Packham - Chris Packhams Back Garden Nature Reserve

This book is for all those who have tasted tadpoles .

This electronic edition published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published in 2010 by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd

Copyright 2015 in text: Chris Packham

Copyright 2015 in photographs: David Cottridge, Chris Packham and other photographers as credited below

Copyright 2015 in artwork: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

The moral right of Chris Packham has been asserted.

All rights reserved
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Bloomsbury is a trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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

ISBN (paperback) 978-1-4729-1602-0

ISBN (ePub) 978-1-4729-1603-7

ISBN (ePDF) 978-1-4729-1604-4

Photographic Acknowledgements

Page numbers refer to the print edition.

With the exception of those listed below, all the photographs in this book were taken by David Cottridge: Colin Carver: Malcolm Park/Getty Images: front cover Shutterstock: back cover images

t= top; b=bottom; c=centre; l=left; r=right

Artwork Acknowledgements

Artwork commissioned by Wildlife Art Ltd, www.wildlife-art.co.uk

Artists: Sandra Doyle and Cy Baker

Additional Artwork

Bird illustrations on the following pages by David Daly: by Mike Unwin

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C ONTENTS

THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS

The Wildlife Trusts are the UKs largest people-powered organisation caring for all nature - rivers, bogs, meadows, forests, seas and much more. We are 47 Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK with a shared mission to restore nature everywhere we can and to inspire people to value and take action for nature for future generations.

Together we care for thousands of wild places that are great for both people and wildlife. These include more than 760 woodlands, 500 grasslands and even 11 gardens. On average youre never more than 17 miles away from your nearest Wildlife Trust nature reserve, and most people have one within 3 miles of their home. To find your nearest reserve, visit wildlifetrusts.org/reserves , or download our free Nature Finder iPhone app from the iTunes store. You can also find out about the thousands of events and activities taking place across the UK from bug hunts and wildplay clubs to guided walks and identification courses on the app or at wildlifetrusts.org/whats-on

We work to connect children with nature through our inspiring education programmes and protect wild places where children can spend long days of discovery. We want children to go home with leaves in their hair, mud on their hands and a little bit of nature in their heart. Find out more about our junior membership branch Wildlife Watch and the activities, family events and kids clubs you can get involved with at wildlifewatch.org.uk

Our goal is natures recovery on land and at sea. To achieve this we rely on the vital support of our 800,000 members, 40,000 volunteers, donors, corporate supporters and funders. To find the Wildlife Trust that means most to you and lend your support, visit wildlifetrusts.org/your-local-trust

The Wildlife Trusts

The Kiln, Mather Road, Newark,

Nottinghamshire NG24 1WT

t: 01636 677711

e:

Registered Charity No 207238

wildlifetrusts.org

Find us on

Twitter - @wildlifetrusts

Facebook facebook.com/wildlifetrusts

FOREWORD

BY CHRIS BEARDSHAW

So often overlooked as a genuine resource, our gardens provide a ringside seat to the fantastic theatre and drama continuously played out by wildlife. This complex and extraordinary tapestry, comprised of flora, fauna, habitat, life, passion and death is intimately bound to the seasons, weather patterns and the choreography of sun and moon. Every moment offers unique opportunities to witness nature in all her splendour, from the breath taking acrobatic and aerial displays of Starlings amassed under amber sunset skies to the silent precision placement of feet demonstrated by the predatory harvestmen lurking amidst the discarded foliage of autumn.

There is never a moment when life in the garden pauses or even holds its breath, and although we often consider the solitude apparently offered by our gardens is a great tonic to our frantic existence, we should recognise we are never alone. Step outside with a warm drink to sit for a moment and you will be within sight of a thousand pairs of eyes. Pause here to witness life at its most exciting; granted it may take a while to tune into the detail of ants military discipline, the prima-donna performances of butterflies or the scurrilous behaviour of the Magpie, complete with its pantomime plumage, but patience and an eye for detail are the keys to understanding the elaborately intertwined storyline and extrovert personalities.

Most exciting for me is the relative ease with which flora and fauna are accommodated in our plots and the realisation that the marriage of gardener and nature does not preclude any style, design or fashion since, unlike us, our amiable wildlife guests are not driven by aesthetics but by resources and rewards. Within the pages of this text lies a wealth of passionately portrayed information and ideas on how minor modification of our ideas and actions will produce generous opportunities for wildlife and in so doing create a network of garden spaces throughout the land, the total diversity and scale of which far outweighs even the most generously proportioned nature reserve.

In return we are provided with gardens whose content is more beautiful than our imagination, more dramatic than the best thriller and more diverse than our minds can even begin to understand. Nature never fails to exceed our expectations and we are indeed privileged to share our gardens with such riches.