Why are butterflies important?

Butterflies are a vital part of the ecosystem; they are major pollinators and an important component of the food chain. As such, they act as a highly sensitive environmental barometer.

What is the Big Butterfly Count?

The annual Big Butterfly Count is a tally of the different butterfly species you spot in a 15-minute period in your nearest green space.

The count plays a crucial role in helping assess the health of our environment. Last year over 94,000 people took part in the UK-wide survey and submitted more than 136,000 counts, which helped Butterfly Conservation identify significant trends and better understand how butterflies are faring in the face of a nature and climate crisis. This aids the organisation in planning how to protect butterflies from extinction, and in recognising other key issues affecting wildlife. Unfortunately, last year’s survey revealed that 80% of butterflies have declined since the 1970s.

How you can take part in the Big Butterfly Count

1. Head to the website – https://www.bigbutterflycount.org/ – and download the identification chart (where you can also record your count)  
   
2. Then, at any time between Friday, 12th July and Sunday, 4th August, find a nice, sunny spot where butterflies (and moths) are likely to be. Note down the number and types you spot in 15 minutes. You can take part multiple times.
   
3. Add your count/s on the website here or via the app (search ‘Big Butterfly Count’)
   

Butterfly Conservation NEEDS YOU!

Read how Butterfly Conservation is calling on people across the UK to take part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count and help scientists understand how climate change is moving butterflies in this press release: Butterflies on the Move: Scientists Call on Public to Help Track Spread of Species

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Have fun spotting butterflies, and if you need any ideas for encouraging more wildlife to your garden, take a look at this post:

https://www.theparentsocial.com/how-to-introduce-more-wildlife-and-birds-to-your-garden/

The post The Big Butterfly Count 2024: How to get involved appeared first on The Parent Social.

Autumn walks

It’s really the most interesting time of the year to go on a walk. Here are some of my favourite places to visit with the family.

Painshill Park at Autumn

The beautiful landscaped gardens of Painshill Park (which you may have glimpsed during the Bridgerton series!) have a host of attractions at any time of year. There’s the Gothic Temple, the Turkish tent, a 14-acre lake, the Temple of Bacchus, the fairytale crystal grotto and the Gothic tower to name a few.

Autumn only adds to its charms. There are a number of walking routes you can follow, which take in the Painshill sights. Additionally, it’s running a Wild Halloween Camp over half term from Monday 28th, October – Wednesday, 30th October 2024 (9am– 3.30pm).

For ages 8-11, it includes:

• Den building – build your own haunted hut
• Campfire cooking and hot chocolate
• Wonderfully wild, weird and wicked wide games
• Making spooky woodland craft

Find out about all of Painshill Park’s activities here: https://www.painshill.co.uk/events-at-painshill/

Leith Hill (Dorking)

We’ve had some lovely walks around here. The Woodland trail is a route of 2.5 miles (takes up to two hours), which takes you through woodland, up to Leith Hill Tower – where you can grab a cuppa and a sweet treat – and Leith Hill Place. This was home to Josiah Wedgwood III (of pottery fame) who was married to Caroline Darwin sister of naturalist Charles. It was more recently the childhood home of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

In season, there’s a huge array of mushrooms (for fungi enthusiasts, this is a great spotter book) and there as loads of great trees, including sweet chestnuts, which offer bountiful foraging opportunities.

Here are the details of the different routes: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/leith-hill/leith-hill-woodland-walk

Claremont Landscape Gardens (Esher)

This is another National Trust favourite of ours near Esher. There are lovely landscaped gardens but with plenty of wild areas, and a big lake complete with plenty of wildlife an opportunities for boating. You’ll also find a very nice children’s play area (Queen Victoria used to play at Claremont when she was a child).

The Wandering Witch returns for Enchanted Claremont, another fun adventure trail around the garden between Saturday, 19th October and Sunday, 3rd November. This year, the garden turns into Magick School – follow the spellbound path and find games and activities inspired by the sprites, goblins and fairies’ favourite lessons.

Find out more about what you can expect to see at Claremont this autumn: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont-landscape-garden/features/autumn-colour-at-claremont-landscape-garden

Winkworth Arboretum at Autumn

What better place to witness autumn’s splendour than at an arboretum? Winkworth Arboretum comprises of 121 acres of wild woodland with over 1,000 species of trees and shrubs. It is wonderful at any time of year, but it is renowned for its displays in autumn.

On its Autumn Colour Guided Walk (Sunday, October 20th) you’ll be treated to arrays of copper, amber, fiery reds, gold and about every other autumn hue imaginable.

There will also be a free, fun-filled autumn trail based on the Sarah the Spider children’s book this October half-term. Children help find all of Sarah’s shoes and boots that have been hidden by the mischievous mice. The trail takes children across the arboretum where they’ll find eight activity stations themed around friendship (and a very friendly spider who loves to dance) all whilst taking in the beautiful autumnal display.

More details about Sarah the Spider at Claremont.

More details about what is on at Winkworth this autumn can be found below.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/winkworth-arboretum/winkworth-arboretum-autumn

Wisley in the Autumn (Woking)

RHS garden Wisley is vast and boasts a wide range of flora. As well as an arboretum, there’s Seven Acres with its wide open lawns, ponds and fine specimen trees. Oakwood is a hot spot for autumn foliage, and you’ll be able to see many autumn-flowerers in the Rock Garden, Alpine Display House and in all the borders.

Find out about all of their half term activities – running between Saturday, 26th October and Sunday, 3rd November – including gardening, walk and talks, shows, a spooky Halloween trail (where you’ll learn about the most wicked plants) and lots of arts and crafts: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/whats-on/half-term

For full details of what’s looking good at Wisley right now, visit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/explore-wisley/looking-good-now

Autumn at Polesden Lacy (Great Bookham)

From the South Lawn at Polesden Lacey, you can take in the lovely views of Ranmore Common. The ancient woodland has a diverse range of trees, so it is awash with striking colours until late October. Perserve Copse has a variety of Acer trees. These provide a lovely display and there’s plenty to see in the Sunken Garden. There are many trails to explore too.

Discover the autumn highlights here.

There’s also the Autumn Explorers for preschoolers, which takes place every Wednesday from September, 18th until October, 16th. For the adults, check out its Autumn Wreath Making workshop.

Enjoy your autumn walks and please share your favourites.

The post Six Surrey Spots for a Great Autumn Display appeared first on The Parent Social.

From hedgehog refuges to bird feeders and insect hangouts, here are seven ways you can tweak your outside space to welcome more creatures…

7 easy ways to attract more birds and wildlife

Tip #1 – Feed and house the birds

It’s coming up to nesting season for UK birds, so now is a good time to put up homes for our feathered friends and their offspring. Bird boxes are usually best put up in autumn, but it’s never too early or too late to offer shelter.  

The same goes for feeders. They are most important in winter when natural food sources are scarce, but it never hurts to have a backup supply of protein-rich seeds, nuts and mealworms available for them in case the local reserves run low. Try to get squirrel-proof feeders if you can. These generally have a metal cage around that only small birds can get through. 

For the best show, you can position your feed near your birdhouse and watch them flying back and forth.

Tip #2 – Make an insect home

You can buy ready-made insect houses that are similar to bird boxes in shape and have loads of hidey-holes inside for little bugs to get into. However, you can also make one yourself. Garden refuse is a great, natural way to make an insect house – and it’s generally natural material that they gravitate to.

So, get your sticks, old bits of wood, broken plant pots, bark and more, then pile it all up under a tree or at the base of a bush. They’ll create a shady, damp area with plenty of spaces for the crawlies to creep into.  

Tip #3 – Make a rocky spot for wildlife

Stacks of rocks are another space where small creatures love to hide. They’re cool and dark and often trap moisture underneath – the ideal environment for a lot of insects and mini beasts. 

These kinds of spaces are simple to put together, just stack some rocks, bricks or stones up in a pile by a fence or near some quiet bushes and let the little creatures find their way.

Tip #4 – Try wilding your garden

Wilding simply means letting the grass grow tall, leaving the weeds alone and planting wildflower seeds. Combined, these create a wild area where pollinators, insects, hedgehogs, and all manner of bugs will be able to hide. 

You don’t have to let your whole garden go wild, you can just choose one border or a patch of grass. Similarly, you could also add more nature-friendly plants and shrubs to your space. Certain trees, like the crab apple, are great for a wide variety of creatures and can provide year-round wildlife support.

Other plants that your new garden friends will like include:

• Lavender, campanula, hardy geraniums for bees
• Buddleia, sedum, marjoram for butterflies.
• Sunflowers, honeysuckle, hibiscus for birds.

Tip #5 – Offer birds a drink

Water is essential for birds (and other wildlife), but clean sources can be hard to come by. Invest in a birdbath and refresh the water every couple of days to keep them watered and clean.  

If you have a regular cat or dog visitor to your outside space, then a tall one or one that hangs is a better option. However, birds do prefer them at ground level for easy access. 

One DIY birdbath option is to create a small dip (not too deep) in the ground, line it with something waterproof and fill it with clean water. Add stones and sticks in and around it for easy access. You could even use an old frying pan or shallow serving bowl!

Tip #6 – Welcome the watery wildlife too

There’s something so cool about having frogs and fish in your garden; they’re so fascinating to watch. They’re easy to attract with a pond. This doesn’t have to be a hugely expensive undertaking; old bathtubs and large buckets, even a big hole and some pond liner will do:

1. Choose a semi-sunny space (creatures like to rest in the shade too)
2. Dig the right size hole
3. Line it with the bath, bucket or material
4. Fill in or decorate around it
5. Add the water and some stones to help anything that falls in, get out.

Once that’s all done you can add water lilies and other aquatic plants like oxygenating watercress to keep the environment from stagnating. Most importantly, you can add some fish and any frogs or frogspawn. Then just sit back and see what other wildlife comes to visit.

Tip #7 – Start composting

People often worry that compost heaps can attract unwelcome creatures like rats, but if done correctly with a purpose-built composter or with mesh lining the bottom of your bin, it’s less likely. 

All you need to do to create your compost and welcome in the worms, beetles and insects is fill your composter with:

• Garden waste (grass clippings, leaves and tree cuttings)
• Uncooked vegetable and fruit peelings
• Other food waste like eggshells and teabags
• Some cardboard

These will all rot down and provide valuable nutrients to critters before you use it in your garden to support your plants.

Seeing nature come alive in your garden is a wonderful sight to see, and it offers many valuable learning opportunities for your family too. So why not try a few of these easy adaptions and see what wildlife comes to say hello?

Debbie is an experienced writer currently working for Affinity Agency in Norfolk, UK. Her main goal is to help others learn, develop and have fun through well-researched and informative content.

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And for something a bit different…

Enriching the garden with pheasant chicks

You can enhance the diversity of wildlife in your garden by considering the introduction of pheasant chicks. Creating a welcoming environment for these charming birds adds a delightful dimension to your garden’s ecosystem. While not known for prolific egg-laying like some birds, the presence of pheasant chicks contributes to a lively and balanced outdoor space. Incorporating considerations for pheasant chicks alongside other wildlife-friendly practices ensures a harmonious coexistence in your garden habitat.

The post How to introduce more wildlife and birds to your garden appeared first on The Parent Social.