Seasonal
June 5th 2020
It is important to take steps to care for the wildlife in your garden all year round, however in summer it can be even more important. Much like humans, the wildlife we find in our gardens can find the hot weather a struggle throughout the summer months. As we all know, we see a lot more wildlife during spring and summer so it is important to know and understand what we can do to help and care for them. This includes things such as making sure you have enough fresh water on offer; both for drinking and bathing.
In spring we looked at how to care for the wildlife which may likely be arriving in your garden, along with how to create a sanctuary for them. Now, let’s take a look at how we can really look after and keep our wildlife safe and healthy during summer.
Birds
When the weather is hot during summer, birds can suffer due to a lack of water. This is why it is important to have things such as birdbaths. You don’t need to spend a lot of money purchasing a specific bird bath; all you need to do is place a large, tip-proof, bowl out into the garden and ensure it is kept topped up with fresh water. Make sure to keep feeding the birds as you would usually but avoid things such as fat balls as the heat can affect them negatively and do more harm than good.
Hedgehogs
Whilst some people may be tempted to leave things such as milk out for hedgehogs, this is a no go. Hedgehogs can’t digest the milk you put out for them, only the milk of their mother whilst they are infants. Instead, look to leave out a shallow dish with water and some wet dog food if you do want to feed them too. You can also purchase specific hedgehog food, but try to avoid insects such as mealworms as, whilst hedgehogs do enjoy eating these, they aren’t the best thing for them to be consuming and are more of a treat. Make sure to avoid leaving the food out constantly to avoid rats.
Foxes
Foxes will eat everything and anything! If you are wanting to feed the foxes that may be entering your garden you don’t necessarily need to worry about leaving specific food for them, they will come for any food you’re leaving out for other animals.
Bees
Bees are vital to the health of the planet and despite some people’s fears, are calm and friendly insects when left alone. It is important we do all we can to help the bees and encourage them to pollinate. In order to help the bees, you can look to plant bee-friendly flowers such as lavender in your garden. Bees also need water to drink; by putting some rocks in your bird bath, the bees can land on them and drink for themselves.
Lauren works in our Ecommerce Team, with over 6 years of experience at HSS. She brings product knowledge and is able to give her advice on the right tool for the job no matter how big or small.
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