Caring for God’s Earth – Diversify your garden

Eco Church

Alan Dixon erected the Swift boxes in St Mary’s tower just as the birds returned from Africa: Thank you Alan. Sadly, very few have come back this year, with only one or two pairs screaming over the Market Place, The Moor or other venues within Reepham which used to host dozens of nesting pairs. It is also noticeable that not only are there also fewer Swifts but House Martins and Swallow numbers are very low this year too.

There are so many possible reasons for this: the reduction in aerial insect numbers in this country, resulting in poor numbers of fledglings last year; the extreme heat and drought last year could also have contributed to nest failures; then there is the extremes of weather both on their migration routes and wintering areas in Africa which could have resulted in greater mortality than in previous years. Whatever the reason, these feeders on flying insects are in deep trouble.

What can we do to help? One of the best ways to boost insect numbers is to have a small pond in the garden, as the larval stages of many of these invertebrates live under water. It does not have to be large, a container with oxygenating weed and one to two emergent plants will provide an ideal habitat for some flies, hoverflies, moths and of course damselflies. This year, the washing up bowl pond in the wildlife friendly garden in the churchyard has already attracted both Large Red and Azure Damselflies, as well as having mosquito larvae in the water.