The UK has just felt the force of hurricane Gonzalo which hit Bermuda earlier this week. It brought gale force winds and torrential downpours which had a big impact on both the humans and wildlife around here. The Tawny Owls have left their daytime perch in the Horse Chestnut tree. I hope they found somewhere warm and dry to shelter.
The RSPB stand at the Gardeners World Live Exhibition at the NEC last week was brilliant. They always aim to be educational and inspirational and this year they excelled. They showed how easy it is to create homes for wildlife in your own garden.
October is usually the month for a big garden tidy up. The problem is that all the wild creatures that I’ve worked so hard to attract into our garden this year actually live here. They don’t just visit for the summer! Beetles, caterpillars and hedgehogs hide in piles of fallen leaves, insects find homes in hollow stems or seed heads and newts and toads need undisturbed dry areas too.
All of them depend on us for their home.
Imagine being homeless all winter. It’s cold and wet and windy. Yuk!