A Garden for Nature- A Home for Other Creatures

I firmly believe that we all have a sacred and solemn duty to care for, cherish, protect and enhance Wildlife, the Environment and all other Creatures in every way possible. All of us in our daily lives can do sometning to make this planet more beautiful, sustainable and maintain its rich diversity and fecundity. And it is a desperately urgent task: in the last 50 years our wildlife has dramatically diminished.

I was brought up in a rural environment. Our games and playtime was out in the fields, woods, streams, lanes of the valleys and hills of Gloucestershire. Growing up in such a setting one instinctively one feels part of something at once beauteous and wondrous.

And how can one ever be alone as long as there is the rhythm of the seasons, the cycle of life in the greeness all around, the rustles of leaves in the breeze, the sound of the bird and the bee and smell of grass and flower after the rain? So much to delight our senses, restore our spirit and engender a sense of love and generosity to the environment and other creatures that so enrich our lives.

If anything sums it all up it is this: 

"The kiss of the sun for pardon

The song of the bird for mirth

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on Earth"

And so in a spirit of thankfulness, joy and partnership my garden has been developed to aid this process. And this takes several forms:

Planting:

Has been undertaken with wildlife in mind. So often we do not plant for wildlife. Yet gardens account for far more habitat than all the National Parks put together, so if we all took a little trouble then think of all the wildlife corridors across the nation that would be created and think of the richness this would be bring to our lives!

Moths

Several day flying moths are frequently seen, including:

Red Underwing,   Scarlet Tiger Moth,   White Plume,   Hummingbird Hawk Moth,   Yellow Underwing,   Cinnabar,      Ruby Tiger,    Brimstone,     Blood Vein Moth,   Pyrausta curata,    Silver Y,   Black arches,   Orange Underwing.

A fuller list will be compiled soon.

Insects

Quite a variety of insects now live in the garden and these include:

a wide range Beetles (including Stag-beetle, Cockchafer) as well as such things as Damsel-flies and Dragon-flies. Also Pond-skaters, and Water-boatmen  on the pond. Crickets and Grasshoppers and Lace-wings seem to be doing well.

The garden has large quantities of  Lady-birds. And a variety of Shield-bugs .

Bees

Several species of bee are daily seen in the garden in season such as:

Honey-bee.

Bumble-bee.

Mason-bee.

Miner-bee.

Amphibians & Reptiles

I brought my Frogs from my previous little pond and they have set up home happily here and bred. They are often to be seen in the pond or wetland or waterfall.

2017: very extensive spawning between  26-28 February.

And in 2016 Newts were introduced into the garden and released into the wetland.

Slow-worms are seen ocassionally.

Fish

The Pond is a thriving place for life and each year many fish are born. And as of 2016 the Shubunkin started breeding.

There are several species and these include:

Goldfish.     Blackamoor.   Golden Rudd.   Silver Rudd.  Green Tench.  Blue Panda.  Canary Yellow.   Sarassa Comet.  Honey Orf.   Blue Orf. Red Shubunkin.  Blue Shubunkin.  Golden Shubunkin. White Ogon.  Ginnrinn.  Koi (metallic ghost).  Fantail.

The metallic ghost Koi is now over 12 years old and quite large. Some of the fish were from from the other side of the country when I moved here in 2012.

It has been necessary to erect black mesh fence all around the pond and lay poles across the surface to keep the heron at bay. Unsightly but necessary.

I find watching fish to be very restful and soothing. They are often to be found sunning themselves in the shallower more open water. Some also like to come down to the waterfall for a tickle.

They congregate each night at the same time  and place where they are to be fed.

Mammals- Rodents

On the basis of what my Cat catches live (I usually manage to persuade him to give them to me in exchange for treats!) then Bank Voles, Field Voles, , Field Mice, House Mice  and Shrews are in abundance (unfortunately as everywhere these days Rats also)

Mammals- Others

Bats are seen every evening swooping across all parts of the garden. 

Judging by frequent mounds of earth then Moles are thriving.

A Badger visits. Ocassional visits by Muntjac in the woodland area. And Rabbits there also. A Ferret was once  seen.

Birds

In the garden itself since planting has developed over five years from nothing a reasonable range of species have now established themselves including;

Robin;  Blackbird;  Wren;   Sparrow; Pied Wagtail;  Nuthatch;  Bluetit; Great tit;  Coal tit;  Gold finch;  Bearded tit;  Chaffinch;  Firecrest;  Gold crest;  Collared Dove; Green finch;  Hawfinch;  Tree Sparrow;  Song Thrush;   Wood Pigeon, Screeching Owl. Canada Geese and Mallards often fly from the lake across my garden then back again  A Heron surveys the pond but seems to have been deterred by netting and fencing 

Visits by Crows;  Magpies;  Ocassional visits by Pheasant.

Overhead; Swallows (lots);  Buzzard;  Red Kite;  Sparrow Hawk;  Falcon;  Gull.

Apiary

There are plans to establish an apiary at the far eastern part of the garden  (the new new emerging woodland section). This room will also have areas of wildflowers and bee and butterfly friendly flowers and shrubs to help support these creatures. It will also be a semi-wild area.

The Apiary will also have a community involvement  aspect to it.

We need help to finance purchase of the beehives and colony and also wildflower turf mats.

Stephen Cox Garden Trust (registered charity #1174239)

"PURPOSE of the TRUST:  To offer charitable programmes and projects of education, horticulture, wildlife,  conservation and heritage, for the improvement of human well-being in general based upon the founder's garden, library, writings, teachings and  philosophy and by other means as the Trustees shall from time to time decide."

enquiries: stephencox.gardentrust@gmail.com