Adrian Thomas - RSPB Gardening for Wildlife, 2nd Edition

Bloomsbury Natural History

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This electronic edition published in 2017 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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New edition first published 2017

Text Adrian Thomas, 2017

Photographs Adrian Thomas, 2015, with the exception of those listed

Adrian Thomas has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for.

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3857-2 (HB)
ISBN: 978-1-4729-3858-9 (eBook)
ISBN: 978-1-4729-3859-6 (ePDF)

Design by Julie Dando, Fluke Art

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Contents

Foreword

When it comes to gardening for wildlife, its up to you: you can do a little or you can do a lot. But whats important is to realise that everyone can do something for the wildlife that shares our gardens. And if everyone does their bit to help it really can make a difference.

Much of the UKs wildlife is having a tough time in the so-called countryside. While conservationists work tirelessly to address conflicts and concerns, you can support their endeavours by trying to improve your own space for as many other species as possible.

So many of us in Britain are lucky enough to have access to a garden and these spaces already represent an incredibly valuable refuge, where many plants and animals have successfully adapted to prosper alongside us. It seems only right if we all try to enhance the space we have, to make sure it adds to the health of our world rather than detracting from it.

Adrians book takes a very realistic, pragmatic and contemporary outlook on gardening for wildlife. This is a modern book for the modern naturalist and gardener, and it is a rich treasury of the information required to succeed in modest or ambitious plans. It provides the biological knowledge you need and sows plenty of original and imaginative ideas.

The calendar will keep you on your toes, the myth busting is fabulously reassuring, and the plans for small-scale habitat creation are very tempting and practically simple. Who wouldnt want to make their very own mini-cornfield?

Things might seem rosy in your garden already, but the wild world is a tough place to be, so please use this exciting new book to help conserve as much life as possible, and then you, your friends or family can all enjoy a healthier, wealthier community.

Chris Packham

P.S. Gardening for wildlife requires a bit of tolerance too, because it takes all sorts to make the world go round. Snails, slugs, wasps, flies, ants they are all there to do their jobs and without them your garden would be a poorer place. Try to avoid the P word if you can; often its humans who are the real pests!

GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE

Its eight years since I began writing the first edition of Gardening for Wildlife and with hand on heart I can say that my passion for the subject has grown even more. I cannot tell you how much enjoyment I have had, what wonderful encounters with wildlife, all within a few feet of my back door.