I have just put out another 3 Stinging Nettles in pots into my tarmac front garden. A moth caterpillar was already on the Nettles. It is not just about nectar I planted Broad-leaved Dock in my back garden as so many common moth species have caterpillars which eat plants like Nettles, Docks and Cleavers. We have had the Caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk Moth on the Greater Willowherb in the back garden. Also growing grasses in pots is a useful activity. I am growing Barren Brome, Yorkshire Fog, Rough Meadow Grass, ****'s-foot Grass, Common Bent Grass, Crested Dog's -tail Grass and now Purple Moor Grass in pots on the tarmac front garden and we now have Field Grasshopper in the front garden. Also growing native trees in pots also attracts herbivores.
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Great stuff. Yes, we did a tip on the importance of not over-tidying the garden last autumn. Leaving seedheads standing can give some visual interest to the garden over winter too.
Hi Sian it is also about overwintering and leaving undisturbed habitat in some places for insects to overwinter in. Things like standing dead vegetation. Picture- wing flies make galls in the flowering heads of thistles and so one needs to keep the dead thistles standing for them to emerge the following spring. It is also vital to disturb the ground in small areas to create bare ground which is space for germinating seed banks and bare ground for insects to nest in or bask on. I was also reading that some solitary bees and solitary wasps prefer loose soil like coarse sand banks and some solitary bees and solitary wasps prefer compacted soil to dig their burrows. So I intend to try to create both types of bare ground habitat.
That’s great. Excellent point that we need to look after the caterpillar young as well as the adult butterflies and moths. And brilliant inspiration that so much this can be done in pots in even a small space. Glad to hear the wildlife is appreciating your efforts too.