Encouraging wildlife in your

school garden
Developing and maintaining features to enhance
the natural environment in your garden

Encouraging wildlife into your school garden is not just good for the birds, beetles
and butterflies that find food and shelter there, but is also beneficial from an
educational point of view, providing many teaching and learning opportunities right
across the curriculum.
Wildlife gets everywhere, and even the smallest, bleakest school yard will already
contain a selection of mini-beasts and a few visiting birds which can be increased by
adding the right features. At the other end of the scale, even the most extensive
grounds can be improved for wildlife by increasing the diversity of what is on offer.

Ten features to improve your garden’s wildlife value

Trees and shrubs

Wildlife flourishes where there are mature trees, but does even better when there is a
mix of plants of different sizes to produce layers of vegetation ie tall trees, small
trees, large shrubs, small shrubs and flowers. Each layer will support different
species and all will benefit from the diversity this brings. Trees and shrubs will
provide food, shelter and breeding sites for birds and small mammals, and a host of
mini-beasts that in turn provide food for larger creatures.
Small trees and shrubs that are good for blossom and berries include rowan, crab
apple, elder, blackthorn and hawthorn. Fruit trees also support a range of specialist

native wildlife and can provide for them while supplying you with a tasty crop. Mixed
hedges are another way of adding wildlife value
while creating a useful and attractive feature
without occupying a lot of space.

Flowers
Flowers produce nectar and pollen, providing
vital food supplies for bees, butterflies and many
other insects including beetles and hoverflies.
They don’t have to be wild flowers, but it’s best to
avoid highly bred varieties and double flowers as
these often have less nectar and pollen. Try to
have suitable plants in flower for as much of the year as possible. See Further
information for lists of plants to attract wildlife.

Climbers
Planting up the vertical surfaces of walls and fences will encourage wildlife. Ivy is
particularly valuable as it provides nectar in autumn and berries in late winter,
together with shelter for nesting birds and hibernating insects. Evergreen wall shrubs
such as firethorn (Pyracantha) are also a good choice for flowers, berries and shelter.

Water
The single most effective way to add wildlife value to a garden is to install a pond,
however tiny. A large pot or even an inverted dustbin lid in an out-of-the-way spot will
do. Make sure ponds have at least one sloping side to allow creatures an easy way
out and include a good variety of water plants.
For step-by-step information go to
www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/thingstodo/inawee
kend/put-in-a-pond.aspx

Log piles
Piles of logs can create an interesting feature in
their own right and provide useful shelter for a
range of wildlife including amphibians. They can
also be colonised by fungi and provide food for a
range of mini-beasts, especially beetles. Logs
that are in the sun, in the shade, or partly buried
will all attract slightly different species so more than one pile can be valuable.

Rock piles

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A different range of creatures will be attracted to
dry materials such as a pile of rocks, stones or
rubble. This is likely to be colonised by spiders,
and maybe sun-loving lizards will come to warm
up there. Frogs and toads may hibernate in the
nooks and crannies.

Compost heaps and dead hedges

Dead leaves and flowers, vegetable waste, grass
cuttings, weeds and prunings will all provide food
for something, and if collected together they can
provide shelter too. Soft materials can go into a compost heap. Anything that is too
tough and woody to break down quickly can be added to a dead hedge. This consists
of two rows of upright posts about 1m high and 1m apart with 60cm between the two
rows. The space is then filled up with any available material which can include hedge
prunings, tough stems such as sunflowers, piles of fallen leaves and dead wood. This
will gradually decay and more can be added to the top. If you have enough pliable
material you can weave this between the posts to create an attractive wattle effect.

Long grass
Wildflower meadows are very attractive, but can be difficult to establish and maintain,
especially on fertile soil. However, just allowing some of your mown areas to grow
longer will provide shelter for small mammals such as wood mice, voles and shrews,
and food for some butterfly caterpillars. You will also get a variety of wild flowers
colonising naturally.

Wildlife shelters
Established grounds and gardens will probably have lots of hiding places for insects
to shelter, but specially made insect shelters are a real bonus in new or sparsely
planted spaces, and can enhance the variety on offer in any garden. They are also a
lot of fun to make and larger ones can be a real feature. For instructions see Further
information. Many birds will nest in man-made boxes, especially in areas where there
are few mature trees, and hedgehogs may take
up residence in man-made hibernation boxes.
The RSPB, and local wildlife trusts, can provide
instructions.

Food and water for birds

Garden birds are some of the most conspicuous
of garden wildlife, and easy to attract by providing
food. Ideally, offer a mix of food including
peanuts, sunflower hearts, seeds, kitchen scraps
and fat balls, or proprietary seed mixtures, to

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supplement natural food such as berries and seedheads. Don't forget a supply of
clean, unfrozen water – and ensure feeding tables are thoroughly cleaned at least
once a month, and are not accessible to cats.

Wildlife gardening calendar

Every week Put out fresh food for birds and check they have a clean, unfrozen
water supply for drinking and bathing.
Remove uneaten food from bird tables and sweep up underneath.
Every month Scrub bird tables, bird feeders, bird baths and paved areas beneath
them with mild disinfectant to reduce the build up of bird diseases.
Check pond water levels and top up if necessary – use rain water
as much as possible.
Observe when there are plants in flower to attract insects to the
garden, and plan to add others to fill in any gaps.
January Coppice or pollard trees such as willow and hazel, and carry out
other severe pruning if needed
Plant trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers.
Build a compost heap.
Look out for winter migrants such as fieldfares feeding on fruit and
berries, parties of tits hunting for insects and the first snowdrops.

February Prepare the ground for pond construction.

Plant trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers.
Create a rock pile.
Look out for large queen bumblebees emerging from hibernation,
parties of goldfinches looking for seeds, catkins on willow and
hazel, and the first frogspawn.
March Cut summer-flowering meadows
Hard prune shrubs such as willow and dogwood grown for their
coloured stems, and fast-growing summer-flowering shrubs such
as buddleia and lavatera.
Tidy up dead flower stems as new growth starts
Construct new ponds
Prepare the ground for new wildflower meadows, new borders and
other new planting.

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 Look out for thrushes singing to defend their territories, signs of
hedgehog activity such as droppings full of bits of insect, early
hoverflies such as the black and orange marmalade fly, tree buds
opening and spring flowers such as primroses appearing
April Water new plantings, especially trees and shrubs, in dry spells.
Prune summer-flowering shrubs if necessary.
In existing ponds, remove or divide up overgrown plants and plant
new ones.
Plant up new ponds.
Sow new wildflower meadows and sow wildflower seeds in trays or
modules to add to existing wildflower meadows.
Sow bee and butterfly plants in trays or modules.
Look out for summer migrants such as martins and swallows, toads
and butterflies such as peacocks and tortoiseshells all emerging
from hibernation.
May Water new plantings, especially trees and shrubs, in dry spells.
Add wildflower plugs or pot-grown plants to existing meadows
Plant bee and butterfly plants.
Look out for more summer migrants such as warblers, flycatchers
and cuckoos; also hedgerows in bloom, tadpoles hatching and
butterflies such as the common blue on the wing.
June Prune early-flowering shrubs once they have finished blooming.
Check ponds for excess algae and pondweed and remove or treat
where necessary.
Water new plantings, especially trees and shrubs, in dry spells.
Cut back nettles and other plants grown to feed caterpillars as the
butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on new shoots.
Look out for great spotted woodpeckers visiting bird tables, garden
spiders spinning large webs and day-flying moths such as the
hummingbird hawkmoth.
July Cut spring-flowering meadows.
Water new plantings, especially trees and shrubs, in dry spells.
Check rock piles have not become overgrown, and clear an area
around them if necessary
Prepare the ground for new wildflower meadows to sow in

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 September.
Look out for newts, frogs and toads leaving the water to live on
land, migrating painted lady butterflies and dragonflies hovering
over water or hunting for insect prey..
August Cut spring-flowering meadows.
Water new plantings, especially trees and shrubs, in dry spells.
September Cut spring-flowering meadows, and long grass cut once a year.
Water new plantings, especially trees and shrubs, in dry spells.
Sow new wildflower meadows.
Avoid cutting back seed heads, which feed birds, and dead flower
stems as these provide shelter for insects.
Collect tree seeds and berries and sow straight away in pots or in a
special nursery area in the garden.
Look out for squirrels burying nuts for the winter, late butterflies
stocking up on nectar and berries ripening on trees and shrubs.
October Cut spring- and summer-flowering meadows.
Check wildlife shelters; repair or replace as needed.
Carry out any necessary pond clearance or maintenance now,
before frogs start to hibernate.
Prepare the ground where you intend to plant trees and shrubs.
Build new log piles and reconstruct any that have become
scattered or too overgrown, adding new material if necessary.
Make a hedgehog hibernation box.
Look out for jays collecting acorns and other nuts, robins becoming
more active, and tree leaves starting to colour and fall.
November Cut spring and summer flowering meadows.
Prune wildlife hedges and add the prunings to a dead hedge.
Clean out and repair bird boxes and replace in position so birds can
shelter in them over winter.
Plant trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers.
Build compost bins ready for next year.
Look out for greenfinches appearing at bird feeders, ladybirds
hibernating in clusters and ivy attracting late-flying insects.
December Float a ball on ponds to help keep part of the surface unfrozen.

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 Plant trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers.
Put up new bird boxes.
Look out for flocks of starlings coming in from the countryside, and
butterflies hibernating in sheds or behind ivy on walls.

Further information
Websites
www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk www.thebigwildlifegarden
www.wildlifetrusts.org www.rspb.org.uk

RHS Advice Profiles (at www.rhs.org.uk)

Amphibians: encouraging into your
garden
Bats: encouraging into your garden
Bees: encouraging into your garden
Birds: encouraging into your garden
Butterflies: encouraging into your
garden
Ground beetles and rove beetles
Moths: encouraging into your garden
Wildlife: helping through winter
Wildlife in gardens
Wildflower meadow: establishment
Wildflower meadow: maintenance
Wildlife ponds

Campaign for School Gardening Leaflets (In the Resources section of

www.rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening)
A home for ladybirds Planting a green roof
Composting in schools Plants for a wildlife garden
Making a bug hotel Trees in the school grounds
Making bird cake Crab apple information sheet
Bird spotter 1 Field maple information sheet
Bird spotter 2 Hornbeam information sheet
Butterfly spotter 1 Silver birch information sheet
Butterfly spotter 2 Wild cherry information sheet
Flower spotter 1 Wildlife in your school garden poster
Flower spotter 2

Books

School Wildlife Gardens – a guide for teachers produced by the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea and downloadable from this link
www.rbkc.gov.uk/pdf/School%20wildlife%20Gardens%20-
%20a%20guide%20for%20teachers.pdf

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Wildlife Garden by Martyn Cox Dorling Kindersley Over 30 fun and simple step-by-
stem wildlife-friendly activities for children.

Wildlife Pond Handbook by Louise Bardsley, New Holland