Havering Friends of the Earth

The Garden in Spring

by Jill Luff; first published 31-Mar-2023

Daffodils - Jill Luff

In the turning of the seasons we have once again reached spring. The spring equinox indicates that the daylight hours now exceed the dark night hours. Although spring doesn't always wait for the frosts to disappear and offers many crisp cold days, many people feel a fresh sense of optimism and it is an ideal time to re-energise ourselves, find new opportunities, be positive, engage with nature and our communities.

After the winter season we begin to notice the indications of the season for rebirth. It appears that nature has been working below the earth and is ready to bestow changes upon the surface. Beautiful white blossoms begin to appear on the blackthorn and hawthorn bushes. New leaf buds are bursting out covering the land with a bright green blanket. New shoots appear and many bulbs are rising out of the earth. Birds are chirping with their lovely songs and getting ready to build new nests in which to lay their eggs. Mammals are emerging and all are embracing spring and looking for places to live and food to eat.

Climate change has caused some disruption in these natural cycles and our modern life-style also makes life more of a challenge for some of our wildlife. Hedgehogs, bees and other pollinating insects, even small mammals are facing difficulty from the way we live our lives. How can you help:

• If you have a garden of your own or are in a park or community garden group perhaps you could create a wildlife corner. Let part of the land go wild, plant wild flower seeds which will produce food for our bees and other pollinating insects.
• If you have a pond ensure there are "steps" where mammals like hedgehogs can get out should they fall in.
• Keep your garden and your neighbourhood free from plastics and other rubbish. You could arrange a litter pick.
• Leave out water for all animals, insects and birds and maybe some hedgehog food.
• Please do not use pesticides in your garden. These poisons have a devastating effect on wildlife.
• Be careful if cutting the lawn or strimming that there are no mammals lying on the grass.
• Maybe create a log hotel or small wooden home for wildlife.
• If you have fences around your garden you might consider ensuring there are one or two holes at ground level so that mammals - especially hedgehogs - are able to travel around freely to find food.