moth perched on wall

Garden tiger moth by Tom Marshall

Towns and gardens

A wildlife-friendly garden is really important

Built up areas and gardens might seem unlikely places for finding wildlife. However, surprisingly they can provide homes for some of our most amazing wildlife, from city peregrines to urban otters! There are lots of ways we can help them be even better for wildlife though...

 

Fox

Tessa Andrews

Foxes, badgers and hedgehogs are all at home in our towns and gardens. Garden ponds provide homes for frogs, common toads and newts. Swifts, house martins and pipistrelle bats make our homes and buildings their homes too!

It's amazing how much wildlife can find its way into our gardens if we provide habitat for it. You'll also be surprised how much wildlife comes out at night, whilst we sleep! Emily from Devon Wildlife Trust tells us more about urban wildlife in her video. 

Garden birds

House sparrow, song thrush, dunnock and starling populations have all declined in the countryside, and are now considered endangered. But you can help them, by providing food and places for them to breed in your garden. Feeding the birds brings us closer to nature, and there's a good chance you'll see sparrows, thrushes, dunnocks and starlings in your very own back garden or park if you help to look after them.

Make a bird feeder Explore garden bird species

Download the garden bird spotter sheet! 

 

Garden mammals

Many mammals that would have once lived in the countryside, have learnt to adapt to our towns and gardens; keep a look out for hedgehogs, foxes and house mice. There are lots of ways you can help mammals in your back garden.

Build a hedgehog house Create a mini pond

Download the urban wildlife spotter sheet! 

Garden plants

Plants are not only beautiful, they also encourage pollinating insects, such as bees, to come to our gardens. Try to grow native (from the UK) plants if possible, as our insects often like them the best!

Make seed bombs Create a garden wigwam for plants

Download the summer flower spotter Grow flowers for butterflies

Garden minibeasts

Minibeasts are fascinating to watch and they're also essential for so many reasons. They're pollinators and are food themselves for lots of the other wildlife that live in our gardens, such as birds and hedgehogs.

Make an insect hotel Make compost

Download the minibeast spottersheet!

Garden pond

Anna Williams

Did you know?

There are estimated to be more than two million garden ponds in the UK and these are fantastic habitats for frogs, newts and dragonflies.

Make your own mini pond

Other habitats